Angelo Dundee - My View From The Corner
Published August 25, 2009 by Boxing Capital
Angelo Dundee is, without question, one of the greatest trainers the world has ever seen; not only did he train ‘The Greatest’ Muhammad Ali, he also trained a number of other boxing greats such as ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard and George Foreman. But his success didn’t end there and he is still held in such high regard that Oscar De La Hoya appointed Angelo as a ‘Strategy Consultant’ ahead of his contest last year with Manny Pacquiao.
So, the chance to get an insight into his training methods and the inside track of what is was like working with those boxing greats was too good to turn down – it’s safe to say my expectations on picking up this book were higher than when I picked up most other boxing books.
This book takes you through the life of the Italian-American trainer, who has spent an amazing 50 years plus in boxing, despite never having put the gloves on and boxed himself.
The book makes a slow (but very interesting) start as we follow Angelo through his formative years in the sport working alongside his brother Chris, doing all sorts of odd jobs to get enough dollars together to get through the week.
If you’ve ever heard the great Angelo Dundee speak, you’ll get an idea of how the book is written. Angelo is a hugely charismatic character and the book conveys his tone perfectly as he recalls boxing tales from years gone by. Sometime the early stories veer off at tangents as Angelo recalls old boxing tales, so you really need to concentrate for the opening few chapters.
Once Angelo meets Ali (then Cassius Clay of course) the pace heats up and we get fascinating insights into his rise from Olympic Gold to World Champion. Angelo was in Ali’s corner for every one of his fights aside from his debut – always the professional, Dundee was appointed Ali’s trainer whilst Ali was training for his first fight, so the selfless Dundee took the decision to stay out of the way until he’d made his debut to ensure he didn’t disrupt preparations.
From there on, the book provides nonstop action as we follow Ali from ‘The Thriller in Manilla’ to ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ and beyond. Whole chapters are dedicated to those wonderful fights and you really feel like you’ve living every round, taking every punch.
Angelo’s close relationship with Ali means we get a sense of the true Ali, an unmistakable sense of the man himself, something that proves particularly interesting during the chapter on Ali’s years exiled from the sport for his unwillingness to participate in the Vietnam conflict.
From there on in, we get the roller coaster ride of ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonards career at the height of the boxing boom in the eighties as we follow his clashes against the greats such as Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and ‘Marvellous’ Marvin Hagler. Many have wondered why Roberto Duran said ‘No Mas’ during his rematch with Leonard and Dundee gives his own, extremely interesting, take on the debacle.
Of course, the Leonard vs. Hearns classic will always be remembered for Dundee’s immortal words to Leonard between the 12th and 13th rounds – ‘You’re blowing it now son’ – which reinvigorated a tired Leonard so much so that he was able to hurt Hearns in the 13th, before finishing off his foe in the 14th for a famous victory.
With Ray Leonard retired (eventually for good – you’ll know what I mean when you read the book!) Dundee is approached to work with George Foreman, then in his forties and having been away from the sport for years, wanting to attempt the seemingly impossible task of becoming the oldest Heavyweight Champion of all time. What follows is another incredible ride, with Angelo at the helm, as Foreman strides towards the impossible dream.
Within this book is a chance to have a front row seat through two of the greatest era’s in the history in boxing (Ali and Leonard’s rise to prominence), whilst also following the oldest Heavyweight Champion of all time.
Quite simply, it’s a must read.
Judges Scorecard – 9/10
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