Best boxing trainers of all time: Freddie Roach, Cus D’Amato, Teddy Atlas and more - Here are the sport's greatest coaches
Boxing is not only one of the most popular combat sports in today's world but is also counted among the toughest in the sporting realm. While the pugilists rightfully receive most of the credit for stepping inside the squared circle, their trainers too deserve considerable respect. After all, it's the coach/trainer who serves as the trusted guide for a fighter heading into battle.
Over the years, a number of boxing trainers have cemented their legacies as important figures in the history of the fight game; molding some of the greatest boxers of all time.
Today, we take a brief look at a few legendary boxing coaches, who've earned the distinction of being adept mentors and possessors of a wealth of knowledge pertaining to the sweet science.
#5 Emanuel Steward
Emanuel Steward extensively competed as an amateur boxer before transitioning to the role of a trainer for amateur and professional boxers. 'Manny' became a staple of the legendary Kronk Gym in Detroit and mentored many talented combatants there. Steward is best known for his coaching work with boxing greats such as Thomas 'Hitman' Hearns, Lennox Lewis, and Wladimir Klitschko.
Steward's 'Father Figure' reputation was such that some of the most successful fighters would seek his guidance to further broaden their skills' horizons. Boxing icons such as Oscar De La Hoya, Evander Holyfield, and Naseem Hamed sought his guidance. An up-and-coming Tyson Fury, who eventually became a multiple-time heavyweight champion, also trained under Steward.
Among the late great trainer's accomplishments, two that are often talked about are how he played a key role in enabling a technical boxer like Hearns to develop thunderous KO power and helped revive Wladimir Klitschko's career. A notable technique that Steward used to toughen his students was turning the thermostat up at the gym, testing their physical and mental fortitude in the grueling heat.
Following Emanuel's passing in October 2012, his nephew SugarHill Steward has been the central figure at the new Kronk Gym, continuing his uncle's legacy of grooming and training top-tier fighters.
#4 Teddy Atlas
Teddy Atlas' amateur boxing career witnessed him train under legendary coach Cus D'Amato. Atlas managed to capture a Golden Gloves boxing title, but his amateur boxing career was cut short owing to back injury issues. He transitioned to training and helping others achieve their dreams in the sport of boxing. Atlas trained Mike Tyson as directed by D'Amato.
That stint came to an end after an infamous incident, wherein Tyson reportedly engaged in inappropriate conduct with a female member of Atlas' family. Teddy threatened a 15-year-old Tyson with a firearm, and D'Amato later banned him from the Catskill Gym. Regardless, Atlas carved a path of his own, cementing his legacy as a revered boxing coach.
Atlas trained world champions such as Michael Moorer, Shannon Briggs, Alexander Povetkin, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, and more. One of the signature methods he used in his training was giving fiery speeches to his fighters, sometimes even in between rounds in high-profile fights. This technique earned him both criticism and praise in equal measure; with critics also deriding his overall strict coaching style.
The 67-year-old has shifted his focus to podcasting and analyzing both boxing and MMA over the past few years. Regardless, he's still lauded for his exceptional coaching work with fighters like Moorer and his firebrand style of mentoring his pupils.
#3 Freddie Roach
Freddie Roach fought extensively as an amateur and professional boxer until he was afflicted by Parkinson's disease, which eventually forced him to retire from competition. He trained under legendary coach, Eddie Futch, and later assisted the latter as a boxing trainer. Roach gradually established himself as one of the best boxing trainers of all time.
The 64-year-old owns the Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles, California, and has trained several world champion boxers and MMA fighters (helping the MMA fighters hone their boxing skills). He's best known for his work with star pupil and boxing legend, Manny Pacquiao; whom he trained to consistently create angles and blend that with ferocious speed to overwhelm one's opponents.
Besides, Roach has also trained boxers Miguel Cotto, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Andy Ruiz Jr., Daniel Jacobs, James Toney, Michael Moorer, and Mike Tyson. His MMA clientele includes the likes of former UFC champions such as Georges St-Pierre, Andrei Arlovski, Anderson Silva, and BJ Penn. As of this writing, Roach is an active boxing trainer.
#2 Cus D'Amato
In popular culture, Cus D'Amato's name has become synonymous with one of the most famous sportspersons of all time, 'Iron' Mike Tyson, whom D'Amato looked after as a guardian. While Tyson is considered to be one of the most successful students to have been trained by D'Amato, prior to that, the veteran trainer molded the Hall of Fame careers of Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres.
Born Constantine D'Amato, the Italian-American boxing trainer and manager had a very peculiar style of training. He himself competed as an amateur boxer but suffered an eye injury in a street fight that pushed him toward the path of becoming a boxing coach. Regardless, he magnanimously shared his boxing knowledge with other pugilists and trainers like Teddy Atlas and Kevin Rooney.
The biggest peculiarities of D'Amato's coaching remain the peek-a-boo and bobbing-and-weaving boxing techniques that he brilliantly instilled in Tyson. 'Iron' deftly used it to dominate bigger, rangier opposition. Even well after his passing in November 1985, D'Amato's name often comes up in boxing discussions, especially in regard to his aforementioned techniques and work with Tyson.
#1 Roger Mayweather
A part of the Mayweather boxing family, Roger Mayweather competed as an amateur and later made an even bigger mark as a professional boxer. He won world titles at super featherweight, light welterweight, and welterweight as a pro -- amassing a record of 59-13. Moreover, in the mid-1990s, Roger started devoting more time to training his nephew, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The consensus in the boxing world is that it was Roger who helped Mayweather Jr. ascend to magnificent heights of success in the hurt business and forge a legacy as one of the most skilled boxers ever. Even after Floyd Mayweather Sr. got out of prison and replaced him as Jr.'s trainer, the latter eventually fired his father and reinstated his uncle as his trainer.
Roger's battle against diabetes and other long-term health issues resulted in his passing in March 2020. Floyd Mayweather Jr. has often expressed his respect for his uncle and credited him for mentoring him in the art of boxing. Primarily focusing on star pupil, Mayweather Jr., he devotedly taught him every punch in the book alongside other psychological and physical tenets of boxing.
Furthermore, it'd be safe to say that Roger's biggest contribution as a coach was his incredible understanding of boxing defense and how the said defense is to be strategized and employed against different styles of opponents. As far as the evidence for the same goes, Mayweather Jr. (50-0) executed their game plans excellently, staying true to his uncle's lessons of the sweet science.