Kenny Adams, International Boxing Hall of Fame trainer, dies at 84

Worked with more than 20 world champions and served as head coach of decorated 1988 U.S. Olympic boxing team

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Kenny Adams, the International Boxing Hall of Fame trainer, died on Monday in Las Vegas, where he had lived for decades. He was 84.

Born in Springfield, Missouri, on Sept. 25, 1940, Adams was raised by his aunt and uncle and was a decorated Army veteran, serving in Vietnam.

He later was the head coach of the Army boxing team before serving as an assistant coach for the star-studded 1984 U.S. Olympic team that won 11 medals, including nine gold, and counted Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker, Meldrick Taylor, Tyrell Biggs, Mark Breland and Virgil Hill as members.

Adams then served as the head coach of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team — the first Black head coach of the team — that won eight medals, including three golds, and included medal-winners Riddick Bowe, Ray Mercer, Roy Jones Jr., Kennedy McKinney and Michael Carbajal.

Not long after the 1988 Games, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum talked to Adams about training professionals. Adams liked the idea and relocated to Las Vegas in 1989 and his career took off.

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Thanks to his Army background, Adams was known as a strict disciplinarian with his fighters and he would go on to train more than 20 world champions. His first, Rene Jacquot, won the WBC junior middleweight title by decision over Donald Curry in the 1989 Ring magazine upset of the year.

That was just the start. At one point, Adams led his fighters to 22 consecutive world title victories.

Among the other numerous fighters he worked with who were world champions were Mercer, McKinney, Diego Corrales, Johnny Tapia, Mike McCallum, Freddie Norwood, Vince Phillips, Nonito Donaire, Edwin Valero, Frankie Liles, Michael Nunn, Jorge Linares, Al Cole, Charles Murray, Eddie Cook and Samuel Peter.

Although he had not officially trained fighters for the last several years, he was a regular presence at the DLX Boxing Gym in Las Vegas, where he would offer tips and advice to those at the gym.

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Photo: WBC

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