A Look Back At Angelo Dundee On His 10th Death Anniversary

Ten years ago today, the boxing world lost one of its greatest trainers.

And that trainer’s name is Angelo Dundee who has worked with names like Willie Pastrano, Sugar Ramos, Jose Napoles, Carmen Basilio, Billy Kilgore, Esteban De Jesus, Michael Nunn, Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali.

Dundee served as a trainer and cornerman. But those he trained saw him also as a friend, some calling him by the nickname “Angie” like Ali, Leonard and George Foreman.

“You’re blowing it, son! You’re blowing it!”

“You’re blowing it now, son! You’re blowing it!”

Those were the words of the great Angelo Dundee in the corner of Sugar Ray Leonard after round 12 of his unification clash with Tommy Hearns.

Leonard, down on all three cards stopped Hearns in round 14pic.twitter.com/fOB0Gw513W

— Steve Boxman (@SteveBoxman) April 16, 2020

Those were Dundee’s words, which later became a viral soundbite, which helped Leonard come back from being down on all three judges’ scorecards and stopping Thomas Hearns in Round 14 of their welterweight title fight.

Dundee entered the boxing scene after serving in World War II. He then worked as a bucket-man at Stillman’s Gym in New York. What he learned soon became his passion as he moved to Miami and opened his now famous Fifth Street Gym.

Dundee would go on to create world champions as a cornerman, including Basilio for the world welterweight crown in 1955 and Sugar Ray Robinson for the world middleweight title in 1957.

In 1960s, Dundee traveled around the world with Ali, and was in his corner for two fights – Tunney Hunsaker in 1960 and Jimmy Ellis in 1971.

Foreman accused Dundee of loosening the ring ropes before Ali’s 1974 match “The Rumble in the Jungle” where Ali introduced the rope-a-dope technique. Dundee reportedly denied the accusations.

After Dundee retired, he trained Russell Crowe for portraying James J. Braddock in
Cinderella Man” in 2005. Three years later, he was hired as a special consultant for Oscar De La Hoya prior his fight against Manny Pacquiao.

Dundee died on Feb. 1, 2012 in his sleep at his senior resident apartment. He was 90 years old.