Luigi "Lou" Duva (born May 28, 1922) is a Hall of Fame boxing trainer who has, through a long and successful career, handled some of the most famous boxers in the world. Duva was born in New York City, moving to Paterson, New Jersey, at a very early age. Duva's childhood was an inpovershed one and he had to do many jobs to try to help his family. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... May 28 is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left, throwing a left uppercut) versus Rafael Ortiz Boxing, also called prizefighting or pugilism is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight fight each other with their fists in a series of one to three-minute intervals called... Nickname: Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1625 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area  - City  468. ... The skyline of Paterson, New Jersey, showing the canyon of the Passaic River in the foreground. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ...

Duva's 23-year-old brother, Carl Duva, introduced young Lou to boxing when the boy was only 10. Lou polished his own boxing skills and by age 12 was both an amateur and ballroom brawler. However Lou as a boxer did not have much luck, although that might have been due to the fact he barely had time to train, having to go out to the street and perform many types of jobs to try to help the Duva family make ends meet.

In 1938 Lou went to try to join a group named the Civilian Conservation Corps. He had problems getting in, however, because of his age. To be a member of that group, applicants had to be 18 or over. Duva was only 16 when he applied to join. He went and changed his birth certificate and all his personal information and they accepted him, thinking that he had been born two year earlier, in 1920. The "CCC" sent him to Boise, Idaho, and then to Walla Walla, Washington, where he learned to drive trucks. 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Nickname: City of Trees Motto: Energy Peril Success Location of Boise in the State of Idaho Coordinates: Country United States State Idaho County Ada Founded 1863 Incorporated 1864 Government  - Mayor David H. Bieter Area  - City  64 sq mi (165. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Walla Walla is both the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, and the countys largest city. ... Official language(s) English Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,827 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ...

Duva went to the US Army after World War II broke out. He went to Jackson, Mississippi, to train but he was dismissed from the base after many fistfights with fellow soldiers as well as an altercation with two Lieutenants when he defended a black woman being harassed on a public bus. After that, he was sent to Camp Hood in Texas, where he was named boxing instructor. The United States Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Nickname: Coordinates: Country United States State Mississippi County Hinds Founded 1822 Government  - Mayor Frank Melton Area  - City  106. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Official language(s) No Official Language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ...

He went back home in 1944 to help run a restaurant and to begin a professional boxing career, as a boxer. But he could only compile a record of 15 wins and 7 losses as a professional fighter, and he retired soon after, going back to his days as a trucker. He started a trucking company and met his wife Enes soon after. He had met her while he was performing as a clown at a ministry and they married in 1949. 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ...

Lou spent a good portion of the early 1950s at a gym named Stillmans boxing gym. Stillmans gym is known by two things: its legendary fame as a filthy gym where windows were kept closed so that the smell of sweat would not escape, and the large amount of celebrities, both from Hollywood and the boxing world that the gym attracted. Duva, already enamored with the world of boxing, felt his passion for that sport increase every time he visited Stillman's. This does not cite any references or sources. ... ...

Duva's trucking business was doing well, so he decided to open, with the blessing of Enes, his own gym, named Garden Gym. After he sold his fleet of 32 trucks, he became a bail bondsman, and he tracked offenders who jumped bail to avoid trial. Around this time he also worked as a union representitive in North Jersey, a job which, at the time was saturated with mafia activity.

By 1963, Duva had become close friends with former world Heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano, one of the people who rejoiced when Duva crowned his first world boxing champion, Middleweight Joey Giardello, who dethroned Dick Tiger that year to become world Middleweight champion. Duva was one of the last persons that Marciano spoke to before Marciano's plane crashed in 1969. 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Rocky Marciano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969), born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was the heavyweight champion of the world from 1952 to 1956. ... Carmine Orlando Tilelli (born July 16, 1930), better known by his professional pseudonym of Joey Giardello, was an American star in the sport of boxing during the 1950s and 1960s. ... Richard Dick Tiger Ihetu (August 14, 1929 - December 14, 1971) was a boxer from Amaigbo, Orlu, Nigeria, was a migrant fighter to Liverpool (and later to America). ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ...

Lou's son, Dan Duva (died 1996), was a lawyer who graduated in 1977. When Leon Spinks' management came for help in 1978, Dan gladly helped them. With Dan's earning of $500,000 dollars, Dan formed Main Events in April of '78. The company still runs, now managed by Dan's widow, Kathy Duva. Daniel Salvator Duva (7 November, 1951 – 28 January, 1996) was a boxing promoter who promoted or co-promoted over 100 world championship fights through his family run business Main Events. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Leon Spinks is a former boxer who tasted lifes highs and lows more than most other boxers. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

Also during that period, Main Events would put boxing cards at the Ice World facility in Totowa, New Jersey. The Duva's used to resemble tactics used by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) when promoting a card, once even going as far as selling a truck driver as a Prince from Zaire just to hype the show and sell tickets. Totowa is a borough located in Passaic County, New Jersey. ... World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ...

In 1979, ESPN became interested in showing Main Events shows from Ice World, and they began to do so soon after. The shows and presence caught the eyes of future world champions such as Rocky Lockridge, Bobby Czyz and Livingstone Bramble, all of which signed up with Main Events. However, trouble came with success: as a result of all the work Lou was putting in as a trainer, bail bondsman and everything else he was doing, he suffered his first heart attack during that year. Doctors told him he needed to step off some of his activities, so Lou decided to get off anything that wasn't related to boxing. This, after he had talked with wife Enes about which activities to drop. He became a full time manager and trainer. For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... ESPN, formerly an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Bobby Czyz, (born February 10, 1962), is a Polish-American boxer. ... Livingstone Bramble (born September 30, 1960) is a boxer from St. ...

Dan Duva then formed a friendship with Shelly Finkel, a powerful boxing power broker who convinced Alex Ramos, future world Jr. Welterweight champion Johnny Bumphus, future world Heavyweight champion Tony TNT Tucker, troubled prospect Tony Ayala Jr. and future Mike Tyson rival Mitch Green to join Main Events. Lou was trainer and manager. Alex Ramos (born January 17, 1961) is a former boxer from the 1980s who was a middleweight of note. ... Johnny Bumphus (born August 17, 1960 in Tacoma, WA), is a former boxer who was world junior welterweight champion. ... Tony Ayala is a former middleweight boxer. ... Michael Chaim Tyson, (born June 30, 1966) is a former American World Heavyweight boxing Champion. ... Mitchell Green, A.K.A. Mitch Blood Green (born January 13, 1957) is a former American boxer. ...

In 1981, Main Events became the promoter of the first bout between Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns, won by Leonard by a knockout in round 14. It was the largest grossing non Heavyweight bout until then, making $40 million dollars . But Lou could not celebrate long, as wife Enes had been diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956 in Wilmington, North Carolina) is a retired professional boxer. ... Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958, in Memphis, Tennessee), is an American 7-time world champion professional boxer. ...

1984 was a highly successful year for Duva and Main Events. He had Bumphus, Lockridge, Bramble and Mike McCallum crowned as world champions, and he signed future world champions Mark Breland, Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker and Meldrick Taylor right after their participation in the Olympics in Los Angeles. He also signed Olympian Tyrell Biggs. 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mike McCallum (born December 7, 1956 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a retired boxer from Jamaica, who represented his native country as an amateur at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals. ... Mark Breland (born May 11, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York) was a world champion boxer, who won five New York Golden Gloves Titles and a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics. ... Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962 in Atmore, Alabama) but moved to Atlanta,Georgia when he was 2 years old. ... Pernell Whitaker (born January 2, 1964), nicknamed Sweet Pea, is a retired professional boxer, among the greatest of all-time. ... Meldrick Taylor (born October 19, 1966) is a former Olympic gold medalist and world boxing champion in two weight classes. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... Tyrell Biggs (born December 22, 1960 in Philadelphia, PA) is an American heavyweight boxer. ...

In 1985, he was named manager of the year by the American Boxing Writer's Association. Holyfield was the next to be crowned world champion, when he beat Dwight Muhammad Qawi in 1986. That was the year that his beloved wife, Enes Duva died, after fighting her disease for five years. 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dwight Muhammad Qawi (born January 5, 1953) is a former world boxing champion in the light-heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Breland and Vinny Pazienza followed the championship route for Main Events, winning their first world titles in 1987, year in which he was named Trainer of The Year by the WBA. Taylor followed Whitaker and Pazienza by beating Buddy McGuirt in 1988 for the world's Jr. Welterweight title. Vinny Paz (born December 16, 1962) is an Italian-American former boxer who has been a world champion many times. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... World Boxing Association (WBA) is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title, at the professional level. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1989 was another triumphant year for Duva and Main Events, when Whitaker, Darrin Van Horn and Puerto Rico's John John Molina crowned themselves champions, adding to the Main Events line of world champion boxers. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Darrin Van Horn (born September 7, 1968 in Morgan City, Louisiana), was a professional boxer in the Super Middleweight (168lb) division. ... Juan Molina (born March 17, 1965), better known as John John Molina in the world of boxing, is a former boxer whose career transcended boxing in Puerto Rico. ...

Holyfield gave Main Events another championship, when he knocked out James Buster Douglas in three rounds to win the world Heavyweight title with Lou Duva his co trainer along with George Benton. James Buster Douglas (born April 7, 1960) was a heavyweight boxer from Columbus, Ohio who scored one of the biggest upsets ever in the sport by knocking out then-undefeated Mike Tyson in 10 rounds in 1990. ...

After that, Lou Duva reached inmense mainstream fame, appearing in cameos at different television series and even visiting the Late Night With David Letterman show as a guest. He also acted as wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper's trainer in a WWF show. In 1992, Eddie Hopson became Duva's 13th world champion. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Roderick George Toombs (born on April 17, 1954 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan), best known by his stage name of Rowdy Roddy Piper, is a Canadian professional wrestler of Scottish descent. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

In 1996, Dan Duva died of cancer and his widow, Kathy, became chairman of the Board and Dan's brother, Dino Duva, became president. After four years Dino left the company Kathy Duva became the Chief Executive Officer. Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... Dino Duva is a boxing promoter and current CEO of Duva Boxing, as well as the former President of Main Events. ... A Chief Executive Officer (CEO), or Chief Executive, is the highest-ranking corporate officer, administrator, corporate administrator, executive, or executive officer, in charge of total management of a corporation, company, organization or agency. ...

Lou has worked with such other former or future world champions as Michael Moorer and Arturo Gatti among others. On the night of the infamous riot after the first Golota-Riddick Bowe bout, Duva had to be hospitalized after complaining of chest pains, but only as a precautionary measure. He was found out to be ok after testing was done to his heart that night. Michael Lee Moorer (born November 12, 1967) is a former boxer who has been a world champion in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. ... Arturo Thunder Gatti (born April 15, 1972), is a professional boxer. ... Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967, Brooklyn, New York) is an American boxer and former undisputed heavyweight champion. ...

For a period during the 1980's Lou was involved in a restaurant named "Lou Duva's Place" in Totowa, NJ.

This avid autograph signer, who has been to many countries around the world as a trainer, is also a devout family man- once quoted as saying "The only thing more important to me than boxing, is my family, my grandkids.... i do it all for them." Duva was inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in 1998. He remains active as a trainer and manager. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta. ...

External link

• Page about Lou Duva in Boxrec Boxing Encyclopedia