Eddie Futch - The greatest strategist ever.

Exactly.

 

Plenty, and i'm hoping some more come out. Would you have known about Berbick - Thomas? Not many do.

 

Well Eddie didn't train Norton for the Foreman fight, and said he never would have put him in with Foreman anyways. With regards to Frazier, i think it's just a case of being stylistically overwhelmed, tho some will also point out Frazier's peak quotient. I'm sure if you put Futch in there against Foreman with his Larry Holmes say, he'd be tought to beat. Joe just didn't have much to go at Foreman with. Whether one agree's or not, Cus D's comments about no swarmer ever beating Foreman gives us an idea of what Joe was facing.

 

As a tidbit Futch said he only ever worked with one single fighter he didn't like, and named him after much pushing - Trevor Berbick. He also turned down Bramble for obvious reasons.

 

But then we have an Ali take George apart bit by bit. Frazier had some top skills, but i just don't think his particular set helped him much against Big Daddy.

 

Being the gentleman he is he doesn't elaborate much, but here are some tidbits

This fighter had a heavyweight title shot, i knew i could make him win the championship even tho the champion was a big favourite. This fighter came after me. But i turned him down, i turned him down, i turned him down. But he persued me all over the place. So i decided one day this will be the biggest payday this kid has ever had, and i can give it to him. So i took him for one fight, his lawyers tried to tie me up for more but i said no.

I pointed out all the things i wanted him to do. I showed him tape of the champion and pointed out all his strengths. I told him what i wanted him to do. Then i went over the weaknesses. I worked with him in that manner through the night of the fight, and the odds went up at 7-1. I told him if he did everything i told him he would win. And he won the fight. Right away he started doing some things i knew i wouldn't like, and i (Futch had said MAYBE to one more) quit.

He got so far off the line as a fighter (after the win). And since i tried to talk myself out of accepting him in the first place, as soon as he became exactly what i thought he'd become, i got out. In his next fight he fought Mike Tyson.

"No he would never have beaten Tyson, but that wasn't the point."