THE BEST HAS GONE

During the past few days, Boxing has lost two of its finest trainer/managers. The bell of ten has tolled for the great Angelo Dundee and the magnificent Guerino "Goody" Petronelli.

When I met and interviewed Angelo a few years ago at a WBC Convention in Mexico City, I was initially literally tongue tied for words. Here in front of me, stood a hero of my childhood- a man who'd been in Muhammad Ali's corner from start to finish, and then helped his one time ring foe and later great friend George Foreman, grasp back the title almost 21 years later- at the advanced ring age of forty five.

Typical of Angelo, he eased me into the interview I'd so hungered for over all those years. Incisive yet kind, he made me like so many others privileged to have so briefly met him. The master of a one liner, who often helped Ali with his poetry, he was fond of saying: "It doesn't cost anything to be kind."

I never met Goody, who along with his brother Pat masterminded the career of Marvellous Marvin Hagler. Marvin came to London to defeat Alan Minter. He previously won against Kevin Finnigan, and as Champion demolished Tony Sibson on home territory in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Quiet, astute yet a genius at focusing the willpower of a champion, Goody inspired Marvin to overcame the bitter disappointment of a controversial draw against Vito Antuofermo at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. And then even more so, when Marvin won the title followed by a sea of beer bottles raining down, during a seething night at Wembley Arena.

That was almost thirty two years ago, but the legend of Marvin Hagler and the Petronelli Brothers will live forever. They meticulously guided him to twelve defenses of his title during seven years, including the action packed slugfest against Tommy Hearns and the brawl with Roberto Duran, until the super controversial bout against Sugar Ray Leonard.

The Italian surname Petronelli means rock. Somewhat apt, because Goody was a close friend of Rocky Marciano. Both of their Fathers had emigrated to the United States from the Abruzzo region of Italy.

So now we've lost Goody aged 88 and Angelo aged 90. Both of their family roots can be traced back to the Old World, but they etched their names in the New World.

They don't make them like that any more.

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