The man who trained Mike Tyson and Larry Holmes survived horror ice pick attack then Sylvester Stallone hired him on Rocky films
It was once said of Richie Giachetti that if he and the great Larry Holmes had ever fought in a barroom it would be Giachetti, and not Holmes, who would have remained on his feet. “Swear to God, I didn’t know the guy,” Giachetti once started when explaining the existence of a scar from the inside corner of his left eye to just below his cheek. Giachetti guided Holmes to greatnessGetty “He comes over, takes a glass and shoves it into my face. I hit him. Then he pulls a knife and tries to stick me. Somehow, I got hold of the knife and stuck him three times.” Giachetti then spent seven hours in surgery, receiving 78 stitches and being fortunate not to lose the sight in that eye. When he came round he also learned that his assailant had died. The fight had started when someone walked in to the bar Giachetti was drinking in, asked for the ‘toughest guy’ present, and another there drinking then pointed in his direction. “The cops spoke to witnesses and decided it was justifiable,” he said. He had also previously nearly died when, after sticking up for some friends in another bar in Cleveland, an ice pick went narrowly underneath his heart after being forced into his chest. It was in 1972 when – having moved on from running bars, stock-car racing and being an enforcer for those on the fringes of the Cleveland underworld – he was introduced to none other than the then little-known Don King. Recently released from prison for manslaughter and on the verge of overseeing his first promotion, King, like Giachetti, detected in him roots from the same world. “I started King in the business and knew him when he had normal hair,” Giachetti once said. “I worked one day in the coal mines and it wasn’t for me. I was good with my hands and that helped. I was sort of an enforcer for Babe Triscaro’s truck drivers in Cleveland. A good fight is a good fight.” In the year after the start of his association with King, Giachetti first started working with Holmes, who – in the absence of the Olympic gold medal that had done so much to enhance the reputations of his predecessors George Foreman, Joe Frazier and Cassius Clay – was getting little recognition. Upon turning professional there were times the heavyweight would fight for a purse of only $150. He and Giachetti would therefore have to find food and accommodation that was similarly cheap. Giachetti trained Jean-Marc Mormeck to world title glory in the 2000sGetty Over the following five years, trained and managed by Giachetti, Holmes would establish himself not only as the world’s finest heavyweight but, in the years that followed, as one of the very finest of all time. Giachetti remained by his side until 1981, when he was suddenly, unexpectedly and dramatically sacked. “Richie was out to get Don King,” Holmes said, shortly before he beat Trevor Berbick to record the latest successful defence of his WBC heavyweight title. Six conversations between Giachetti, Holmes and King – under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – had been recorded by Giachetti, which after they had been subpoenaed Holmes had learned of and heard before a federal grand jury in court. “Larry’s saying a lot of stupid things, but that’s because Donald is putting words in his mouth,” Giachetti responded. “The reason I was fired was simply a Don King power play. It had nothing to do with the tapes.” By 1983, as an advisor and trainer, he regardless was again an integral part of Holmes’ team. King himself continued to respect Giachetti’s abilities and eventually to recommend his services – doing so even after Giachetti had also once told of how he believed King had hired a hitman to warn him not to risk incriminating his one-time friend. When in a professional context his defining relationship with Holmes was over, Giachetti – respected largely because of Holmes’ success – proceeded to work with some of their sport’s other biggest names. Before Holmes there had been Earnie Shavers and Mike Tyson, Jean-Marc Mormeck and Steve Cunningham were still to come. On account of Tyson’s profile and commercial potential, for a period there was no one King more greatly valued. When Tyson then lost for the first time, to Douglas in 1990, it was Giachetti Tyson turned to, and the heavyweight was rewarded by winning his following four fights until he was imprisoned after being convicted of rape. For his first five fights after his release Tyson fought without Giachetti, but after in the fifth of those having been stopped by Evander Holyfield it was again Giachetti who was entrusted with preparing him for Holyfield-Tyson 2. “I’m no Svengali,” once said Giachetti. “Sure, my uncle taught me all about the jab, but the reason Larry’s jab is the best there is is not because I taught him. Hell no – he had a jab to start with. “I’ve been tailed by the FBI. They were interested in
It was once said of Richie Giachetti that if he and the great Larry Holmes had ever fought in a barroom it would be Giachetti, and not Holmes, who would have remained on his feet.
“Swear to God, I didn’t know the guy,” Giachetti once started when explaining the existence of a scar from the inside corner of his left eye to just below his cheek.
“He comes over, takes a glass and shoves it into my face. I hit him. Then he pulls a knife and tries to stick me. Somehow, I got hold of the knife and stuck him three times.”
Giachetti then spent seven hours in surgery, receiving 78 stitches and being fortunate not to lose the sight in that eye. When he came round he also learned that his assailant had died.
The fight had started when someone walked in to the bar Giachetti was drinking in, asked for the ‘toughest guy’ present, and another there drinking then pointed in his direction.
“The cops spoke to witnesses and decided it was justifiable,” he said.
He had also previously nearly died when, after sticking up for some friends in another bar in Cleveland, an ice pick went narrowly underneath his heart after being forced into his chest.
It was in 1972 when – having moved on from running bars, stock-car racing and being an enforcer for those on the fringes of the Cleveland underworld – he was introduced to none other than the then little-known Don King.
Recently released from prison for manslaughter and on the verge of overseeing his first promotion, King, like Giachetti, detected in him roots from the same world.
“I started King in the business and knew him when he had normal hair,” Giachetti once said. “I worked one day in the coal mines and it wasn’t for me. I was good with my hands and that helped. I was sort of an enforcer for Babe Triscaro’s truck drivers in Cleveland. A good fight is a good fight.”
In the year after the start of his association with King, Giachetti first started working with Holmes, who – in the absence of the Olympic gold medal that had done so much to enhance the reputations of his predecessors George Foreman, Joe Frazier and Cassius Clay – was getting little recognition.
Upon turning professional there were times the heavyweight would fight for a purse of only $150. He and Giachetti would therefore have to find food and accommodation that was similarly cheap.
Over the following five years, trained and managed by Giachetti, Holmes would establish himself not only as the world’s finest heavyweight but, in the years that followed, as one of the very finest of all time.
Giachetti remained by his side until 1981, when he was suddenly, unexpectedly and dramatically sacked.
“Richie was out to get Don King,” Holmes said, shortly before he beat Trevor Berbick to record the latest successful defence of his WBC heavyweight title.
Six conversations between Giachetti, Holmes and King – under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – had been recorded by Giachetti, which after they had been subpoenaed Holmes had learned of and heard before a federal grand jury in court.
“Larry’s saying a lot of stupid things, but that’s because Donald is putting words in his mouth,” Giachetti responded. “The reason I was fired was simply a Don King power play. It had nothing to do with the tapes.”
By 1983, as an advisor and trainer, he regardless was again an integral part of Holmes’ team. King himself continued to respect Giachetti’s abilities and eventually to recommend his services – doing so even after Giachetti had also once told of how he believed King had hired a hitman to warn him not to risk incriminating his one-time friend.
When in a professional context his defining relationship with Holmes was over, Giachetti – respected largely because of Holmes’ success – proceeded to work with some of their sport’s other biggest names.
Before Holmes there had been Earnie Shavers and Mike Tyson, Jean-Marc Mormeck and Steve Cunningham were still to come.
On account of Tyson’s profile and commercial potential, for a period there was no one King more greatly valued. When Tyson then lost for the first time, to Douglas in 1990, it was Giachetti Tyson turned to, and the heavyweight was rewarded by winning his following four fights until he was imprisoned after being convicted of rape.
For his first five fights after his release Tyson fought without Giachetti, but after in the fifth of those having been stopped by Evander Holyfield it was again Giachetti who was entrusted with preparing him for Holyfield-Tyson 2.
“I’m no Svengali,” once said Giachetti. “Sure, my uncle taught me all about the jab, but the reason Larry’s jab is the best there is is not because I taught him. Hell no – he had a jab to start with.
“I’ve been tailed by the FBI. They were interested in somebody I knew. But I was clean. I’ve never been convicted of anything. I never even got kicked out of class in school. Sure, I was rough. You had to be to survive.”
In the same way he was respected by King and Tyson, Giachetti was even admired by Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone. Recruited to work as the fight choreographer for Rocky III and Rocky IV, Stallone also enlisted him to work with his promotional company Tiger Eye Productions and Lee Canalito, a heavyweight for whom he once had high hopes.
When he was sacked from working on Rocky V Giachetti explained, with typical directness, that he had ‘upset people’. At the same time he labelled King a liar he also said he would recommend him to fighters, on account that he was ‘the best’.
“The greatest thing in my life was after Larry beat [Ken] Norton for the title,” said Giachetti. “You’ve seen the picture, where he puts his head on my shoulder and says, ‘We did it.’
“‘We.’ You know how great that was? ‘We.’ He could never say nothing else to me in my life.”
