BOXING: Legendary boxing trainer Eddie Futch, who worked with 20 world champions including five heavyweight titleholders during a career that spanned seven decades, has died. He was 90.
Futch, a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame who was once a sparring partner for Joe Louis, died on Wednesday morning in Las Vegas, according to the Clark County coroner's office, which has not yet released a cause of death.
The trainer, who retired only four years ago, worked the corner for heavyweight champions Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Trevor Berbick, Michael Spinks and Riddick Bowe, who gave Futch the nickname "Papa Smurf." His first champion was welterweight Don Jordan in 1958 and Futch last worked the corner when light heavyweight Montell Griffin won the World Boxing Council title in March of 1997 on the disqualification of Roy Jones.
Other champions trained by Futch included light heavyweight Bob Foster, junior middleweight Mike McCallum, lightweight Alexis Arguello and welterweight Marlon Starling.
As amateurs working out in the same Detroit gyms in the early 1930s, Futch sparred with Louis, who went on to become one of the greatest heavyweight champions.
Futch never turned professional, instead becoming a trainer and one of the sport's most revered teachers of young talent.
He helped hand Muhammad Ali his first two defeats while working with Frazier and Ken Norton but received more notoriety in defeat in the so-called "Thrilla in Manila" - the third and last epic battle between Frazier and Ali.
After the 14th round of the brutal bout, Futch refused to allow Frazier to go out for the final round against protests from "Smokin' Joe" because both of his fighter's eyes were swollen nearly shut.
"I thought, 'He's a good father and I want him to see his kids grow up'," Futch recalled.
The Boxing Writers Association of America named Futch its Manager of the Year in 1975 and Trainer of the Year in 1991 and 1992. He is survived by his wife Eva.
ROWING: World champion Sam Lynch is a busy man these days. The lightweight single sculls gold medallist will grace the centenary dinner of his club, St Michael's of Limerick tomorrow night and he is also pencilled in to perform the start ceremony and present the prizes for this year's Tribesmen head of the river in Galway on October 27th, writes Liam Gorman.
The Tribesmen head, one of the biggest events of the year in terms of participation, was postponed from its March slot due to the foot--and-mouth crisis.
The head will reportedly be used to incorporate trials for international rowers in sculls and pairs, which should give it a competitive edge.
The event is a time trial over the 31/2 miles of the river Corrib, beginning at the mouth of Lough Corrib and finishing in Galway City, about 100metres downstream of the Quincentennial bridge. The sometimes difficult course traditionally provides a few spills, particularly if the wind is strong.
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