A few years back I caught up with Angelo Dundee, the acclaimed boxing trainer, Muhammad Ali corner man and on-set advisor to Will Smith (“Ali”) and Russell Crowe (“Cinderella Man”). It was early evening at the Italian Club in Ybor City. The Philadelphia native, Oldsmar resident and adopted son of Ybor, who recently died at age 90, was doing a book signing–and a lot more. He had just co-authored “My View From the Corner” with boxing historian Burt Sugar.
Dundee was Mr. Congeniality, shaking hands, exchanging back slaps, laughing heartily, holding court, working the house and regaling everyone with back-in-the-day tales. Happy Hour was rarely this gregarious–even at the hands-on Italian Club.
Some notes you keep. A few Dundee outtakes:
* Early Ali: “He was an introvert.”
* “You know all that ‘poetry’ that Ali was famous for? It was mostly mine. And it stunk.”
* “What did I teach Ali? How to move in the ring. But I made him think it was his idea.”
* “What did he (Ali) lose after being out (via Vietnam draft protest) of boxing in his prime? He lost his edge. He never regained it.”
* “The greatest boxer ever? Willie Pepp. The greatest impact on the sport? Ali.”
* “The Muslims really didn’t affect me. I did my job. I don’t get involved with things like a person’s religion.”