Lou Duva

Hate to say it but so did I. Can remember him been a big part of the 90 s heavyweight scene, his blow ups at the opposite corner s lol. I wouldn't like to have got on the wrong side of him! But that sad to hear. Another character gone from the boxing world.

 

It wasn't an unreasonable assumption. We all knew he had to be up there in age and hasn't appeared in the public light for quite some time. I actually thought Gil Clancy had passed years before he actually did.

 

So how good was Lou as a boxing coach? Was he good technically like an Eddie Futch, or more of a motivator in the mould of Angelo Dundee, or indeed both!

 

I would say both but probably more the latter of the two. He co-trained for many years with George Benton ( also deceased ) who I think was more of a technical genius while Duva really pushed guys to give it their all and also fought to protect them and their rights.

 

I would say more of a motivator.

 

Thanks for that gentlemen

 

I worked with Duva for many yrs, he was a motivator more than an actual trainer, also a supervisor he got the the best trainers, Benton was his head coach, he had great asst coaches in Roger Bloodworth, Tommy Brooks, and a young Ronnie Shields.

 

What role were you in ?

 

Tragic

Tragic loss? He was 95, Charles.

Like ETM, I feraed for Lou after the Bowe v Golta fight. It was like Mickey when Rocky fought Clubber Lang.

 

He was nearly 95 so nothing tragic about his passing. My father in law lived in the same neighborhood in Patterson as Lou and they knew one another. He has several stories which I won't pass on. He did say every time he saw Duva he was dressed like a movie star in a perfect pin striped suit.....but could never get the girls.

 

I brought him talent one of the first was Frankie Warren, the last was Jesus "Matador" Chavez, the last fighter was BJ Flores, who was Lou's former company, Main Event. I dealt mostly with Mexican fighters. I was in the Meldrick Taylor training camp for the 1st Chavez fight.

 

From first hand knowledge of Tyrell Biggs career.
Main Events (Duva family) signed the fighters.
Lou was the figurehead with all hands on stuff with the fighters in and out of the ring and in and out of the gym.Involved heavily in making the fights , matchmaking etc.
Actual coaching was George Benton/Tommy Brooks.
On fight night Benton talked sense quietly whilst Lou often talked nonsense loudly.
Shelley Finkel managed them ( finances/taxman/contracts)
He was a loud and loyal grandstander for his fighter whilst the fighter was marketable. His good intentions waned in direct parallel to the fighters prospects.
Organised a lavish party post fight Biggs v Tyson , Biggsy new little about it. Deducted the cost from Biggs share.
Biggs had a terrible cut against David Bey in March '87, should've had plastic surgery and a year out. In October they sent him in against Tyson. The cut lasted 2 and a half rounds.
They were on a third of the earnings. Over 400,000$ .That's at least a million in todays money.
Instead of stoping the fight when Biggs was on his stool and clearly beaten at the end of round 6, he sent him out and spent the rest of the fight screaming obsceneties at Don King who was telling him to save his fighter between the round.
Gave Burt some of the worst advice in between rounds ive ever heard. He generally undid alot of Bentons good work.
I'm sure he benefited some fighters and yes definetly a character.
Had to go through the hell of losing his son.
He lived to a fantastic age and in pretty good shape until into his 90's.

 

He wasnt really a coach at all.More overseer of everything that went on.

 

That's fascinating stuff. Bet you have some good stories to tell.

 

During the Taylor - Chavez camp, I brought in two brothers Memo Cruz and Eduardo Cruz, from Mexico one to spar with Taylor(Memo) and the other(Eduardo) Lou was interested in. One day a father and son from Louisiana came into the gym, the son was 18-0, 18ko's. a WW, the father wanted Lou to look at the kid, I overheard and I suggested Eduardo who was 18 at the time, and also 18-0, 18ko's, and also a WW. Lou, told the dad let me think about it. I asked Lou, later why not, he said "the kid seemed liked a good kid, why get him killed", he knew what he had with Eduardo. Lou, put Eduardo in 4 fights all ko win's. The final fight was a war with a guy from Mexico, a former National amateur champion, and he dropped Eduardo in the first, but Eduardo came back and stopped the guy. The guy retired after two more fights, Cruz's father then took Eduardo to someone else and the kid never achieved what he could, cos the father thought better. Eduardo was a stone killer, before Duva I had sent him to Italy and there he fought 3 fights, all ko's in the 1st. They started calling him the "baby assassin", the father messed that up. The father thought he was slick and got his kid destroyed.