Originally Posted by
Memphis
It's horses for courses. In some instances the trainer is essentially redundant, Joe Calzaghe is always a good example. No disrespect to Enzo but Joe could have been trained by a chimp and still been brilliant. Success breeds success and Enzo had some with Rees, Maccarinelli, there maybe a couple more I'm forgetting. You wouldn't say Enzo was a great trainer. He worked his fighters hard and gave them everything but his boxing acumen was lacking.
Lewis and Klitschko had impeccable fits with Manny. Both started out as aggressive fighters, both got chinned, both went on to utilise the Steward tall fighter template to great effect. Both very smart men, who would have thunk it.
The apple never falls far from the tree and Eubank Senior wasn't a great trainer or listener. People call for Eubank Sr to step back and promote Ronnie Davies from grease boy to 'head' trainer. I'm not sure how that helps. No disrespect to Davies but I don't ever remember him working wonders for the old man, he was 'there' and gave Sr a pantomime slap around the face on cue. Davies must have been softened by time and his place in the Eubank circus, I wouldn't hold much hope of Jr paying any attention to him, not now.
People, fighters, are born with mental and physical gifts that make them predisposed to a particular sport or pursuit with little refinement required. But it doesn't cover everything.
The trainers job is to build a boxer from the ground up. Teach all the things that can be taught, the jab, the cross, the hook and uppercut, then make them work seamlessly. Footwork, defence, discipline and fitness. Impart experience, wisdom, praise and criticism when required, to tell the truth. When you've done all those things, you might just find success, but it's not guaranteed.
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