Interview Dated August 2007

Trainer Bobby Benton

If you've been to any of Houston's pro boxing matches over the past several years, you've probably seen Bobby Benton before, working the corner of one fighter or another. Your first instinct might have been to wonder who that kid is, with his youthful looks, and how he got to be in a position to be training fighters who are sometimes the same age or even older than he is. But at 29 years old, Benton has already been training pros for eleven years. He works out of the Main Gym in downtown Houston, which is owned and operated by his father Bill, who is one of the main players arranging and coordinating fight cards on the Houston boxing scene.


HBS - What can you tell us about how you got into the fight game?

BB - Well I grew up in the gym. As a kid I can remember going to fights when I was about four or five years old and my dad, he trained fighters so it's kind of how I grew up and he always had a gym since I was a kid.

HBS - Was this gym at another location?

BB - It started as the Heights Gym and then we moved to Main and Elgin, that was the Main Street Boxing Gym and then we went to Cley and Chenevert which is where the Toyota Center is now and now we're here at 1612 Austin.
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HBS - How long have you been here for?

BB - Seven years.

HBS - How did it come to your mind that you decided you wanted to be a trainer? Obviously you could have chosen something that didn't have anything to do with boxing. It's clearly something you enjoy.

BB - I love it. Like I said I grew up in the gym so it was always a passion of mine and being around my dad, I learned so much. We'd always sit down and watch fights and I just started training guys when I was about 18.

HBS - But you never boxed?

BB - I boxed a little. I had one amateur fight. I didn't box much but I did a lot of sparring in here with guys and stuff. My dad really didn't want me to fight so it just kind of worked out that way and I started training guys.

HBS - What was it like when you first started, who you were with.

BB - I was helping Dwight Pratchett a lot. I learned a lot from him and then my dad would show me stuff. As it grew I started training a few amateurs and then slowly I started picking up fighters. They started asking me to be their trainer and that's just how it worked. I've never gone to a guy and asked him, "Come with me and train." I never do that. It's not what I'm ever going to do. I don't think it's right for a guy to go to another fighter and start telling him, "Come with me, come with me." A lot of guys do it but I don't think that's the right way to do it. I always let the guys come to me.

HBS - Recently you were seen on pay-per-view in the corner of Lou Savarese during his fight against Evander Holyfield. Give us your assessment of what happened in that fight.

BB - Lou, I was so proud of him. He really got ready. We went to Las Cruces for a month and trained real hard and it showed in the fight. Lou had two bad rounds. Other than that, I think we were in the fight. I don't know what the scores were but the two bad rounds had us, the two rounds he went down in. We really had a game plan and I think a lot of it came out. Lou took Holyfield's left hook away for nine rounds and the ninth round when he caught him, and actually to me, the ninth round was a good round for Lou but he got caught right there at the end and it changed the whole thing.

HBS - Do you have any idea how many pro fights you've worked the corners in?

BB - I couldn't imagine. I've worked several corners. I started like I said when I was 18 and Dwight was the trainer and I was helping him and then I slowly learned and picked up stuff. I still learn. I love going to the other gyms around Houston because you always pick up something. You've got Ronnie Shields, Kenny Weldon, all these great trainers here and you always learn something.

HBS - What's your boxing and training philosophy?

BB - I think all fighters have a different style and you can't train everybody the same. The basic fundamentals you teach everybody but some guys are aggressive, some guys are boxers. I think some trainers train the same way to everybody but I think that you can't do that with some guys because sometimes it doesn't work. I always try to find a way to teach them. Everybody's different. If somebody can't learn it the same way you're telling him, you have to find another way to tell him. To me, I love learning and I learn something new here every day, whether it's how to tell a guy something so he understands it, not another guy, but how he can understand it. Everybody doesn't learn the same way.

HBS - Training is communication.

BB - Exactly.

HBS - Who else are you training now. Marty Osuna's coming in here and you've got several other guys.

BB - Chris Henry, Bobby Flores, Steve Collins, Chase Shields.

HBS - Probably most of the guys you're working with now are pretty far along in their development but, you get a guy, you assess what his skills are and you determine what he needs to work on?

BB - Exactly. But even though you're far along a trainer always should want more. You can say they did the right thing but you're always going to want more. A trainer always wants more. The better the fighter is, the fight's going to be that much easier. You always want more. You're never going to stop learning.

HBS - Lewis Wood told me you're always either getting better or you're getting worse, you never stay the same.

BB - That's exactly true. There's no better way to put it.

HBS - When you train in Houston in August it presents some unique considerations I suppose. Probably the same thing if you're training in Denver where there's thin atmosphere. Do you make any adjustments for the heat?

BB - You really test your ability and your courage when it does get hot and as hot as it gets down here you have to really want it. because if you don't you won't be here. It takes determination to be here. And the altitude, I love the altitude training too. Like when me and Lou want up to Las Cruces and trained for a month that was really different and I don't mind it at all but hard work pays off no matter where you're at.

HBS - What is it that you love about the sport?

BB - Everything. Winning is great but you know you lose some but still you work hard. As long as the guys work hard that to me is the whole thing. All my guys work hard. They all push it. I hate to lose a fight on conditioning. That's the hardest thing for me so I never let a guy come to the ring out of shape.

HBS - I've noticed a lot of times you seem to have a pretty close relationship with some of your fighters. You'll give them a hug right before they fight and the first couple of times I saw that it reminded me of that movie Jerry Maguire where he's got that special bond with his people. Describe how that is with you.

BB - I always do and some guys say, you hear it a lot. Don't get too close to the fighters but me, I do develop a relationship with them and I think I get more out of them that way. When I need something they know I'm there for them and they know why I'm asking for it so I do get close with them sometimes. I don't see a problem with it. A lot of trainers tell you don't do it. They tell you don't get too close to the fighters, you'll get your heart broken. Everybody, you're going to get your heart broken. Even if they leave and you're not close to them, if they leave you you're still going to get your heartbreak out of it so either way. To me, I give them everything I got and they do the same for me.

HBS - You're 29 and some guys are in their seventies and still training so you have a lot of time ahead of you. It kind of boggles the mind to think about what you could accomplish in the next 40 years or so.

BB - Yeah listen, I love this and like I said, once I don't love it, I hear a lot of guys that don't love it. You can tell they just don't like it. I'm always going to love it. That's the way I think right now. If I don't love it I won't do it any more. Right now it's an enjoyment for me. I love my job. How many people can say that? I get up early, five in the morning, I push these guys, but it's what I do. If I'm out there with them doing it, it's hard for them to say "Well, I don't feel like doing it today," because I'm there. And I love it. I hope I can be around for a long time.

HBS - So you haven't won a world title yet but you're working on it, I guess hopefully pretty soon with Chris Henry.

BB - Yeah, I do. That's what everybody strives for I think. Everybody wants to have a world champion. But still to me the hard work is what it is and if a guy does win the world title that would mean so much more to me. The relationship that you develop, I think it's that much better if you do win it.

HBS - From an economic standpoint maybe you wouldn't consider yourself to be a rich man but one would guess that you make a pretty good living.

BB - No, ( laughs) it's not that great right now but listen, I know it'll come. There's other ways to make a little money on the side and stuff but still, it's what you've got to do. You know you pay your dues and I'm just trying to pay my dues right now.