Born Angelo Mirena in 1921, Dundee worked with some of the greatest fighters of all time and will be fondly remembered in boxing circles and beyond.
The likable trainer’s most notable fighters were Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, who Dundee trained to multiple world championships throughout his many decades in boxing.
The Philadelphian was in Ali and Leonard’s corner for all of their great fights, including Ali v Liston, Ali v Foreman, Ali v Frazier and Leonard’s bouts with Hagler and Hearns. In 1994, Dundee also trained George Foreman to become the oldest world champion of all time as he defeated Michael Moorer – before being overtaken last year by Bernard Hopkins.
Dundee was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame later that year and stayed around boxing all his life, including taking part in his final big fight as a consultant for Oscar De La Hoya as he lost out to the current WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in 2008.
Dundee attended Ali’s 70th birthday celebrations last month before taking ill and died with his family surrounding him yesterday. The legendary motivator leaves a lasting legacy in boxing and will forever be highly regarded in the fight game.
Phil Jay is the Editor of WBN. An Auxiliary member of the Boxing Writers Association of America since 2018. Follow on Twitter @PhilDJay.
