Angelo Dundee is widely considered to be one of the greatest coaches in boxing history, having worked with legendary fighters such as Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard.
Based out of the iconic 5th Street Boxing Gym in Miami Beach, Dundee began his career as a boxing coach back in 1955 and would go on to work with 16 world champions throughout the course of his tenure.
He is perhaps best known for training the iconic Ali for almost the entire duration of his 21-year professional career, overseeing the preparations of ‘The Greatest’ for his showdowns with the likes of George Foreman, Joe Frazier and Sonny Liston.
Dundee also played a key role in the professional career of Hall of Famer Leonard, coaching the five-weight world champion from 1976 up until his retirement from the sport in 1997.
In a round of ‘Best I Trained’ with The Ring Magazine, Dundee made no mistake in naming Ali as the best overall fighter that he worked with, saying the three-time world heavyweight champion ‘had it all’.
“Muhammad had it all: natural talent, unbelievable speed and reflexes for a big man, skills, smarts, courage, you name it, he had it. But it was the uniqueness of his style and his personality that made him special. He was the first big man that moved. He was the first super star that talked. There’s only one Ali. He changed the concept of boxing.”
Ali is often considered to be not only the best heavyweight of his time, but arguably the greatest fighter to have ever graced the sport.
The Louisville-native enjoyed considerable success during his professional career but is also commended for being such an influential figure to many people around the world.
