You never know who you might run into at the Italian Club in Ybor City. The characters are likely to be as colorful as Tampa’s Italian heritage would suggest. On a recent Friday night, it was an adopted son of Ybor, Angelo Dundee, who was holding court.
Dundee, 86, and still quick with the salty quip, is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The native Philadelphian is best known as Muhammad Ali’s trainer – but he also trained Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman and scores more. He even worked with actors Will Smith (“Ali”) and Russell Crowe (“Cinderella Man”).
Now an Oldsmar resident, Dundee was posing for photos, critiquing videos of Ali, spinning fistic yarns, and signing copies of his book (in collaboration with fight historian Bert Sugar): “My View From The Corner.”
Some outtakes:
* Early Ali: “He was an introvert.”
* “What did I teach (the physically gifted) Ali? How to move in the ring. But I made him think it was his idea.”
* “You know all that poetry that Ali was famous for? It was mostly mine. And it stunk.”
* “What would surprise people about Ali? How tough he really was.”
* “What did he lose after being out (Vietnam draft) of boxing in his prime? He lost his edge. He never regained it.”
* “The Muslims didn’t really affect me. I did my job. I don’t get involved with things like a person’s religion.”
* “Greatest boxer ever? Willie Pepp. Greatest impact on the sport: Ali.”
One other item. Word is that Dundee will be making one more prominent appearance in the ring as a trainer. It will be an upcoming, high-profile Las Vegas fight.