THE names of the greatest fighter-trainer partnerships trip off the tongue as easily as show-biz double acts like Morecambe & Wise.
Joe Louis-Chappie Blackburn, Rocky Marciano-Charlie Goldman, Muhammad Ali-Angelo Dundee, Marvin Hagler-Goody Petronelli, Tommy Hearns-Manny Steward, Frank Bruno-George Francis and Ricky Hatton-Billy Graham are just a few.
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This year we may have to add another couple to that impressive list Billy Joe Saunders-Dominic Ingle.
A year ago Saunders may have been the WBO world middleweight champion but he was a grossly overweight undisciplined slob.
Despite being unbeaten his career appeared to be rapidly spiralling down towards oblivion and what was worse he didn’t seem to care.
Frank Warren, his promoter was alarmed that the extremely gifted Saunders was seriously talking about retiring and throwing his talent away.
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Warren made an eleventh hour call to Dominic Ingle in Sheffield to ask him if he would be prepared take Billy Joe into his gym and do what others had failed to achieve - motivate him to act as a champion should.
Ingle wasn’t too keen. He prefers to find his own raw material and build the finished article in his own image.
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But he agreed to meet Saunders. At the end of a frank two hour session they reached a mutual understanding.
Saunders accepted he had to leave London and live like a hermit in Sheffield and eat and drink boxing twenty-four-seven. Ingle made it clear a single transgression and he would be travelling south down the motorway.
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It has always been agreed it is boxers who make trainers not the other way round. But there are exceptions to every rule.
Ingle in a matter of a few weeks turned Saunders from someone who was fat and feckless into a super-fit and focused athlete.
The result of all that hard work was seen when Billy Joe defended his title against Canadian Daniel Lemieux, in Montreal last month.
Watched by millions on American TV, Saunders was punch-perfect as he completely outclassed Lemieux, who barely laid a glove on him throughout the twelve rounds.
Saunders put on such a fantastic exhibition of offensive and defensive skills the film of his performance should be shown in every amateur club in Britain as a teaching manual.
As soon as Billy Joe left the ring he said “Everything I did tonight I owe to one man - Dominic Ingle”.
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Ingle, 50 who guided Kell Brook, to the world welterweight title, has held a trainers licence since he was 18.
Understandably for years he lived in the shadow of his illustrious father.
Dad Brendan’s conveyor belt at his Wincobank fight factory produced no less than four word, six European, fifteen British and six Commonwealth champions.
And among his super-stars were Naseem Hamed, Johnny Nelson, Junior Witter and Herol Graham.
Though Dominic is very much his own man inevitably much of his father’s philosophy and tactical brilliance has rubbed off on him.
As the Ingle family lived across the road from the gym I reckon Dominic was given gum shields as teething rings.
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As the weeks went by when we flew out to Canada you could see the light had come back in his eyes”.
Since he master-minded Saunders brilliant performance Dominic has been inundated with requests from fighters world-wide pleading with him to take them on.
Not long ago to suggest Billy Joe was capable of beating Gennady Golovkin or Canelo Alvarez in the autumn would have brought more laughs than comedian Michael McIntyre gets. They are not laughing now.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/boxing/5374222/colin-hart-boxing-greatest-fighter-trainer-partnerships-billy-joe-saunders-dominic-ingle/
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