Muhammad Ali’s trainer, Angelo Dundee, was by his side for every fight of his career since his second pro fight, except for one.
Muhammad Ali is widely regarded as ‘The Greatest’ on account of his supreme speed, intellect, and showmanship, leaving a legacy in boxing untouched by any other fighter.
He could not have done it alone, though, and owes much of his success to his trainer, Angelo Dundee, who was by his side for all but two of his bouts.
The first was Ali’s pro debut against Tunney Hunsaker in 1960, but the second was far different, as not only were the stakes higher, but Dundee didn’t just not work Ali’s corner, he went the next step and worked in the corner of his fierce opponent.
Angelo Dundee backed Jimmy Ellis against Muhammad Ali following his loss to Joe Frazier
In 1971, Ali suffered the first loss of his career against Joe Frazier. Ali vs Frazier was watched by 10% of the population at the time, and was a thrilling fight that ended in a points loss for Ali.
Four months later, Ali hoped to get back to winning ways against 30-6 Jimmy Ellis. Ellis had lost to Frazier himself a few fights earlier and had beaten Floyd Patterson before that.
Bizarrely, Dundee was the trainer of both men, who were frequent sparring partners for one another, so it’s odd that the match-up even took place.
As Dundee, who helped Ali beat Earnie Shavers with a strange loophole, was Ali’s trainer, but Ellis’ trainer and manager, he stood to get paid a higher purse working in Ellis’ corner, so that’s exactly what he did.
Even without Dundee’s presence, Ali, who was stopped aged 16, outshone Ellis, winning via final-round stoppage.
Angelo Dundee also trained other legendary fighters
Dundee’s training career extended far beyond Ali, who couldn’t intimidate Jean Pierre Coopman, as the boxing coach also took on the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard, overseeing his stellar pro career.
Dundee famously rallied his man against Thomas Hearns, telling him he was blowing it as the fight drew near to the final rounds. Leonard won via stoppage in round 14, just after Dundee’s words.
He also trained the late great George Foreman, another of Ali’s former opponents, and retired having coached a roster of 16 world champions.