Eddie Futch
Eddie Futch (
August 9,
1911 -
October 10,
2001) is regarded by boxing media and historians as one the greatest
boxing trainers of all time. He was born in
Hillsboro, Mississippi, and moved to
Detroit, Michigan as a child.
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.
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,
Joe Frazier,
Alexis Arguello,
Larry Holmes,
Michael Spinks,
Marlon Starling, and
Riddick Bowe.
In 1997, during a celebration of
Ring Magazine's 75th anniversary, the magazine named Futch the greatest trainer of the past 75 years. The following year, Futch retired.
