FROM MONTHS OF TRAINING TO PRE-FIGHT STRATEGIZING TO THE HEAT OF BATTLE, THESE ARE THE ARCHITECTS IN THE CORNER
By Joseph Santoliquito TRAINER OF THE YEAR
DON CHARLES
ROBERT GARCIA Garcia had a great year, working with newly minted WBA junior welterweight titlist Jose Valenzuela, who pulled off a split decision upset victory over Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in early August on the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov undercard. Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KOs) lost a unanimous decision to Chris Colbert in March 2023, but he resuscitated his career with an explosive sixth- round knockout victory in their December rematch. Garcia also has undefeated junior middleweight contender Vergil Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs). Ortiz was knocked down for the first two times in his career by Serhii Bohachuk in August, but his record remained unblemished with a 12-round majority decision in one of the best fights of 2024. And in June, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs) won the Ring and WBC junior bantamweight titles with a seventh- round knockout over Juan Francisco Estrada, then made his first title defense with a third-round TKO of respected veteran Pedro Guevara in November. Garcia also trains up- and-comers Lindolfo Delgado, Albert Gonzalez, Art Barrera Jr., Leo Ruiz and Emiliano Alvarado.
RUDY HERNANDEZ The California-based veteran trainer has to be given strong consideration. He guided Junto Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs) to becoming a three-division titlist with a sixth- round TKO victory over Alexandro Santiago for the WBC bantamweight belt in February, then saw his fighter through two successful defenses. In July, Hernandez was in Anthony Olascuaga’s corner when he stopped Riku Kano in three to win the vacant WBO flyweight title in his eighth pro bout. Olascuaga went on to defend the title by stopping Jonathan Gonzalez in the first round. What’s more, Hernandez did not swoop in and take over as Nakatani and Olascuaga began to see their careers take off. He has had both fighters since their amateur days.
ANDY LEE The former WBO middleweight titlist is a rising star in the training game. Since retiring in 2018, Lee began training heavyweight Joseph Parker. He also serves as assistant trainer to SugarHill Steward for Tyson Fury, a relationship that began in “The Gypsy King’s” second fight against Deontay Wilder in February 2020, won by Fury (TKO 7). In December 2023, Lee led Parker’s team in his unanimous decision over Wilder and followed that with the New Zealander’s 12-round majority- decision victory over Zhilei Zhang in March 2024. Lee has done wonders with Irish welterweight contender Paddy Donovan, who is 14-0 (11 KOs) and will be fighting undefeated Lewis Crocker on March 1, 2025.
MARC RAMSAY Ramsay had a tremendous 2024. In October, Ramsay’s stable-star Artur Beterbiev captured the undisputed light heavyweight championship with a majority decision over Dmitry Bivol. It marked the first time Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) ever went the distance, and it also marked the first time anyone ever beat Bivol. French super middleweight contender Christian Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs), Ramsay’s other big-name fighter, enjoyed a 3-0 year that closed with a 10-round unanimous decision over Sergiy Derevyanchenko. Ramsay also trains 21-year-old lightweight prospect Jhon Orobio (12-0, 11 KOs) and 24-year-old super middleweight southpaw Moreno Fendero (8- 0, 6 KOs). Combined, Ramsay’s top quartet went 18-0 with one undisputed title in 2024.
BOB SANTOS Santos, The Ring’s 2022 Trainer of the Year, is the corner boss for WBC welterweight titlist Mario Barrios, former IBF/WBA junior middleweight titlist Jeison Rosario, junior welterweight Starling Castillo and rising Cuban heavyweight Dainier Pero. He also works under lead trainer Ronnie Shields with light heavyweight contender David Morrell. Santos has lately become the “boxing whisperer,” helping reclamation projects like Rosario and Castillo rebuild their careers after losses two years ago. Pero was 5-0 in 2024, all won by stoppage. Barrios encountered a speed bump in November on the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson undercard with a draw against Abel Ramos, while Rosario came off a two-year layoff to fight fellow former unified titleholder Jarrett Hurd to a split draw in August.
Charles has one stake in this year’s race – and it is a big one. In the summer of 2023, IBF heavyweight titlist Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) parted ways with trainer Shane McGuigan and opted to work with Charles. The pair had a bumpy start, getting stopped by soon-to-be- undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk in August 2023. Since then, Dubois has been elevated to IBF heavyweight titlist and has won three straight fights, including toppling heavy favorite Anthony Joshua in five rounds in September. Charles also has Derek Chisora, who beat Joe Joyce by 10-round decision in July and is scheduled to fight Otto Wallin in February 2025.
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Freddy Fundora cannot be overlooked. He trained his son, Sebastian (21-1-1, 13 KOs), who seized the WBO and WBC junior middleweight titles with his bloody split-decision victory over Tim Tszyu in March, while simultaneously working with his daughter, Gabriella (15-0, 7 KOs), on her path to becoming the undisputed flyweight champion. When talking about the top trainers for 2024, Fundora has to be in the discussion.
Sergey Lapin prefers the title “team director” over “trainer” or “coach,” but the former amateur boxer who coordinates Oleksandr Usyk’s training camps is just as involved with the heavyweight champ’s fight strategies and conditioning as he is management.
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