Muhammad Ali Trainer Angelo Dundee Dies, Aged 90

Muhammad Ali’s legendary trainer Angelo Dundee has, after 90 magnificent rounds, thrown in the towel. The man who coached Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard to boxing glory died on Wednesday in Tampa, Fla. His son Jimmy confirmed his passing to the Associated Press.

The 90-year-old Dundee had spent over two-thirds of his life as a cornerman in professional boxing, and his reputation preceded him. Those who worked with him have previously spoken effusively about his impact on boxing and the men he coached. As Ali, his most famous fighter, told The New York Times in 1981:

“You come back to the corner and he’ll say, ‘The guy’s open for a hook,’ or this or that. If he tells you something during a fight, you can believe it. As a cornerman, Angelo is the best in the world.”

Ali was by no means Dundee’s only triumph, however. In his 60-year career, he worked with Sugar Ray Leonard, José Nápoles, George Foreman, Jimmy Ellis, Luis Rodriguez, Willie Pastrano and Carmen Basilio. Basilio was his first success story, a New York-born welterweight and middleweight champ in the 1950s. Dundee even advised George Foreman when he regained the heavyweight title at the ripe age of 45.

His first encounter with Ali came in the late-1950s. Then a promising amateur known as Cassius Clay, Ali received tips from Dundee, who became Clay’s trainer in December 1960. The pair never looked back. Speaking later about his coaching of Ali, Dundee revealed himself as a somewhat cunning sports psychologist and deft man-manager:

“I never touched that natural stuff with him. However, training Cassius was not quite the same as training another fighter. Some guys take direction and some don’t, and this kid had to be handled with kid gloves. So every now and then I’d subtly suggest some move or other to him, couching it as if it were something he was already doing. I’d say something like: ‘You’re getting that jab down real good. You’re bending your knees now and you’re putting a lot of snap into it.’ Now, he had never thrown a jab, but it was a way of letting him think it was his idea, his innovation.”

Dundee was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994, and leaves behind a rich legacy. RIP, Angelo.