I guess that one way a trainer can really help a fighter develope (and be grow by themselves) is by sitting down and watching fights with them. Just talking with them, of what's going on in a fight. It would be more helpful to be able to watch the fight from the stand point of what it'd be like if you were in the ring. Pick a side, and watch the fight in the eyes of one fighter. All the while asking yourself what the fighter is trying to do, etc. This is all important because this is the kind of eyes that you'll use while watching a fight as well as when you're in one.

Here's interesting account by the great trainer Mannie Seamon on Benny Leonard: "Benny often went into the gym even when he was not training. Because boxing was his life. He said he discovered new moves and tricks by watching the other boxers work out. He was a thorough student of boxing."


Like Sharkey said, it's the kind of thing that makes a good fighter become a great fighter.