Eddy Reynoso is The TSS 2019 Trainer of the Year

Published

5 years ago

December 18, 2019

Eddy-Reynoso-is-the-TSS-2019-Trainer-of-the-Year

Years ago a legendary fight manager once advised “don’t be a guy who prepares fighters, be a professor who teaches boxing.”

Those words forever guide our Trainer of the Year for 2019, Mexico’s Eddy Reynoso who mentors dozens of pugilists including four-division world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, considered by many the best fighter today pound for pound.

It all began in a boxing gym in Guadalajara while watching his father Jose “Chepo” Reynoso work with hundreds of hungry Mexican youngsters starving for fame and stardom in a tiny gym called Julian Magdaleno.

Jose “Chepo” Reynoso was already established as a boxing trainer in the Guadalajara area. At day he was a butcher, at night he toiled in the boxing gym showing youngsters the tools of the fight trade.

“I was eight years old when I first walked into the gym in Guadalajara,” remembers Eddy Reynoso. “Thank God I listened to my father who said I should become a trainer in my father’s gym.”

Their first world champion together was Oscar “Chololo” Larios in 2002.

“I started doing some of the training during the entire time that Larios was a world champion. That’s when I learned together with my father,” said Reynoso.

Another who remembers that period is Riverside trainer Willy Silva, a friend of the Reynosos, whose gym was a stopping point for Larios and for Javier Jauregui, another of their world champions who would fight in the U.S.

“It was about 15 years ago when they used to bring “Chatito” Jauregui and “Chololo” Larios to our gym. Eddy was training and also trying to lose some weight. At that time he didn’t know that much, but he was very good at studying things about boxing,” said Silva, who trained Mauricio Herrera, Carlos “El Elegante” Bojorquez and Jose Reynoso, the nephew of Chepo Reynoso.

Mendoza Influence

While continuing to work with his father, a legendary fight manager, Rafael Mendoza noticed the younger Reynoso working with many of the aspiring prizefighters. One day the manager and advisor for 25 former world champions approached the son of “Chepo” Reynoso and gave the advice that would be his guiding light in the world of professional boxing.

“He told me anyone can hold the mitts,” said Eddy Reynoso about Mendoza’s advice. “Be a professor that teaches boxing. Show them the art of boxing.”

It fueled his desire to create his own path and boxing philosophy.

During this time a redheaded youngster walked into their gym who was one of six Alvarez brothers – his name Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

“Really his hair is what I remember most. He really surprised me with his red hair and face, it was not very common in Mexico,” said Reynoso who was 25 at the time and Alvarez 13. “He caught my attention for being how small and strong he was.”

Though Alvarez was very powerful even at a young age, the Reynosos preferred to teach him a style not too common with Mexican prizefighters – counterpunching.

“It’s something we had been taught as kids and I as a kid always liked counter punching. I always studied fighters like Jose Medel and Gilberto Roman. I started implementing that as well as the old school style of fighting,” said Reynoso.

Both father and son realized they had a special fighter in Canelo Alvarez. From the very beginning they realized he could advance further than even their previous world champions.

Mayweather to Kovalev

Through all of Alvarez’s fights, the Reynosos always felt he was the stronger fighter. But they also realized that defense and tactics could derail any fighter regardless of strength. After seven years of burning through opponents they finally wrangled a match with the preeminent boxing strategist Floyd Mayweather on Oct. 2013.

Alvarez was 23 years old when they met and was defeated by majority decision. It was an impactful moment for the team from Guadalajara.

“From fighters like Mayweather, we learned a lot. It wasn’t for nothing, he was the best in the ring,” said Eddy Reynoso about that encounter for the WBA and WBC super welterweight world titles in Las Vegas. “Fighting against Mayweather you learn a lot of different levels. The loss teaches you to do better on certain things and you gain a lot of good especially when you fight somebody like that.”

It also sparked an even greater desire to learn the different levels of the sweet science.

After that loss Alvarez seemed to jump to an accelerated level of prizefighting against opponents of various styles and strengths. When he defeated Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto it opened eyes and when he shut out Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. it convinced naysayers that the Mexican redhead and his trainer were capable of defeating any style, and perhaps, moving up in weight.

Reynoso was never in doubt.

Two massive encounters with Gennady Golovkin in 2017 and 2018 proved that Alvarez was more than capable of clashing with the best in the world regardless of weight or experience. And when he demolished super middleweight titlist Rocky Fielding, it further enhanced Canelo’s reputation as a fighter willing to take risks and overcome physical and size advantages.

Last year Reynoso consented to work with sterling prospect Ryan “the Flash” Garcia and world champion Oscar Valdez. Both young fighters watched the development of Alvarez with awe and sought to enhance their own defensive prowess.

Frank Espinoza, who manages undefeated former WBO featherweight titlist Valdez, has witnessed Reynoso in action and marveled at his boxing wisdom.

“What I like is he is a teacher. It makes a difference. He’s not a guy that just holds up the mitts. If you train with him you will become a better fighter,” said Espinoza who has been involved as a boxing manager for several decades. “The way I see it, Jose Reynoso taught Eddy everything since he was a child. He has learned from his father and Eddy has taken over the next generation.”

Espinoza said he’s also visited Reynoso’s boxing library where he has tapes and books on everything concerning boxing.

“Eddy is very knowledgeable in the boxing game. He goes back and we’ll talk about things. He has every Ring Magazine all the way to the 1930s,” said Espinoza, who occasionally visits the small boxing compound in San Diego. “He studies the old trainers like Jorge Rivero and fighters like Miguel Canto. He studies old trainers and old boxing styles, he reads up.”

It’s a trait that Espinoza and others admire.

Studying potential foes and their styles – even those far above the middleweight division — has become a staple of Reynoso. That’s how he discovered former light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev during one of his excursions through the boxing landscape.

“When I saw Kovalev in the fight in Frisco, Texas with Eleider Alvarez, it was a good fight and I knew before that Canelo could fight him,” said Reynoso about Canelo moving up to the 175-pound light heavyweight division to contest Kovalev for the WBO light heavyweight world title. “We always knew he had the strength to knock out somebody at light heavyweight. He had done it in sparring. We were sparring a heavyweight and he sent him to the canvas.”

Of course, sparring and fighting in the prize ring are two different obstacles. One who felt it was a bad idea was old friend Willy Silva from Riverside, California.

“I was thinking Canelo was not going to beat Kovalev because he has a good punch,” said Silva, who was reminded of an old 1974 clash between welterweight king Jose “Mantequilla” Napoles and middleweight king Carlos Monzon. In that fight Monzon tore right through Napoles in six rounds. “Monzon was a good puncher like this guy Kovalev. I thought it was going to be the same thing. I wasn’t crazy about it but Canelo did a good job and knocked the guy out.”

It proved to Silva that Reynoso was teaching at a different level.

Espinoza sees it too.

“Eddy has knowledge of the history of boxing. He picks up and learns the boxing of the past. He doesn’t get away from that. He is young but he has that old school mentality,” Espinoza said.

Now Canelo Alvarez reigns as a conqueror of the light heavyweight, super middleweight, middleweight and super welterweight divisions. It’s lofty territory for not only Alvarez but his young professor Eddy Reynoso.

The world awaits their next move but for now, knowledge that he has been named the Trainer of the Year has brought him to an unexpected moment.

“I’m very happy and excited. It fills me with pride and makes me keep going forward and growing as a trainer from Mexico. It personally shows me that we are doing the best things possible,” said Reynoso.

It also proves that the words that shaped his boxing philosophy have rung true – “to be a professor who teaches boxing.”

Congratulations to Eddy Reynoso, this year’s Trainer of the Year.

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David A. Avila

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Skylar Lacy Blocked for Lamar Jackson before Making his Mark in Boxing

Published

3 days ago

January 19, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Skylar Lacy, a six-foot-seven heavyweight, returns to the ring on Sunday, Feb. 2, opposing Brandon Moore on a card in Flint, Michigan, airing worldwide on DAZN.

As this is being written, the bookmakers hadn’t yet posted a line on the bout, but one couldn’t be accused of false coloring by calling the 10-round contest a 50/50 fight. And if his frustrating history is any guide, Lacy will have another draw appended to his record or come out on the wrong side of a split decision.

This should not be construed as a tip to wager on Moore. “Close fights just don’t seem to go my way,” says the boxer who played alongside future multi-year NFL MVP Lamar Jackson at the University of Louisville.

A 2021 National Golden Gloves champion, Skylar Lacy came up short in his final amateur bout, losing a split decision to future U.S. Olympian Joshua Edwards. His last Team Combat League assignment resulted in another loss by split decision and he was held to a draw in both instances when stepping up in class as a pro. “In my mind, I’m still undefeated,” says Lacy (8-0-2, 6 KOs). “No one has ever kicked my ass.”

Lacy was the B-side in both of those draws, the first coming in a 6-rounder against Top Rank fighter Antonio Mireles on a Top Rank show in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and the second in an 8-rounder against George Arias, a Lou DiBella fighter on a DiBella-promoted card in Philadelphia.

Lacy had the Mireles fight in hand when he faded in the homestretch. The altitude was a factor. Lake Tahoe, Nevada (officially Stateline) sits 6,225 feet above sea level. The fight with Arias took an opposite tack. Lacy came on strong after a slow start to stave off defeat.

Skylar will be the B-side once again in Michigan. The card’s promoter, former world title challenger Dmitriy Salita, inked Brandon Moore (16-1, 10 KOs) in January. “A capable American heavyweight with charisma, athleticism and skills is rare in today’s day and age. Brandon has got all these ingredients…”, said Salita in the press release announcing the signing. (Salita has an option on Skylar Lacy’s next pro fight in the event that Skylar should win, but the promoter has a larger investment in Moore who was previously signed to Top Rank, a multi-fight deal that evaporated after only one fight.)

Both Lacy and Moore excelled in other sports. The six-foot-six Moore was an outstanding basketball player in high school in Fort Lauderdale and at the NAIA level in college. Lacy was an all-state football lineman in Indiana before going on to the University of Louisville where he started as an offensive guard as a redshirt sophomore, blocking for freshman phenom Lamar Jackson. “Lamar was hard-working and humble,” says Lacy about the player who is now one of the world’s highest-paid professional athletes.

When Lacy committed to Louisville, the head coach was Charlie Strong who went on to become the head coach at the University of Texas. Lacy was never comfortable with Strong’s successor Bobby Petrino and transferred to San Jose State. Having earned his degree in only three years (a BA in communications) he was eligible immediately but never played a down because of injuries.

Returning to Indianapolis where he was raised by his truck dispatcher father, a single parent, Lacy gravitated to Pat McPherson’s IBG (Indy Boxing and Grappling) Gym on the city’s east side where he was the rare college graduate pounding the bags alongside at-risk kids from the city’s poorer neighborhoods.

Lacy built a 12-6 record across his two seasons in Team Combat League while representing the Las Vegas Hustle (2023) and the Boston Butchers (2024).

For the uninitiated, a Team Combat League (TCL) event typically consists of 24 fights, each consisting of one three-minute round. The concept finds no favor with traditionalists, but Lacy is a fan. It’s an incentive for professional boxers to keep in shape between bouts without disturbing their professional record and, notes Lacy, it’s useful in exposing a competitor to different styles.

“It paid the bills and kept me from just sitting around the house,” says Lacy whose 12-6 record was forged against 13 different opponents.

As a sparring partner, Lacy has shared the ring with some of the top heavyweights of his generation, e.g., Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. He was one of Fury’s regular sparring partners during the Gypsy King’s trilogy with Deontay Wilder. He worked with Joshua at Derrick James’ gym in Dallas and at Ben Davison’s gym in England, helping Joshua prepare for his date in Saudi Arabia with Francis Ngannou and had previously sparred with Ngannou at the UFC Performance Center in Las Vegas. Skylar names traveling to new places as one of his hobbies and he got to scratch that itch when he joined Whyte’s camp in Portugal.

As to the hardest puncher he ever faced, he has no hesitation: “Ngannou,” he says. “I negotiated a nice price to spend a week in his camp and the first time he hit me I knew I should have asked for more.”

Lacy is confident that having shared the ring with some of the sport’s elite heavyweights will get him over the hump in what will be his first 10-rounder (Brandon Moore has never had to fight beyond eight rounds, having won his three 10-rounders inside the distance). Lacy vs. Moore is the co-feature to Claressa Shields’ homecoming fight with Danielle Perkins. Shields, basking in the favorable reviews accorded the big-screen biopic based on her first Olympic journey (“The Fire Inside”) will attempt to capture a title in yet another weight class at the expense of the 42-year-old Perkins, a former professional basketball player.

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Mizuki Hiruta Dominates in her U.S. Debut and Omar Trinidad Wins Too at Commerce

Published

5 days ago

January 18, 2025

David A. Avila

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Japan’s Mizuki Hiruta smashed through Mexico’s Maribel Ramirez with ease in winning by technical decision and local hero Omar Trinidad continued his assault on the featherweight division on Friday.

Hiruta (7-0, 2 KOs), who prefers to be called “Mimi,” made her American debut with an impressive performance against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez (15-11-4) and retained the WBO super flyweight world title by unanimous decision at Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.

The pink-haired Japanese southpaw champion quickly proved to be quicker, stronger and even better than advertised. In the opening round Ramirez landed on the floor twice after throwing errant blows. On one instance, it could have been ruled a knockdown but it was not a convincing blow.

In the second round, Ramirez again attacked and again was met with a Hiruta check right hook and down went the Mexican. This time referee Ray Corona gave the eight-count and the fight resumed.

It was Hiruta’s third title defense but this time it was on American soil. She seemed nervous by the prospect of getting a favorable review from the more than 700 fans inside the casino tent.

For more than a year Hiruta has been training off and on with Manny Robles in the L.A. area. Now that she has a visa, she has spent considerable time this year learning the tricks of the trade. They proved explosively effective.

Though Mexico City’s Ramirez has considerable experience against world champions, she discovered that Hiruta was not easy to hit. Often, the Japanese champion would slip and counter with precision.

It was an impressive American debut, though the fight was stopped in the eighth round after a collision of heads. The scores were tallied and all three saw Hiruta the winner by scores of 80-71 twice and 79-72.

“I’m so happy. I could have done much more,” said Hiruta through interpreter Yuriko Miyata. “I wanted to do more things that Manny Robles taught me.”

Trinidad Wins Too

Omar Trinidad (18-0-1, 13 KOs) discovered that challenger Mike Plania (31-5, 18 KOs) has a very good chin and staying power. But over 10 rounds Trinidad proved to be too fast and too busy for the Filipino challenger.

Immediately it was evident that the East L.A. featherweight was too quick and too busy for Plania who preferred a counter-puncher attack that never worked.

“He was strong,” said Trinidad. “He took everything.”

After 10 redundant rounds all three judges scored for Trinidad 100-90 twice and 99-91. He retains the WBC Continental Americas title.

Other Bouts

Ali Akhmedov (23-1, 17 KOs) blasted out Malcolm Jones (17-5-1) in less than two rounds. A dozen punches by Akhmedov forced referee Thomas Taylor to stop the super middleweight fight.

Iyana “Roxy” Verduzco (3-0) bloodied Lindsey Ellis in the first round and continued the speedy assault in the next two rounds. Referee Ray Corona saw enough and stopped the fight in favor of Verduzco at 1:34 of the third round.

Gloria Munguilla (7-1) and Brook Sibrian (5-2) lit up the boxing ring with a nonstop clash for eight rounds in their light flyweight fight. Munguilla proved effective with a slip-and-counter attack. Sibrian adjusted and made the fight closer in the last four rounds but all three judges favored Munguilla.

More Winners

Joshua Anton, Tayden Beltran, Adan Palma, and Alexander Gueche all won their bouts.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 309: 360 Promotions Opens with Trinidad, Mizuki and More

Published

6 days ago

January 16, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 309: 360 Promotions Opens with Trinidad, Mizuki and More

Best wishes to the survivors of the Los Angeles wildfires that took place last week and are still ongoing in small locales.

Most of the heavy damage took place in the western part of L.A. near the ocean due to Santa Ana winds. Another very hot spot was in Altadena just north of the Rose Bowl. It was a horrific tragedy.

Hopefully the worst is over.

Pro boxing returns with 360 Boxing Promotions spotlighting East L.A.’s Omar Trinidad (17-0-1, 13 KOs) defending a regional featherweight title against Mike Plania (31-4, 18 KOs) on Friday, Jan. 17, at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.

“I’m the king of L.A. boxing and I’ll be ready to put on a show headlining again in the main event. This is my year, I’m ready to challenge and defeat any of the featherweight world champions,” said Trinidad.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the Hollywood Night fight card that includes a female world championship fight and other intriguing match-ups.

Tom Loeffler heads 360 Promotions and once again comes full force with a hot prospect in Trinidad. If you’re not familiar with Loeffler’s history of success, he introduced America to Oleksandr Usyk, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and the brothers Wladimir and Vitaly Kltischko.

“We’ve got a wealth of international talent and local favorites to kick off our 2025 in grand style,” said Loeffler.

He knows talent.

Trinidad hails from the Boyle Heights area of East L.A. near the Los Angeles riverbed. Several fighters from the past came from that exact area including the first Golden Boy, Art Aragon.

Aragon was a huge gate attraction during the late 1940s until 1960. He was known as a lady’s man and dated several Hollywood starlets in his time. Though he never won a world title he did fight world champions Carmen Basilio, Jimmy Carter and Lauro Salas. He was more or less the king of the Olympic Auditorium and Los Angeles boxing during his career.

Other famous boxers from the Boyle Heights area were notorious gangster Mickey Cohen and former world champion Joey Olivo.

Can Trinidad reach world title status?

Facing Trinidad will be Filipino fighter Plania who’s knocked off a couple of prospects during his career including Joshua “Don’t Blink” Greer and Giovanni Gutierrez. The fighter from General Santos in the Philippines can crack and hold his own in the boxing ring.

It’s a very strong fight card and includes WBO world titlist Mizuki Hiruta of Japan who defends the super flyweight title against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez. It’s a tough matchup for Hiruta who makes her American debut. You can’t miss her with that pink hair and she has all the physical tools to make a splash in this country.

Mizukii Hiruta

Two other female bouts are also planned, including light flyweight banger L.A.’s Gloria Munguilla (6-1) against Coachella’s Brook Sibrian (5-1) in a match set for six rounds. Both are talented fighters. Another female fight includes super featherweights Iyana “Right Hook Roxy” Verduzco (2-0) versus Lindsey Ellis (2-1) in another six-rounder. Ellis can crack with all her wins coming via knockout. Verduzco is a multi-national titlist as an amateur.

Others scheduled to perform are Ali Akhmedov, Joshua Anton, Adan Palma and more.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

Boxing and the Media

The sport of professional boxing is currently in flux. It’s always in flux but no matter what people may say or write, boxing will survive.

Whether you like Jake Paul or not, he proved boxing has worldwide appeal with monstrous success in his last show. He has media companies looking at the numbers and imagining what they can do with the sport.

Sure, UFC is negotiating a massive billion dollar deal with media companies, as is WWE, both are very similar in that they provide combat entertainment. You don’t need to know the champions because they really don’t matter. Its about the attractions.

Boxing is different. The good champions last and build a following that endures even beyond their careers a la Mike Tyson.

MMA can’t provide that longevity, but it does provide entertainment.

Currently, there is talk of establishing a boxing league again. It’s been done over and over but we shall see if it sticks this time.

Pro boxing is the true warrior’s path and that means a solo adventure. It’s a one-on-one sport and that appeals to people everywhere. It’s the oldest sport that can be traced to prehistoric times. You don’t need classes in Brazilian Jiujitsu, judo, kick boxing or wrestling. Just show up in a boxing gym and they can put you to work.

It’s a poor person’s path that can lead to better things and most importantly discipline.

Photos credit: Lina Baker

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