Up and coming boxing trainer Danon Quick is someone who has a multitude of interests.
Quick, known to most by his former business alias ‘Phenomenon’, has directed both movies and music videos, served as an assistant trainer under Floyd Mayweather Sr, has studied numerous martial arts, and is set to star in his own realty show in the near future.
What he’s focused on now however is training boxers, and in a way he says will permanently change the sport of boxing for the better.
Intrigued by his claims, I spoke with Mr Quick at length regarding his new approach to training, what he thinks of the current crop of top trainers and as someone previously involved with the Mayweather camp, his thoughts on the sport’s current biggest stars Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
You have experience with both martial arts and boxing, do you currently train just boxers or mixed martial artists as well?
I train both, but currently I’m concentrating on boxers because of my new style which I believe will turn the boxing world upside down. I would still train martial artists but it would be very rare, and would have to be something I’m especially interested in.
I take no credit for what I’ve learned in martial arts, I can only say I’ve been blessed to have learned from the masters. As far as boxing is concerned I’m actually bringing something totally different, so that’s what I’m more excited about right now.
On the problem with conventional training methods:
I have so much respect for Mayweather Sr. because I worked under him, he’s an amazing trainer. Freddie Roach, I worked with him at the Wild Card, Nazeem Richardson, great trainers. Each one of these guys has something really great to offer.
The problem is that they have been doing that one thing for so long.
In martial arts we were always taught that there is no such thing as one best art. Bruce Lee proved that by founding the system of Jeet Kune Do. He trained with many different masters and he knew that one single way would not be the answer.
On his new approach to training boxers:
I combined everything I learned in martial arts and took that to boxing and created something new.
Boxing is very very closed minded, if you watch it they all train the same. Mayweather came out everybody started doing that. Freddie Roach came out with Pacquiao everybody started doing that.
It was easy to teach a martial artist something but when I teach a boxer something until he starts to knock guys out in the first round, he’s very hesitant.
I look like a rapper, so when I come into a gym people aren’t expecting me to be a trainer. Most trainers today are old men but I’m 35 and I can keep up with fighters and they all tell me how much of an advantage it is to train with a trainer as fast as they are. So that’s something new that I’m bringing to boxing.
