Eddie Futch
Eddie Futch ( born August 9, 1911 in Hillsboro, Mississippi; † 10 October 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada) was an American boxing coach. Throughout his career he has worked with 22 world champions of different weight classes. Among them are 4 of the 5 fighters, who succeeded Muhammad Ali defeat to Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick. In 1994 he enrolled for his successes as a coach in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Early years and playing career
Futch moved when he was eight years old, his family moved to Detroit, Michigan in the so-called Black Bottom Section, a largely African- American embossed area of the city. Until he was 17, he played very successful basketball. He even considered a professional career, but all his plans by the U.S. economic crisis, the Great Depression were thwarted. He was forced to end his basketball career prematurely and to earn money to support his family.
He started with some 18 years of relatively late even with the active sport of boxing. Quickly the first successes, and he won in 1932 the "Detroit Athletic Association Lightweight Championship " and a year later the Detroit Golden Gloves tournament. During his time in Detroit, he trained in the same gym as the heavyweight champion Joe Louis. To prepare for agile and manoeuvrable opponents of the 70 pounds lighter like Futch called sparring. Prior to the proposed change to the professional a heart defect was detected in Futch, so he had to end his career with a professional record of 37-0-3.
Trainer of Joe Frazier
Soon, the trainer Futch activity devoted. His first great fighter was Jimmy Edgar, who was able to achieve a draw against Jake LaMotta under Futchs Director in 1946. 1958 won his protégé Don Jordan to the World Cup title in the " welterweight ". However, the big stage Futch entered only in 1966 with his entry into the "Camp Frazier " as an assistant to Yancey Durham.
In 1971 he was instrumental in developing the strategy, the Frazier to points victory over Ali in the first part of the " Ali - Frazier trilogy " helped. Futch Ali's style had studied in long hours of video analysis and identified a technical weakness in the left uppercut him. According Futch Ali suggested this not ansatzlos but with upbeat movement, so that opened its cover. He instructed Frazier to respond to Ali's uppercut with a right hook to auszunuten as the neglected Ali's coverage for themselves. This put Frazier in round 15 perfect order, as he reflected Ali with a right hook scholastic, earning him a unanimous points victory.
After the death of Durham in 1973 Futch took over the training and supervised Frazier now solely responsible.
In 1975 came the legendary third meeting between Ali and Frazier, better known to many as Thrilla in Manila. Futch Frazier warned before Ali's mind games ( Rope -a- Dope, repeated brackets), using which Ali won the year before the so-called Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman by knockout in round 8 for themselves. His warnings were fruitful, so developed a brutal battle of attrition between the two except fighters. This came to a head such that Futch was forced to take his protege before the final 15th round of the fight. His right side of the face was completely swollen, so Futch considered him to be no longer able to fight. Frazier wanted to continue fighting but Futch quieted him with the words: "sit down son, no one will forget what you did here today" in German: " Sit down, son. No one will forget what you have done here today. "
After the task Frazier Ali collapsed, so Frazier considered the decision of his coach in retrospect not right. Futch was confronted again and again until his death with this episode, but he never regretted it since he had seen at risk due to the limited view Frazier's health.
Other successes
Another remarkable achievement and testament to his strategic skills was the point of his victory fighter Ken Norton on the 5:1 favorites Ali in March 1973.
As already ahead of the Thrilla in Manila Futch made from a technical peculiarity Ali. The fact that Ali his right hand while hitting the guiding hand moved away from the side of the jaw should make Norton advantage and ask for Ali to a " Jabduell ". No one had ever taken in advance to such a slugfest the guiding hand with him, Ali was extremely fast and hard but as Jabber. Ali was surprised thereof, so that Norton was able to record some clear actions and inflicted on him including a broken jaw.
His top 10 fighters
Created for an article with the Sports Illustrated Futch a list of its 10 best protégés during his many years as a trainer.