Hi All,

During a foray in the early noughties of sponsoring a pro fighter, losing money, and meeting loads of boxing greats, I had many discussions about the value of a boxing 'trainer'. The consensus was basically that boxers, like footballers, golfers etc. are born not made, you've got it, or you ain't.

Any silly sod in Lycra can run around the park with a boxer to keep him 'fit', but if a true boxer doesn't know he needs to do that, then he's not really in the game. Why should a boxer pay thousands to a so-called 'trainer' just to run around the park with him, when he could just get Lycra Leroy for £10 an hour from a local gym? Or just work it out for himself?

If all 'trainers' do is keep boxers fit then that's a pretty poor statement on boxers own professionalism, they surely know they have to be fit to pursue the sport?

As regards gym work then the sight of a 60 odd year old doing pads with a young pro is just as ridiculous as Sam Allardyce or Roy Hodgson donning tracksuits to risk injury to multi-million pound footballers trying to teach them how to play.

Last Saturdays events with EU JR brought the 'trainer' debate in to focus, what EU needed in his corner was an experienced eye who could tell him how to react to ongoing fight situations, wether that man be called a 'trainer' on x% of the purse, or just a friendly free advisor, is the issue. EU Snr was clearly not up to the job, so that basically says that such and advisor need not necessarily be an ex-pro.

Sorry to sit on the fence