*Hall of Fame trainer Futch dead at 90*
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LAS VEGAS (Ticker) -- Hall of Fame boxing trainer Eddie Futch,
who worked with 20 world champions during a career that spanned
seven decades, died Wednesday night.  He was 90. 

Futch was a sparring partner for Joe Louis in Detroit in the
1930s but achieved his greatest fame as a trainer, prepping five
heavyweight champions -- Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Trevor
Berbick, Michael Spinks and Riddick Bowe. 

Other champions trained by Futch included Ken Norton, Alexis
Arguello, Marlon Starling, Virgil Hill and Montell Griffin. 

Born in Mississippi in 1911, Futch moved to Detroit as a child
and won the Golden Gloves in 1933.  He later became friends with
Louis, who was an up and coming light heavyweight. 

A heart murmur prevented Futch from turning professional, but he
began training local fighters before leaving the sport for more
than a decade.  He returned in the 1950s and won his first
championship when Don Jordan captured the welterweight title in
1958. 

Futch may be best known for devising the strategies that helped
Frazier and Norton hand Muhammad Ali his first two defeats.  He
retired in 1998 at the age of 87 after receiving numerous awards
and accolades. 

The Boxing Writers Association of America named Futch its
Manager of the Year in 1975 and Trainer of the Year in 1991 and
1992.  He also was cited for meritorious service in 1982. 

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