Was Angelo Dundee overrated as a boxing trainer?

Dundee shares that honour with Eddie Futch,imo.

 

Eddie would certainly have you prepared with a good battle plan.

 

I guess that a trainer with a solid rep like Dundee’s (deserved or not) will more likely attract fighters with the very potential already there, fighters who want the very best but who might’ve likely thrived under a good number of other trainers anyway.

I remember Dundee saying he really didn’t instruct Ali so much in training because Ali was well in charge of himself. However, Dundee did say if he saw need for Ali to focus on a particular aspect of his game, given Ali’s ego and self navigation, he would drop it in as a casual suggestion rather than a formal directive, only to see Ali working on the suggestion the very next day.

I suppose Dundee gains a lot of credit for his real time savvy and clutch moves during the course of a fight. Claiming to widen an existing glove tear v Cooper to try and buy time between rds. Shoving Ali out for rd 5 v Liston despite Ali’s impaired vision, his cries of foul play and wanting the gloves cut. Checking and tightening the ropes prior to first bell in Zaire and screaming at anyone else who tried to adjust the ropes mid fight.
Arranging a television to be viewable from Ali’s corner v Shavers to keep updated with the official scores posted after each rd. Etc. etc.

A lot of this stuff was best advertised by Dundee himself but the real time savvy and support provided in the corner is somewhat of a compelling argument for him I guess.

Certainly, if Dundee was in Hag’s corner v Leonard, he would’ve been trying his hardest to put a fire under Hags much more than Marvin’s actual and conspicuously quiet corner did.

 

I think he excused himself saying something along the lines of no matter what he himself thought Ali was going to take that fight anyway, so it might as well as be him in the corner, who knows Ali so well.
Whether that's a justified argument well people will judge for themselves.

 

Hell no. Arcell, Steward and Cus were miles better than Dundee.

 

Except when Clancy told Oscar De La Hoya to "kill the clock" before the final round vs. Trinidad.

 

Well depending on your perspective it was sound advice. DelaHoya had already decided he was done fighting that day. Trinidad was on fire throwing his thunder.
Clancy didn't want to see DelaHoya knocked down or out in the 12th. Oscar had no strength left but he survived the distance.