Old school trainers and the Modern Trainers

Too be a great fighter one must fight (Or spar, not the patty cake type in today's gym's)The game today is much more focused on fighter safety than fighter knowledge and sharpness. Thus the trainers today can't push the fighters the way trainers of yesteryear (And, most of the kids the last 30yrs wouldn't do it anyway,they would tell a trainer when their done as opposed to the other way around)Think about the legendary Philly wars and the fighters that came through their in late 60's through the 80's . Some of the sparring those fighters had was better than most actual fights. The 1st time I stepped in a boxing gym, I was put in with a pro fighter that had 7 pro fights and like 20 amateur. Of course I got my ass beat! Handily. But that was a old school trainer and he wanted to see where my heart was. After I returned is when he started training me. I can't imagine that happening today. Water breaks? Haha, drink your spit. One can never learn what he does well unless you've done it thousands of times. In my opinion it's the reason we don't see the "specialist " in the game today. No devastating punchers like a Shavers or Foreman. The impossible stylist Like a Pep, Davis Jr. Or Whitaker, how many rds of sparring did it take to get on that skill level? Learning what they did well? Safety is the biggest difference in today's game, not really the trainers. Another reason is parents are not allowing their kids to box when their pre-teens. Most coming into the sport young adults today. Something that was very uncommon when one look at most great fighters from the past.

 

Good points that I agree with. I had quite a tough test for my first sparring as a kid (dad's an old coach) and it did me a world of good, even though I got smashed. I think it was Canzoneri who said he wished he'd started boxing at 4 instead of 8 lol.

 

John David Jackson is a good modern coach who was brought up under the old guard.

 

The Old school trainers way back in the day used to do it all. They stayed with the fighter got them in shape but also taught them boxing fundamentals, game plans etc. During a fight in the corner they also handle cuts as well as strategy adjustments all that. They had bit more on their plate

 

If you're a top-class trainer, eventually you bring fighters to success. Perhaps not top-level fame, but a level of recognition in the amateur or professional scene. I'm sure there are some great unknown trainers out there, but the results in the quality of fighters shows a decline in visible skill.

It's not romanticization, it's easily observed in the well-roundedness of fighters.

 

Yeah, many of them do. But few of them ever become famous. Plenty of guys have brought up multiple amateur champions and successful pros, and the vast majority of the people who post in this forum probably have barely heard of any of them. Boxing fans (especially in classics-oriented forums like this) mostly only learn about the very small number of trainers who have superstar P4P fighters who headline premium cable and PPV cards.

 

A decline relative to when? And how are you measuring skill? When you speak of well-roundedness, what do you think today’s fighters lack relative to their predecessors?

 

I think the old time trainers had more to offer in the way of discipline and training methods compare to today. Fighters today have very little loyalty and do not pay attention to their trainers. Ali kept Angelo Dundee, except for the Jimmy Ellis fight, Marciano with Goldman, Monzon with Amilcar Brusa, and Tommy Hearns with Emmanuel Stewart, Joe Louis with Jack Blackburn, until his death,, and Sugar Ray Robinson with George Gainford. These are few of many examples. The older trainers also stressed roadwork and lots of sparring. The big thing were no woman companionship before a fight. Today some promoters dictate training to the fighters and have them change their characteristics to promote a fight. Old time trainers would frown on this method, it becomes a distraction. There was only one Ali, insulting his opponents, but it was not his gimmick originally. The legendary wrestler Gorgeous George originated this. Ali himself has admitted this during his early career. The old time trainer was also wiser and wanted his fighters to be decent law abiding men, who the young could admire and look up to, there are few exceptions. Old time trainers were also like father's to their boxers, some did not have a father image in their lives. But changing trainers does not allow for consistency, which will give your opponent a message of uncertainty. Roberto Duran s' career changed without the guidance of Ray Arcel and Freddie Brown.