It saddened us to learn that Hall of Fame boxing trainer and commentator, Gil Clancy, passed away this morning. Gil worked with Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Jerry Quarry as well as Gerry Cooney in his bout with Foreman. He was the first and only trainer of Emile Griffith, and led him to win both the welterweight and middleweight championships of the world. He was a class act and an asset to the great sport of boxing. He will surely be missed. May he rest in peace.

Gil pictured here with Emile Griffith & Howie Albert

Gil Clancy was born on May 30, 1922. Clancy is a Hall of Fame boxing trainer and one of the most noted boxing commentators of the 1980s and 1990s. Clancy is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In 1983, he won the Sam Taub Award for excellence in boxing broadcasting journalism.

He is married to Nancy Clancy, and has six children and a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

After the famous No Más Fight between Roberto Durán and Sugar Ray Leonard was stopped in the 8th round when Duran quit with a “¡No más! ¡No más!”, it was Gil Clancy who first suggested that Duran must have quit due to stomach distress and probably had to use the bathroom. Ultimately, this turned out to be just about what Durán later said himself.

Gil with Gerry Cooney & Albert

Fighters Trained

• Alex Miteff
• Oscar Bonavena
• Gregorio Peralta
• Muhammad Ali (at different times during career)
• Joe Frazier (at different times during career)
• Mac Foster
• Johnny Persol
• Jerry Quarry
• Gerry Cooney (during fight with Foreman)
• Jorge Victor Ahumada
• Tony Anthony
• Tom Bethea
• Ralph Jones
• Juan Carlos Rivero
• Emile Griffith
• Rodrigo Valdez
• Harold Weston Jr.
• Oscar De La Hoya
• Ken Buchanan
• Juan La Porte
• George Foreman (after the Ali fight, until first retirement)
• Charlie Green
• Manuel Alvarez
• Eddie Mustafa Muhammad (as a manager)

Awards & Recognition

• 1967 & 1973 Boxing Writers Association of America Manager of the Year
• 1983 Sam Taub Award: Boxing Writers Association of America Excellence in Broadcasting Journalism Award
• Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame, “Expanded Category” (Managers & Trainers)

• Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, “Non-Participant”

Miscellaneous

• Took over matchmaking duties from Teddy Brenner at Madison Square Garden in late 1978. He held the position for three years.
• In the early 1980s, Clancy started working as a television boxing commentator. He worked for CBS Sports, MSG Network, and HBO. In an interview with Zachary Levin, Clancy told how he got his start: “I was at a cocktail party with Angelo (Dundee). And Barry Frank was there. He was president of CBS Sports. And we always used to joke around, Angelo and I. So Barry Frank says, ‘Could you guys do that on the air?’ I say, ‘Sure.’ The next week we were on the air from Italy.”

Henry