Over the weekend, I was having a conversation with a friend about the best trainers in boxing.  It’s a difficult conversation to have, because, after all, a trainer is only as good as the boxer he trains.  And sometimes you have a good boxer and a good trainer, but it’s just not the right fit for success. 

Remember when Jermain Taylor and Emanuel Steward worked together in 2006 and 2007?  It was during Taylor’s reign as the world middleweight champion.  During his time with the man regarded as one of the finest trainers of all time, Taylor was the subject of a great deal of criticism because of sub-par performances. He was eventually knocked out by an underdog, Kelly Pavlik.  Taylor was a very talented fighter and Steward a certified Hall of Famer, but together they did not produce outstanding results.  My conversation about trainers eventually shifted towards the most “perfect pairs” in boxing.  We’re talking about a boxer and a trainer who bring out the best in each other – who put each other on the map, who could not be who they are without one another. 
 
The most profound example of this is number 10 on the list – James Kirkland and Ann Wolfe.  Their stories are closely entwined.  You can’t talk about one without mentioning the other.  When Kirkland has Wolfe in his corner, he’s an absolute beast.  But the first time he switched trainers, he was knocked out by Nobuhiro Ishida in the first round.  The criteria for this list includes the reasons previously stated, along with the fighter’s accomplishments.  Even though Kirkland and Wolfe fit the bill of a “perfect pair”, they are ranked 10, because Kirkland’s accomplishments are modest compared to most of the other fighters listed.  That doesn’t mean that number 1 is the best fighter of this bunch.  He’s at number 1, because he and his trainer are probably most people’s first example of the “perfect pair”.
 
There have been some great fighter/trainer combinations in the past, who don’t necessarily fit into the mold of the “perfect pair”.  Bernard Hopkins and English “Bouie” Fisher were a great team.  So were Roy Jones, Jr./Alton Merkerson, Floyd Mayweather, Jr./Floyd Mayweather, Sr., Joe Frazier/Eddie Futch, and Roberto Duran/Ray Arcel.  The list goes on.  But those fighters have stories that go so far beyond their relationship with their trainer. 

I view those guys as self-made men, who were going to succeed no matter what. The same might be said for the fighters on this list, but could you imagine anyone in the corner of Andre Ward besides Virgil Hunter? I would be in complete disbelief if that happened. But when Freddie Roach worked the corner of Bernard Hopkins for a couple of fights, it didn’t seem odd and out of place.

Of course, I considered the combination of Muhammad Ali and Angelo Dundee. Here is why I did not put them in my top ten: They were great together, but Ali had a wealth of talent and mental strength, and would have succeeded no matter who trained him.  When Ali and Jimmy Ellis fought, Angelo worked Ellis's corner.  Could you imagine Virgil Hunter working Kid Chocolate's corner against Ward?  Perfect pairs are inseparable and are not complete without each other.

I know many people will want Ali and Dundee in the top ten.  Lists are tough.  No matter how careful your selections are, you’re always going to leave something out.  You, the reader, could probably look at this list and point out some contradictions.  I understand that, and I wrote this knowing that I would never get it perfectly right.  The toughest part of creating this list was not including Gennady Golovkin and Abel Sanchez in the top 10, but I would like to see GGG defeat some A-level middleweights before putting him alongside the Trinidads and the Calzaghes. 

TOP TEN BOXER TRAINER DUOS:
 
10. James Kirkland/Ann Wolfe
 
9. Micky Ward/Dicky Eklund
 
8. Kelly Pavlik/Jack Loew
 
7. Juan Manuel Marquez/Nacho Beristain
 
6. Felix Trinidad/Felix Trinidad, Sr.
 
5. Andre Ward/Virgil Hunter
 
4. Joe Calzaghe/Enzo Calzaghe
 
3. Manny Pacquiao/Freddie Roach
 
2. Thomas Hearns/Emanuel Steward
 
1. Mike Tyson/Cus D’Amato
 
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
 
Emile Griffith / Gil Clancy

Gennady Golovkin/Abel Sanchez
 
James Toney/Bill Miller
 
Saul Alvarez/Chepo Reynoso
 
Paul Williams/George Peterson
 
Shawn Porter/Kenny Porter
 
Cory Spinks/Kevin Cunningham
 
John Ruiz/Norman Stone

Ricky Hatton / Billy Graham

So there you have it. Please enjoy, and feel free to e-mail me at doveed@hotmail.com with any criticism or suggested changes. This list was put together by me, along with die-hard boxing fan Soterios Vainalis.
 
Doveed Linder is the author of RINGSIDE: INTERVIEWS WITH 24 FIGHTERS AND BOXING INSIDERS, a collection of in depth interviews with various fighters, trainers, corner men, promoters, and officials, including “Sugar” Ray Leonard, Roy Jones, Jr., Angelo Dundee, Emanuel Steward, Larry Merchant, Bob Arum, Steve Smoger, and Jackie Kallen.  The foreword was written by Boxingtalk publisher Greg Leon.  This book is now available on Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Ringside-Interviews-Fighters-Boxing-Insiders/dp/1476664412.