Tuesday (August 30th) marked the 90th birthday of legendary boxing trainer Angelo Dundee.  His contributions to the sport have been widespread and range over several decades.

In the video below, you will see footage of Dundee with his most prized pupil, Muhammad Ali, at the 5th Street Gym in Miami, Florida.

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You may also enjoy the footage below where Dundee can be seen working the corner of Sugar Ray Leonard in his epic bout with Thomas Hearns.  Dundee helped turn the fight around after the 12th round as he urged Leonard to come on strong.

Following Leonard’s dramatic victory, many were quick to praise Dundee for his assistance that night.  Angelo Dundee was not one to steal the spotlight however.  His humble response was as follows:

Thanks, but Ray did the fighting… The fighter is the hero. He’s the guy.  We [trainers] are secondary guys.  We’re not I, I, I.  You can’t be an ‘I’ guy.  I’m not an ‘I’ guy.

Many trainers in today’s era could learn from Dundee’s humble approach. He didn’t jump in front of the camera to promote himself and take the spotlight from his fighters. Instead, he focused solely on the task at hand. He prepared his fighters to the best of his ability. It wasn’t his claims or self-praise that made him a household name. Dundee is recognized for results. He didn’t need to tell everyone about his success or about how great he was as a trainer. He stayed busy working and let others speak for him.

As for what it takes to become a successful fighter, Dundee offers the following advice:

The most important ingredient is desire. The desire to win and the desire to be the best there is.

Happy Birthday to Angelo Dundee

 

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