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SPORTSThursday 9 March 2017

Boxing Hall of Famer Lou Duva dies at 94, handled 19 champs

PATERSON, N.J. (AP) — Lou        In this June 12, 2011, file photo, Lou Duva gestures at the Boxing Hall of Fame parade in Canas-                                     Duva for almost 60 years.
Duva, the Boxing Hall of        tota, N.Y.                                                                                                                            “Lou always made me
Famer who handled the                                                                                                                                                 feel like I was a special
careers of 19 champions                                                                                                                             Associated Press  person,” Hascup said. “He
including heavyweight ti-                                                                                                                                             was a great story teller who
tlist Evander Holyfield, died   the Year” in 1985 by the    the Year.”                    Fame and the National Ital-                                                 kept everyone captivated
Wednesday. He was 94.           Boxing Writers Association  Duva was enshrined in the     ian American Sports Hall of                                                 with his stories. He was an
The colorful Duva died of       of America. In 1987, the    International Boxing Hall of  Fame. Henry Hascup, the                                                     icon in the sport of boxing,
natural causes at a hos-        World Boxing Association    Fame (1998), as well as the   president of the New Jersey                                                 who held every role there
pital in Paterson, where        chose Duva as “Trainer of   New Jersey Boxing Hall of     Boxing Hall of Fame, knew                                                   was in the sport. I told him
he lived, his son said in a                                                                                                                                           once that the only role he
statement released by the                                                                                                                                             didn’t play was ring girl. He
family. A gruff, down-to-                                                                                                                                             was a great cheerleader.
earth manager and trainer                                                                                                                                             You knew when he was in
who was generous with his                                                                                                                                             a boxer’s corner, psych-
pupils, Lou Duva had a ca-                                                                                                                                            ing that guy up. You could
reer that spanned seven                                                                                                                                               hear him. It’s a tremendous
decades. Besides Olympic                                                                                                                                              loss to the sport of boxing.”
medalists like Holyfield, he                                                                                                                                          Duva is survived by a son,
also handled welterweight                                                                                                                                             Dino, and daughters Don-
champions Pernell Whita-                                                                                                                                              na Duva Brooks, Deanne
ker and Meldrick Taylor. His                                                                                                                                          Boorman and Denise. He
first titlist was middleweight                                                                                                                                        was preceded in death by
Joey Giardiello, who won                                                                                                                                              his wife, Enes, and a son,
his crown in 1963.                                                                                                                                                    Dan, whose wife, Kathy,
The son of Italian immi-                                                                                                                                              helped run Main Events.
grants, Duva and his family                                                                                                                                           A viewing will be held Sun-
built the promotional com-                                                                                                                                            day at Festa Funeral Home
pany Main Events (found-                                                                                                                                              in Totowa, with a funeral
ed in 1978) into one of box-                                                                                                                                          Monday at St Mary’s Ro-
ing’s powerhouses. Duva                                                                                                                                               man Catholic Church in
was voted “Manager of                                                                                                                                                 Paterson.q
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