For all the things that referee extraordinaire Richard Steele knows about in life, boxing is certainly one of them. Steele would first experience the sport when he was in the Marine Corps and later venture off into his own professional career as a fighter before eventually trying out the world of officiating. Throughout his times in the game Steele has experienced much and still finds himself involved in boxing to this very day.
As a referee in particular Steele has traveled the world over, met countless celebrities and boxing personalities, while also officiating 167 world title bouts. It has been quite the ride for the Los Angeles native and he could be forgiven for letting his memory slip on occasion when discussing his life and times in the sport but amazingly Steele remembers just about everything as if it was yesterday.
Speaking from his personal gym, Richard Steele Boxing Club, in Las Vegas, Nevada, the famed referee’s mind is somewhat like a steel trap when discussing his dearest memories connected to boxing. When asked about one of today’s top trainers, Freddie Roach, Steele is beyond reflective and recalls his first encounter with the Massachusetts native with much joy.
“I met Freddie in Las Vegas when Eddie Futch was training him at the Golden Gloves Gym,” Steele recalled earlier this week. “Eddie told me to come to the gym. At the time Mr. Futch and my wife were business partners and they owned a fighter together. I got to be around Freddie when he and his brothers were fighting. I’ve been around Freddie for a long time and have gotten to see many sides of him.”
Discussing further, Steele saw that Futch was a great mentor for Roach and could see well ahead of time that the learning lessons he was taking in would end up paying off tremendously in other forms. Even before Roach would begin his foray into the training field, Steele could see the possibilities.
“I always knew that Freddie would end up becoming a great trainer because Eddie Futch was a great teacher,” Steele points out. “Even though he was fighting at the time he was still learning things from Eddie. I saw something in him that made me believe he would also be a great teacher.”
How Freddie became a trainer was a story in itself, however. Like many fighters, Roach perhaps tried to hang on a little bit too long and needed to be told when to let it go. And just like many fighters from years past, Roach too had the desire to remain a part of the sport he loved so much.
“Eddie was the type of person to really tell you how he felt,” Steele reflects. “If he saw that you couldn’t fight anymore he would tell you to get a job and that’s what happened with Freddie. He told Freddie to call it a day but Freddie said in return that Eddie needed to train him so that he would become a trainer. That’s how it all started and who would have thought that Freddie would go on to become one of the greatest trainers of all time.”
From that point forward Roach had two essential things towards making the transition to a trainer; a good teacher and the desire to make it happen. Schooling and desire is a great foundation but there obviously was more to the equation than just that. Elaborating further, Steele opens up as to why Roach was so successful in his ‘second life’ in boxing.
“First off I believed he learned so much from the best in Mr. Futch,” Steele remarks. “Second off, he put everything into it. He was a good little fighter himself. What he does so well is that he doesn’t train people the way he fought. That’s where a lot of trainers make mistakes because they try to teach fighters to fight like they want them to fight. Freddie just takes your strengths and develops them while adding to them.”
In talking about Roach it’s easy for Steele to get reflective and sentimental. But when the topic is turned to Roach’s key fighter, Manny Pacquiao, and his upcoming November 14th bout against WBO champion Miguel Cotto, Steele is less attached. When talking about Cotto specifically, Steele remembers not being impressed upon first glance.
“I do remember him from the Olympics,” Steele reflects. “I remember when Top Rank signed him that I didn’t think too much of him but they’ve proved over time that he is a good fighter. He has gotten better and better each fight. Cotto has shown that he is a great fighter and he has a lot of years left in him.”
Steele would go on to say that he felt Cotto may have been the victim of corruption in his bout with Antonio Margarito because of possible ‘substances’ that could have existed in the Tijuana fighter’s gloves. Steele went on to give his respect to Cotto, but when pressed on whether he felt if the Puerto Rican had enough left to defeat Pacquiao the grizzled veteran had to go in a different direction.
“Pacquiao is my man,” Steele countered. “I just think he’s going to be too strong for Cotto. Not physically but I think he’s too mentally strong for Cotto. I think that is what is going to allow him to take over the fight.”
