Who Is the Greatest Boxing Coach of All Time?

Most people have, at some point in their lives, heard about the greatest boxers of all-time. Even someone who's never seen a fight before can generally recognize names like Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Sugar Ray Leonard, and Mike Tyson. But unless you really study the sport, it's unlikely you'll be familiar with great coaches and trainers. They are not nearly as high-profile as their fighters, most certainly, and also get much less exposure than just about anyone who coaches a team sport. This does not mean, however, that coaching and training boxers is less significant than the role that say, a football coach.

Boxing competitively is a whole different emotional journey than any other non-combat sport. Oftentimes fighters put their complete and total trust in their coach. They had better, as they are also putting their lives on the line every time they step into that ring. As such, trainers have the opportunity to truly mold their fighters. Whether they become pros or not, the coach is a teacher, mentor, a sometimes father figure, and really guides the fighter along as their skills and boxing brains develop.

Here are those who are generally recognized to be the greatest boxing trainers of all time, by most accounts (including mine). Right now, the list is pretty old-school but modern trainers like Eddy Reynoso and SugarHill Steward may eventually earn their places in history as well.

Cus D'amato
Eddie Futch
Angelo Dundee
Freddie Roach
Ray Arcel

Lou Duva

Emanuel Steward

Teddy Atlas

Roger Mayweather

Interesting thing is that with exception of Roger Mayweather, none of these men competed at a high level, some with little ring experience at all. This is generally true in ALL sports. Take a look at any one - football, soccer, MMA, tennis, bocce ball, etc. - and check out who the experts consider the greatest coaches to be. Almost none were superstars in their own right. There is a reason for this. Being a great coach is an entirely different skill-set than being a great fighter or player. Sometimes these skills can even be somewhat contradictory. Many great athletes are born with natural physical ability that not everybody else has. Some things just come easier to them than others. This can make communication, motivation, instruction and sometimes even relatability tough when they coach others who are not as talented. I have known boxers who literally can't even describe how to throw an uppercut. Not that they describe poor technique, I mean can't really explain it all. They can certainly throw and show a good punch but the breakdown is less apparent to them as they have pretty much always been able to do it well.

Anyway, back to the original topic, who of these legendary trainers really THE best? For me, it's Cus D'amato but I am very biased. Not only did he train Mike Tyson (my favorite fighter) but also created a whole new style of boxing that Iron Mike was the perfect vehicle for. Together, they made the sport must-see TV for people like myself and after Cus passed away and Tyson later fired his protege, Kevin Rooney, Mike's skill-set declined significantly and he was never the same, mentally or physically. That famous loss to Buster Douglas would not have happened had he continued to work with Rooney and Tyson's full potential was never potentially realized. That is how important a trainer can be. A truly great basketball or football player can be great regardless of who coaches them. In boxing, I think this is far less common. The right trainer can make the difference between champion and also-ran.

As far as the opinion of those not as biased as I am, I think most would tell you that Angelo Dundee belongs at the top of the greatest trainer list, since he worked with both Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard. Although it is Eddie Futch who has probably trained more great boxers than anyone else, including 4 of the 5 men to beat Ali. Plus, one of his disciples was Freddie Roach, who is himself also considered by many to be the greatest trainer of all time.. Then of course there are countless fighters trained by all of these men who never became famous but whose lives were positively impacted by the time spent together.

Besides being a great teacher, communicator, motivator and brilliant boxing mind, a big thing that any great coach in any sport on any level needs is to care. To care about those who they coach (as well as the sport itself). Not just in their success but in their development as athletes and people. This care will flow into everything else they teach and do. Doesn't have to be all warm and fuzzy either. I was fortunate enough to work with a great coach for several years who wasn't particularly nice at all. But he definitely cared about me getting better and his tactical mindset was something I really admired and wanted to emulate as best I could. He also inspired me to want to teach this as well, which why I am sitting here writing this in the first place!