R.I.P. Lou Duva

Boxing Hall of Famer Lou Duva, who handled 19 champs, dies at 94
http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/18856936/boxing-hall-famer-lou-duva-dies-94-handled-19-champs
Dan Rafael
ESPN Senior Writer

Lou Duva, the beloved International Boxing Hall of Fame manager and trainer who worked with 19 world titleholders and had about a million stories from his roughly 70 years of involvement in the sport, died on Wednesday of natural causes at a hospital in his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey. He was 94.

Duva was also the patriarch of the boxing family that founded Main Events, which became one of the most dominant promoters of the past 30 years.

Duva's death was announced by his son, Dino Duva, who has been involved in the promotional end of boxing for decades and is an executive with Roc Nation Sports' boxing division.

"The overwhelming number of calls and sympathy wishes from so many friends and associates shows how much our father was loved and respected," he said in a statement. "We sincerely appreciate the support from everyone."

Born on May 28, 1922, in New York City to Italian immigrants before moving to Paterson, Lou Duva was one of boxing's quintessential characters. He became as famous as some of the great fighters he worked with thanks to his tremendous success at the top of boxing, a big personality and resemblance to the cartoon character Barney Rubble.

Can't go......Without paying tribute to the huge yet dimunitive figure known as Lou Duva..

Came from nothing worked himself up through the Teamsters (good friend of Jimmy Hoffa)...President of his local branch.... and went on to turn Main Events into the powerhouse of Boxing in the 80s early 90s..

(Holyfield, Bramble, Bumphus, Taylor, Whittaker, Breland etc).....

More than that he was the go to man for any biographer when it came to the great New England fighters of his day and before...........A friend of Dempsey, Marciano, Lamotta you name them and he'd have plenty of stories about them......Remember he was sourced plenty of times by Pacheco in his book "The 12 greatest rounds"..

If you wanted an insider's view on whether Dempsey had loaded gloves...He was your Man..

A fearless protector of his fighters though he stepped over the line regularly..

Honey v Bumphus.....
Pazienza v mayweather.......

Though his fighters often seemed to be on the wrong end of decisions.....

Whether Duva was likeable or not.. Boxing needs its characters and Lou was definitely one...Shame his Son left before him......

He won't be forgotten......Here are some quotes....

"What am I supposed to do...Feed him dwarfs ??" (After Golota was disqualified against Bowe twice...)

"Did I get punched off Livingstone Bramble ??...You guys know better than that !!!"

"I've waited a long time to get that A-hole back" (When Pazienza beat Honeyghan)

"Why would anyone expect Tyson to come out smarter ?? He went to prison not Princeton"

RIP Lou. A fiery character and a straight talker. Achieved huge amounts in boxing.