Eddie Futch

Eddie Futch (August 9 1911 – October 10 2001) was a boxing trainer who trained a number of legendary champions. The incredible list of fighters he trained includes Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes, and Trevor Berbick, four of the five men to defeat Muhammad Ali

Futch was born in Hillsboro, Mississippi, but moved with his family to Detroit, Michigan when he was five years old. They lived in the Black Bottom section of the town. When Futch was a teenager he played semi-professional basketball with the Moreland YMCA Flashes. He planned to attended the YMCA College School at the University of Chicago, but when the Great Depression happened, he was forced to continue his job at the Wolverine Hotel to support his family. [Citation
last = Futch
first = Eddie
title = It's Been a Long Road to the Top
journal = Boxing Illustrated
volume = 36, no. 4
page = 37
date = June 1993]

In 1932, Futch won the Detroit Athletic Association Lightweight Championship, and in 1933, he won the Detroit Golden Gloves Championship. He trained at the same gym as Joe Louis, the Brewster Recreation Center Gym, and often sparred with the future champion.

A heart murmur prevented Futch from turning professional, and he began training boxers. His first world champion was Don Jordan, who won the world welterweight championship in 1958. Other world champions Futch worked in the corner with included Bob Foster, Mike McCallum, Alexis Arguello, Michael Spinks, Marlon Starling, Montell Griffin, and Riddick Bowe.

He also trained Berry Gordy as an amateur boxer. [Citation
last = Futch
first = Eddie
title = It's Been a Long Road to the Top
journal = Boxing Illustrated
volume = 36, no. 4
page = 39
date = June 1993]

References