Eddy Reynoso is The TSS 2019 Trainer of the Year

Published

4 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.

Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel

To comment on this story in The Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 2,766

David A. Avila

Up Next

Elder Statesman Saoul Mamby (1947 – 2019) Was Even More Perseverant Than B-Hop

Don't Miss

Jeff Horn Avenges His Loss to Zerafa in a Bloody Brisbane Beauty

Haney-Garcia Redux with the Focus on Harvey Dock

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Haney-Garcia-Redux-with-the-Focus-on-Harvey-Dock

Saturday’s skirmish between Ryan Garcia and WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney was a messy affair, and yet a hugely entertaining fight fused with great drama. In the aftermath, Garcia and Haney were celebrated – the former for fooling all the experts and the latter for his gallant performance in a losing effort – but there were only brickbats for the third man in the ring, referee Harvey Dock.

Devin Haney was plainly ahead heading into the seventh frame when there was a sudden turnabout when Garcia put him on the canvas with his vaunted left hook. Moments later, Dock deducted a point from Garcia for a late punch coming out of a break. The deduction forced a temporary cease-fire that gave Haney a few precious seconds to regain his faculties. Before the round was over, Haney was on the deck twice more but these were ruled slips.

The deduction, which effectively negated the knockdown, struck many as too heavy-handed as Dock hadn’t previously issued a warning for this infraction. Moreover, many thought he could have taken a point away from Haney for excessive clinching. As for Haney’s second and third trips to the canvas in round seven, they struck this reporter – watching at home – as borderline, sufficient to give referee Dock the benefit of the doubt.

In a post-fight interview, Ryan Garcia faulted the referee for denying him the satisfaction of a TKO. “At the end of the day, Harvey Dock, I think he was tripping,” said Garcia. “He could have stopped that fight.”

Those that played the rounds proposition, placing their coin on the “under,” undoubtedly felt the same way.

The internet lit up with comments assailing Dock’s competence and/or his character. Some of the ponderings were whimsical, but they were swamped by the scurrilous screeching of dolts who find a conspiracy under every rock.

Stephen A. Smith, reputedly America’s highest-paid TV sports personality, was among those that felt a need to weigh-in: “This referee is absolutely terrible….Unreal! Horrible officiating,” tweeted Stephen A whose primary area of expertise is basketball.

Harvey Dock

Dock fought as an amateur and had one professional fight, winning a four-round decision over a fellow novice on a show at a non-gaming resort in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He says that as an amateur he was merely average, but he was better than that, a New Jersey and regional amateur champion in 1993 and 1994 while a student New Jersey’s Essex County Community College where he majored in journalism.

A passionate fan of Sugar Ray Leonard, he started officiating amateur fights in 1998 and six years later, at age 32, had his first documented action at the professional level, working low-level cards in New Jersey. The top boxing referees, to a far greater extent than the top judges, had long apprenticeships, having worked their way up from the boonies and Dock is no exception.

Per boxrec, Haney vs Garcia was Harvey Dock’s 364^th assignment in the pros and his forty-second world title fight. Some of those title fights were title in name only, they weren’t even main events, but, bit by bit, more lucrative offerings started coming his way.

On May 13, 2023, Dock worked his first fights in Nevada, a 4-rounder and then a 12-rounder on a card at the Cosmopolitan topped by the 140-pound title fight between Rolly Romero and Ismael Barroso. It was the first time that this reporter got to watch Dock in the flesh.

Ironically (in hindsight), the card would be remembered for the actions of a referee, in this case Tony Weeks who handled the main event. Barroso was winning the fight on all three cards when Weeks stepped in and waived it off in the ninth round after Romero cornered Barroso against the ropes and let loose a barrage of punches, none of which landed cleanly. Few “premature stoppages” were ever as garishly, nay ghoulishly, premature.

With all the brickbats raining down on Weeks, I felt a need to tamp down the noise by diverting attention away from Tony Weeks and toward Harvey Dock and took to the TSS Forum to share my thoughts. Referencing the 12-rounder, a robust junior welterweight affair between Batyr Akhmedov and Kenneth Sims Jr, I noted that Dock’s Las Vegas debut went smoothly. He glided effortlessly around the ring, making him inconspicuous, the mark of a good referee. (This post ran on May 15, two days after the fight.)

Folks at the Nevada State Athletic Commission were also paying attention. Dock was back in Las Vegas the following week to referee the lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko and before the year was out, he would be tabbed to referee the biggest non-heavyweight fight of the year, the July 29 match in Las Vegas between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.

The Haney-Garcia fight wasn’t Harvey Dock’s best hour, I’ll concede that, but a closer look at his full body of work informs us that he is an outstanding referee.

—

While the Haney-Garcia bout was in progress, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman threw everyone a curve ball, tweeting on “X” that Devin Haney would keep his title if he lost the fight. Everyone, including the TV commentators, was under the impression that the title would become vacant in the event that Haney lost.

Sulaiman cited the precedent of Corrales-Castillo II.

FYI: The Corrales-Castillo rematch, originally scheduled for June 3, 2005 and aborted on the day prior when Castillo failed to make weight, finally came off on Oct. 8 of that year, notwithstanding the fact that Castillo failed to make weight once again, scaling three-and-a-half pounds above the lightweight limit. He knocked out Corrales in the fourth round with a left hook that Las Vegas Review-Journal boxing writer Kevin Iole, alluding to the movie “Blazing Saddles,” described as Mongo-esque (translation: the punch would have knocked out a horse). After initially insisting on a rubber match, which had scant chance of happening, WBC president Jose Sulaiman, Mauricio’s late father, ruled that Corrales could keep his title.

Whether or not you agree with Mauricio Sulaiman’s rationale, the timing of his announcement was certainly awkward.

Haney’s mandatory is Spanish southpaw Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs), a cutie best known for his 2021 upset of Mikey Garcia. A bout between Haney and Martin has the earmarks of a dull fight.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum, CLICK HERE

Post Views: 734

In a Shocker, Ryan Garcia Confounds the Experts and Upsets Devin Haney

Published

4 days ago

April 21, 2024

David A. Avila

In-a-Shocker-Ryan-Garcia-Confounds-the-Experts-and-Upsets-Devin-Haney

Its good to be crazy. Like a fox.

Ryan “KingRy” Garcia knocked down WBC super lightweight titlist Devin Haney three times to remind everyone of his fighting abilities in winning by majority decision on Saturday.

“I just knew what I could do,” Garcia said.

Fans will not forget the lanky kid from Victorville, California now.

Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) fooled everyone in playing crazy weeks before the fight, then showed shocking power to hand Haney (30-1, 15 KOs) his first loss as a professional at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Haney’s WBC super lightweight title was not at stake for Garcia because he weighed three pounds over the limit.

After Garcia seemingly acting out of control on social media, Haney’s guard must have slipped in the first round during the first few seconds as Garcia connected with that hellish left hook and Haney, with a look of shock in his eyes, almost went down. He barely survived the first round.

“He caught me with it,” said Haney.

During the next few rounds, Haney proceeded to advance toward Garcia seemingly fully aware of the lethal left hook. He used feints and rights to score with a busier approach as Garcia seemed cocked and ready to counter with a left hook.

In the fourth round it seemed Haney was confident he had regained control of the fight, but every time he opened up with more than a two-punch combination Garcia reminded him whose hands were faster and more dangerous.

Though Garcia seldom jabbed he seemed bent on looking for the right moment to unleash his deadly left hook. And every time the Southern California fighter opened up with a combination he scored and Haney dare not exchange.

A few times Haney smiled as if signifying he escaped.

In the seventh round Haney looked to punish Garcia’s body and instead was met with a three-punch combination included a left hook to the chin and down went Haney slumped on the ground. He managed to beat the count and as soon as Garcia came within reach Haney wrapped his arms around him with a python grip. Despite the warnings by referee Harvey Dock, the fallen fighter would not release and Garcia impatiently fired a weak punch during the break. The referee deducted a point from Garcia though he could have deducted a point from Haney for not obeying his instructions to release his hold. Haney actually went down three times in the round but only one was counted by the referee.

From that point on Haney was very cautious but still looking to win by decision.

Though Garcia kept using a shoulder-roll defense that left his body exposed, he would retaliate with three and four punch combinations that usually Haney could defend against other fighters.. But Garcia’s blazing combinations were too fast to defend.

In the 10^th round Haney looked to attack and was countered by Garcia’s right and a blinding left hook to the chin and another two blows that sent the former undisputed lightweight champion to the floor again.

It didn’t look good for Haney to survive.

Garcia walked into the 11^th round still composed and never out-of-control He dared Haney to exchange and when within striking distance Garcia unleashed another lightning combination and down went Haney again with a defeated look.

Both fighters had fought each other as amateurs six times so there were no surprises between them. But Garcia’s power and speed were superior and that was the difference in a professional fight.

In the final round both were cautious with Garcia’s combination punching proving too dangerous for Haney to open up. Garcia celebrated early as the round ended confident of victory.

After 12 rounds Garcia was seen the victor by majority decision 112-112, 114-110, 115-109.

“You really thought I was crazy,” Garcia told the interviewer and the crowd. “You guys hated on me.”

Other Bouts

Arnold Barboza (30-0) won a curious split decision victory over United Kingdom’s Sean McComb (18-2) in a 10-round super lightweight fight. McComb’s long reach and busy southpaw style gave Barboza trouble. But he managed to win the fight though the crowd was not pleased.

Bektemir Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KOs) defeated France’s Pierre Dibombe (22-1-1) by technical decision after eight rounds due to a cut on his eye from an accidental head butt. It was a very competitive super middleweight fight.

Costa Rica’s David Jimenez (16-1, 11 KOs) outworked John “Scrappy Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs) in a 12-round scrap to upset the Los Angeles based fighter. After a few close rounds Jimenez simply bullied his way inside and forced Ramirez against the ropes and unloaded his guns.

After 12 rounds two judges saw it 117-111 and 116-114 all for Jimenez.

“I’m a hard-working man from Cartago I come from nothing,” said Jimenez. “My corner told me I had to work inside.”

Charles Conwell (19-0, 14 KOs) stepped on the gas early with vicious body shots and uppercuts and blasted through the resilient Nathaniel Gallimore (22-8-1, 17 KOs) for several rounds. After a brutal fifth and sixth round the referee halted the one-side beating in favor of Conwell who was fighting for the first time under the Golden Boy banner.

Another winner was Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-5) by decision over Vaughn Alexander (18-11-1) in a super middleweight match.

To comment on this story in the Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 1,119

Haney and Garcia: Bipolar Opposites

Published

4 days ago

April 20, 2024

TSS Press

Haney and Garcia: Bipolar Opposites

One young man flew halfway around the world to take on a world champion in his own living room; not once, but twice. The other young man quit prior to one fight, and then again during another one.

The first guy mentioned is an obedient son of an ultra-streetwise father. The type of parent where, if he doesn’t know the answer (and more times than not he most likely does), he will know where to find it. The second guy doesn’t appear to have that quality guidance scenario going on for him, which is probably for the best, because he believes he has all the answers.

The first guy is on record as saying he wants to go down in boxing history as an all-time great. The other guy? He decided not to continue in a fight while he was still sporting an undefeated record. You may think to yourself if there was ever a time to soldier through, right?

Then yesterday, that same guy missed making weight by 3.2 pounds, and seemed to be more than fine with it, to the point where he actually appeared to be quite pleased with himself.

If you haven’t heard, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia are going to share a boxing ring in a twelve round go for God knows what will be at stake by the time they actually punch off. The fact that no one from Garcia’s team has stepped in and rescued him from these unfolding events, his own personal well-being, and/or not to mention Devin Haney is, well, troubling in and of itself.

Back in the amateur days, the record shows they split six fights. They were boys back then, so it means zero. If anything, you’d want to be the older of the two, and Ryan had over a three-month age advantage. If you’ve only been on the planet for a total of 120 months or so, every extra month could be a big enough difference in strength and development. Now as world class professionals in their prime? That’s different. Younger is always better. Devin is that guy.

Haney and Garcia fought six times for free but will fight only once as professionals. Then one of them will continue with their march for historic greatness, while the other will head back to Kamp Krazy, where he’s the current Mayor.

It’s never smart to lay 8-1, 9-1 in boxing. And if you see taking Garcia as a value bet with +500 to +600 and beyond, you don’t understand value and you evidently don’t like money.

There is, however, a wagering opportunity here.

Total Rounds: Fight doesn’t go 10.5 rounds.

Take anything over +125. It’s worth a unit on a scale of 5. Logically, there are a lot of ways to cash this ticket: legitimate victory, meltdown, catching lightning in a bottle, etc. Or simply the exiting stage left of a guy who may be already plotting his next career move.

Post Views: 650