An emotional time bomb to some, a well-worn security blanket to others, Duva was old school and one of the last of his kind?
?I love what I?m doing. It?s my life. When it?s time to go, I?ll probably be fighting to get out of the casket. I?ll be yelling at the priest instead of a referee.??Lou Duva
Hall of Fame trainer Lou Duva passed away Wednesday at St. Joseph?s Hospital in Paterson, New Jersey, of natural causes. He was 95.
A former gym rat turned boxer, trainer, manager and promoter, Duva was one of boxing?s good guys, the rare man who actually cared about the welfare of his fighters.
In his jack-of-all-trades capacity, Duva worked with 19 world champions including Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Pernell Whitaker, Joey Giardello, Mike McCallum Meldrick Taylor, Bobby Czyz, and countless others during his seven decades in the fight game.
A mainstay of Main Events, which was founded by his son Dan in 1978, he was voted ?Manager of the Year? in 1985 and ?Trainer of the Year? in 1987.
Duva was born on to Italian immigrants May 28, 1922, in New York City, and the family later moved Paterson, New Jersey.
An irascible character that was an emotional time bomb to some, a well-worn security blanket to others, Lou Duva was old school and one of the last of his kind.
