FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR, the unbeaten defensive genius who won world titles in five different weight divisions, announced last week he intends to be a trainer.
And typically the ego-maniac Mayweather confidently predicts he has every intention of being one of the best in the world.
Floyd Mayweather Jr announced last week he intends to be a trainer
Mayweather trains pop artist Justin Bieber in his Las Vegas gym in 2014
Money Mayweather said “A true trainer wants the best out of their fighters and pushes them to the best of their ability.
Highly commendable sentiments but before Floyd takes on his first protege he would be well advised to carefully digest the words of Ray Arcel.
Arcel, who had what he described as a few two-dollar fights learned his trade in New York’s famous Stillman’s gym before World War 1 Yet his name is revered to this day in sweat-shops where there’s a ring on every continent as one of the greatest trainers of all-time though he died 26 years ago.
His career started in the 1920s and continued until 1980 – in that near 60 years he developed twenty world champions.
A Who’s Who of boxing greats passed through his hands among them Benny Leonard, Barney Ross, Max Baer, Henry Armstrong, James J. Braddock, Jack ‘Kid’ Berg, Ezzard Charles, Larry Holmes and Roberto Duran.
Mayweather, no doubt because of who he is has convinced himself he is quite capable of turning frogs into Princes.
But Arcel whose wisdom earned him the reputation of being boxing’s Solomon, pointed out a long time ago “You’re only as good as the fighter you work with.
“I don’t care how much you know. If your fighter can’t fight then you are just another bum in the park.
“Ring sense is an art. A gift from God that flows out of a fighter like a great painting flows out of an artist.”
Mayweather might not be aware that all the legendary top trainers throughout history never held world titles and weren’t even close to being contenders.
Eddie Futch, couldn’t turn pro because of a heart murmur yet he trained 21 world champions, including five world heavyweight champions, and masterminded the strategy for four of the five men who beat Muhammad Ali.
Manny Steward, who was credited with being involved with 40 world champions – Tommy Hearns, Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko were his superstar pupils – was another who only boxed as an amateur.
And as for the legendary Angelo Dundee, who steered Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard plus 14 others to fame and glory he never had a fight in his life. Mayweather will probably find out early that fighters make trainers and not the other way round.
This was forcibly brought home by promoter Mickey Duff, who brought the immortal Sugar Ray Robinson’s renowned trainer Harry Wiley over from America to work with heavyweight Billy Walker.
Billy the original Blond Bomber, was Britain’s biggest attraction in the early 1960s but Duff was worried he was taking too many punches so he hired Wiley to teach him some vital defensive skills.
Duff to his horror found Wiley was trying to change Walker completely.from an exciting fan-pleasing slam-bang-wallop battler into a fancy Dan stylist.
He told Harry in no uncertain terms that wasn’t the purpose of the exercise, which deeply offended the man from Harlem.
Wiley said “Mickey, remember I trained Sugar Ray Robinson.”
Duff wanted to know how many fighters Harry had worked with.
He guessed about 500 – quick as a flash, Duff asked: “Then why haven’t you made another Sugar Ray Robinson?”
I have a feeling a frustrated Floyd will find his patience stretched to the limit when he discovers he’s never going to make another Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Mayweather’s son Koraun trains in ring with his dad after being given masterclass by undefeated legend
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
