Angelo Dundee
Birth Name: Angelo Merena
Born: August 30, 1921 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
Died: February 1, 2012
Angelo Dundee is considered one of the greatest trainers of all-time. He learned the intricacies of the sweet science watching the great trainers at Stillman's Gym in the late 1940s.
Dundee's first world champion was Carmen Basilio, who won the World Welterweight Championship from Tony DeMarco in 1955.
He moved to Miami Beach in the 1950s and helped his brother Chris Dundee run the 5th Street Gym. Miami became a prime location to work with Cuban fighters and the Dundee brothers thrived and turned Miami Beach into a boxing powerhouse.
Dundee is best known for training Muhammad Ali. He was hired to work with Ali in 1960 and stayed with him until his last fight in 1981.
He is also well known for his association with Sugar Ray Leonard. Dundee was hired to work with Leonard after he won the Olympics in 1976. He guided Leonard to the three world titles.
He was inducted into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009.
Dundee trained the following world champions:
- Muhammad Ali
- Carmen Basilio
- Ralph Dupas
- Jimmy Ellis
- George Foreman (during Foreman's comeback)
- Slobodan Kacar
- Sugar Ray Leonard
- Jose Napoles
- Michael Nunn
- Willie Pastrano
- Sugar Ramos
- Luis Manuel Rodriguez
- Pinklon Thomas
Other boxers with whom Dundee worked:
- Willi Besmanoff
- Bill Bossio
- Dick DiVeronica
- David Estrada
- John Holman
- Billy Kilgore
- Jeff Merritt
- Michael Olajide
- Marc Randazzo
- Terry Ray
- Arthur Johnson
- Douglas Vaillant
- Andy Arel
- Jose Legra, briefly before Legra won the featherweight world title
- Oscar De La Hoya as an advisor for the Manny Pacquiao bout
- Wilfredo Gomez - For the Rocky Lockridge fight
- Ruben Castillo
Awards & Recognition
- Boxing Writers Association of America Al Buck Award for Manager of the Year (1968 and 1979).
- Boxing Writers Association of America James J. Walker Award for Long and Meritorious Service (1996).
- Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame, "Expanded Category" (Managers & Trainers).
- Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Non-Participant.
Dundee-Leonard photo courtesy of www.authographedtoyou.com
