Legendary boxing trainer Futch dies at 90

Thursday, Oct. 11, 2001 | 8:48 a.m.

Eddie Futch had one of the sharpest eyes for boxing talent. But the longtime trainer of such greats as Joe Frazier and Larry Holmes had a lesser known, but equally valuable, gift: He saw the greater potential of people outside the fight game.

In the 1940s two teens, John and Berry, trained in the backyard gym of Futch's Detroit home. Futch saw that their love for music was far greater than their desire to fight and insisted they pursue that dream.

John Oden went on to discover teenagers Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson and Diana Ross to form the Supremes. Berry Gordy Jr. founded Motown Records, which changed the face of American popular music.

Futch, a Boxing Hall of Famer who guided the careers of 20 world champions, including Frazier and Holmes, died Wednesday in Las Vegas. He was 90.

Services for the Las Vegas resident of 20 years are pending.

Futch was considered key to Frazier's victory over Muhammad Ali in their first of three fabled bouts in New York in 1971. Years later, in the third Ali-Frazier fight, Futch refused to allow Frazier to go out for the 15th round because he faced potential serious injury from diminished sight. That won Futch greater respect in the sport.

Futch, one of boxing's most recognizable nonfighting figures, also trained heavyweight champs Riddick Bowe, Michael Spinks and Trevor Berbick, light heavyweight champ Bob Foster, lightweight Alexis Arguello and welterweight Marlon Starling.

Foster fought the first integrated match in South Africa against a white boxer, Pierre Fourie.

Born Aug. 9, 1911, in Mississippi, Futch was raised in Detroit, where in the 1930s he won the lightweight Golden Gloves title. Despite a great weight disadvantage, he sparred with then-fellow Detroit amateur Joe Louis. While Louis went on to be a world heavyweight champ, Futch went into training.

Futch's first champion was welterweight king Don Jordan, a fighter whom he found seemingly washed up and abandoned in Mexico City in the mid-1950s.

Calling Jordan one of the most mismanaged fighters he had ever seen, Futch took him on, and in December 1958 Jordan dethroned then-champ Virgil Akins and held the title for 18 months.

Futch took over Frazier's career in 1973, when Frazier's longtime manager, Yancy "Yank" Durham, died. After Frazier retired, Futch moved to La Puente, Calif., and was eyeing retirement when, on a trip to Las Vegas, fight manager Billy Baxter asked him to train Rocky Mosley Jr.

From there, Futch built a large stable of young fighters, including Irish Leroy Haley, Freddie Roach, Kid Stearling McPhearson and heavyweight contender Ron Lyle. Futch took over training duties for Holmes in the early 1980s. Roach and McPhearson followed in Futch's footsteps as trainers.

Throughout his career, Futch was known for his forthrightness with his fighters. Oden and Berry were among a long list of men Futch encouraged to quit boxing, including Chuck Davey, who became a Michigan boxing commissioner, Damon Keith, a federal judge, and Clinton Isom, a high school principal.

Futch, who was voted fight manager of the year in 1975 by the Boxing Writers Association of America, served as an adviser on the 1979 boxing comedy "The Main Event," starring Ryan O'Neal and Barbra Streisand.

Futch remained active in the sport late in life, despite criticism that he was getting too old.

"My kids come to me and say, 'Dad, what are you doing?' "' he said in 1979, at age 68. "But I tell them I've been active all my life. I don't think it's time to retire. I don't ever have to work again if I don't want to -- I've made enough money. But I want to keep working."

He enjoyed some of his most productive years late in life, training not only Holmes, but also junior middleweight champ Mike McCallum.

Futch retired in 1997 when it became too difficult for him to climb through the ring ropes between rounds.

Futch is survived by his wife, Eva. He had four children and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A complete list of survivors was not immediately available.