Angelo Dundee, the legendary boxing trainer who was every bit as talented if not as colorful as his most famous proteges, died Wednesday at his home in Tampa, Fla.
As a cornerman, Dundee lead Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard to the pinnacle of boxing in the '70s and '80s, a time many consider boxing's last great golden era.
At the age of 90, Dundee was hospitalized for a blood clot last week but was released recently and returned to his Tampa home before passing away Wednesday surrounded by family.
Dundee, the master trainer, was boxing's last great ambassador, a man whose knowledge and integrity were without question.
"He was one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Nobody wasn't touched by him, didn't enjoy that chance encounter—oh, and P.S.—he was a great trainer, too," said boxing historian Bert Sugar, who wrote a book with Dundee, View From the Corner.
"Nobody knows what a great trainer is. It has more sides than a Rubik's Cube, but Angelo seemed to make it work," said Sugar, reached at his New York home Thursday morning.
Dundee taught hundreds of boxers the value of the left jab, a lost art in the last 20 years. But more importantly, he taught them how to be gentleman.
"It doesn't cost anything more to be nice," Dundee often said.
Dundee, the master motivator and ring technician, was in the young Ali's corner (then known as Cassius Clay) for his famous upset of Sonny Liston in 1964, for Ali's three historic bouts against Joe Frazier and every match along Ali's storied career.
In 1976, Dundee took on Sugar Ray Leonard, who won junior welterweight gold in the Summer Olympics that year.
Dundee managed and trained Leonard, carefully selecting his matches until Leonard won his first title against Wilfred Benitez as a welterweight in 1979.
With Dundee by his side, Leonard would go on to take part in some of boxing's most memorable matches, including his 1981 title fight with Tommy Hearns, in which Dundee could be heard yelling, "you're blowing it, son, you're blowing it," as Leonard fell behind early, only to win by knockout in the 13th round.
And, of course, Dundee prepared Leonard for one of the most amazing shutdowns ever, when he forced the notoriously tough Roberto Duran to quit in Leonard-Duran II, the November 1980 rematch, known today as simply, the "No Mas" fight.
Dundee was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994 after training 25 world champions, including Ali, Leonard, George Foreman and many more.
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