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NG: Tell us about the
fighters you are training
now.
WM: I'm working with
Alex Arthur from Scotland,
Enrique Ornelas and his
brother Librado Andrade and
also Francisco Santana. They
are all great fighters with
world championships in their
future. They work hard.
NG: You are training
three boxers who could all
be world champions in 2007.
Do you think the late great
trainer Eddie Futch is
looking down from Boxing
Heaven and smiling?
WM: I definitely
think Eddie is watching over
me. I have continued using
his methods of training. I
feel his presence in the gym
and I believe if it ain't
broken, don't fix it! He had
over 20 world champions and
I just hope to be able to
follow in his footsteps. If
I can be half as successful
as Eddie was, I'd be happy.
NG: Explain to our
readers how you hooked up
with Eddie and the letter he
gave you.
WM: My manager at the
time brought me over from
Belfast after I'd won the
Olympic Silver medal in
1992. He told me Eddie had
seen a tape of my fights and
liked what he saw. I met him
the first day I came to
Vegas and I was in awe of
him. I'd heard about him on
TV but when you were in his
company he was the most down
to earth, genuine, honest
human being you could ever
meet. We bonded from the
start and I stayed in
contact with him until he
passed away. A little while
before he died, he gave me a
letter of recommendation.
Among other compliments it
stated "My vision for Wayne
in the future is to impart
his knowledge to those under
his tutelage and to blaze
his own trail as a great and
reputable mentor to those
under his watchful eye." The
entire letter can be read at
my new website
www.CampWithTheChamp.com.
NG: You have fights
in Scotland and California 3
days apart. Which corner
will you work and why.
WM: Things have a way
of working themselves out.
As it goes in boxing, my
guy's fights have been
rescheduled. Alex is now
fighting on November 4.
Enrique Ornelas and
Francisco Santana – my
welterweight fighter – are
fighting November 17. So I
will be able to work with
all three of them.
NG: In addition to
being a boxing trainer, you
have been a longtime
personal trainer and
nutritionist. How did you
get into that?
WM: I made the choice
at 15 years old to leave
school and pursue boxing. I
left without doing any exams
and thankfully boxing paid
off. But I always regretted
leaving school without a
decent education and any
qualifications to fall back
on. I decided to do a home
study course in Fitness and
Nutrition a few years back.
I passed the program and put
my hard work into action. I
started personal training a
few ladies and it took off
from there. I also trained
some of the guys from the
Thunder from Down Under
dance troupe here in Las
Vegas. In fact, two of the
dancers, Craig and Matt,
were my main sparring
partners for the Larios
fight last July. These guys
– if anyone has ever seen
the show or the
advertisements – are huge. I
was in there – barely 122lb
soaking wet – with these
guys who were touching
180lb. But it was the best
training camp I'd ever had.
NG: How long have you
been a personal trainer and
how does it make you more
effective as a boxing
trainer.
WM: I've been a
personal trainer for around
6 years. Anybody can become
a personal trainer but
putting it together with
boxing training and you have
a unique workout. My clients
love the boxing training as
they say it gives them a
full body workout. I
certainly learned more about
the body and nutrition which
helps me tremendously. I
haven't struggled to make
weight since I did my
course.
NG: How does the
satisfaction you get out of
training differ from what
you get from boxing?
WM: It's totally
different to be honest. I
love boxing so much. I can't
even explain what it's like
to be in the ring, just you
and your opponent, fighting
for your livelihood. Boxers
out there would know what I
mean! But training fighters
is as satisfying, just not
in the same way. I get so
excited with them and I get
total fulfillment seeing my
guys in the ring doing what
I've asked them to do, or
doing something I've taught
them. I'm fortunate to have
found guys who know what
they are doing. I don't try
to change them. I try to
make better what they
already have. Cheryl tells
me I look like a mother hen
when one of her chicks does
something good. I don't know
how that makes a macho
fighter like me look, but I
think it sums up exactly how
I feel about my guys. I'm
very proud of each and every
one of them.
NG: What's your
approach to training boxers?
Even though you work with
the different needs and
strengths of each fighter,
is there a Wayne McCullough
style that you apply to all
three of them, something
that will become the
McCullough "signature?"
WM: The fighters that
I train all have different
styles. I think the first
mistake any trainer makes –
if he has boxed before – is
that the trainer would have
his boxers fight like him.
I'm going to show them the
combinations that Eddie
Futch taught me so I'm sure
you'll see the combinations
in each one of them but they
will all fight differently
to their own strengths. I
teach defense! Go figure!!
NG: The fact that you
fight like a Mexican
fighter, has that helped you
with Enrique and Librado?
WM: It has definitely
helped in training them.
These two guys have a
natural talent. They love to
work the body and so do I.
NG: Do Enrique and
Librado ever spar, and if
so, what is it like when two
brothers go at it?
WM: They sparred once
together since they got
here. They spar well
together but I'd rather see
them spar other people. My
brother and I used to spar
(he was pro when I was
amateur) and we would go at
it all the time. It's
typical brotherly love!
NG: When did you
first hook up with Alex, and
how close is he to
challenging for a world
title?
WM: I've known Alex
for years. We've talked
about me training him in the
past but the distance held
us back. But now that I'm
nearing the end of my career
and not fighting as often, I
was able to devote some time
to him. He is ranked real
high. In fact, I think
within a couple of fights he
could challenge for a belt.
NG: Tell our American
readers who haven't seen him
yet what they can expect
from Alex Arthur?
WM: Alex is big for a
super featherweight and he
can punch with either hand.
I know he can be a world
champion. He's willing to
learn and I love training
him.
NG: What gym do you
work out of, and what other
good trainers and boxers are
there.
WM: Again I'm very
fortunate to have my own
gym. It's at my home in my
four-car garage. It's bare
bones, nothing fancy, but
all my guys love it. It's
just them and me. Sometimes
they are all there at the
same time and it's great
fun. Right before Librado's
fight a few weeks ago, one
of his sparring partners
brought his guitar to the
gym. There was a sing along
going on and Cheryl was
serving everyone tea from
Belfast! Not your typical
day at a boxing gym but we
try to make everyone feel
like family.
NG: In addition to
working your fighters, you
also train and spar
yourself, right.
WM: Yes, I still
train twice a day, every
day. I was sparring with
Kevin Kelley for his most
recent fight. I'm so happy
for him. He'll get another
title shot now. I also spar
with all my guys. Even
though Librado and Enrique
are that much bigger than
me, I'm in there with them.
I try to imitate their
upcoming opponents.
Fortunately they don't hit
me too hard!
NG: How soon could
you be ready if a fight came
up for you?
WM: I'm ready right
now. Seriously! I'd have to
lose a few pounds but
working out every day and
working with my fighters has
kept the weight off me. I'm
probably sitting around
130lb right now. Not that
far from my fighting
weight!! I always say I'm
two weeks away from a fight
and that is so true!
NG: Thank you for
your time and good luck on
all fronts.
WM: I appreciate it.
Thanks.
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