Howard Davis Jr.
1976 Boxing Olympic Gold Medalist
Media
Howard Davis Jr. on Spike TV's Ultimate Fighter Show
May 2010 - Howard Davis Jr. takes part in the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter 11 reality series on Spike TV. The 1976 Boxing Olympic Gold Medalist and Boxing Director of MMA famed American Top Team – is on the show teaching future stars on how to stand and strike.
Davis Jr. is part of “Team Liddell” and is also training the MMA superstar for his next fight. Many of the UFC hopefuls have said that they’re happy to have Coach Davis on their side to share his wisdom and boxing talent.
The show "TUF 11" features Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz as coaches overseeing 28 middleweight fighters. Howard Davis Jr. was also featured on ufc.com after the showing of the 1st episode on the “Ultimate Fighter: The Aftermath.”
Watch: http://www.ultimatefighter.com/full-episodes/tuf-11/the-aftermath-suck-it-up
Olympic Champ is honored in Hometown of Glen Cove, NY
July 2009 - Howard Davis Jr., 1976 Boxing Olympic Gold Medalist, was honored as a street was named after him in his hometown of Glen Cove, NY. Howard’s father - Howard Davis Sr. – was also honored by Glen Cove Mayor – Ralph Souzzi - for his services as the “Father of the Community.” Howard Davis Dr. was unveiled in the neighborhood where the champion grew up with this family. Davis Jr. is known for his training of top-rated Mixed Martial Art fighters in their stand-up skills.
Courtesy: Sherdog.com
Oct. 2009 - In the last two weeks, the arrival of Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson has brought an additional shot of picture-seeking fans to the American Top Team gym in Coconut Creek, Fla. It’s the instructors that have to play the bad guy, because Slice, recently outed as a nice guy in bada-- clothing, has a difficult time turning anyone away. However, time is of the essence. Under head instructor Ricardo Liborio’s direction, ATT’s staff has only eight weeks to coach Slice past the game but technically overwhelmed fighter that Roy Nelson easily took down and had his way with on the third episode of this season’s “The Ultimate Fighter” on Spike TV. Slice, who’s only 3-1, is expected to make his official UFC debut during the series’ live finale on Dec. 5 in Las Vegas. Nobody knows this better than Howard Davis Jr., the team’s boxing director. Slice, a striker by preference whose pedigree came from videotaped brawls in Miami backyards, won’t be expected to harness enough jiu-jitsu or wrestling in eight weeks to take down or submit his opponent. In reality, it will be Davis’ job to refine what he can of Slice’s standup game and build on what the novice fighter already knows. “He needs a lot of work,” said Davis, “but he’s coming along, definitely coming along.” Davis, a 1976 Olympic boxing gold medalist, is easing the 35-year-old fighter into the nuisances of control, something Davis believes Slice lacked in his much-publicized 14-second loss to Seth Petruzelli in October 2008. “Because he hits so hard, he puts a lot of turning and effort and committing to punching hard, that sometimes, if he misses, he knocks himself off balance where people can take him down,” said Davis. “That’s one of the major issues I have with him –- trying to load up on every shot. You don’t need to.” If Slice can make his punches smaller, Davis believes the fighter will be able to preserve his positioning longer and fire off more punches in the process. “We’re also working on defense, how to slip and parry punches,” said Davis. “We’re working on a tremendous amount of blocking.” Like any other ATT fighter on the roster, Slice reports for training five days a week, and usually completes two sessions a day. Slice’s usual entourage of colorful characters stays home. Without knowing yet whom Slice will face in December, Davis and the other trainers have challenged Slice in small increments, as he acclimates to the rigors of professional fighting. By his own admission, the father of six has had little exposure to the schedule a fighter keeps, except for a couple months of training out in California with Bas Rutten and Randy Khatami during his EliteXC tenure. “He got real tired early,” noted Davis. “Now he’s starting to adjust. He doesn’t complain.” Davis, who works with the gamut of the ATT stable from Mike Thomas Brown to Thiago Alves to Antonio Silva, said Slice’s education is only beginning though. “To be honest, it takes anywhere from three to nine months to really digest, chew on, and let it become part of the DNA,” he said. “It could take almost a year for that to happen.” Davis, who calls Slice the “nicest guy you could ever meet,” said he watched Slice’s escapades on YouTube a few years ago and was impressed by the fighter’s tenacity. “I was pretty amazed that he’d let guys hit him and then kind of laugh at them,” said Davis. “I was like, ‘wow, that’s the real deal.’” Still, Davis noticed tendencies that won’t translate well in the cage and will be difficult to tame. “When you’re a little older, it’s difficult to be taught sometimes,” he said. “Once somebody gets into the fire, they go back to their old ways. A lot of older fighters do that. They’ve been doing something one way for a very long time and you have to tell them, ‘Hey, what you’ve been doing is wrong even though you got away with it for a while. Now you have to change.’ You have to change their emotions. That’s what you’re doing. You’re not just watching somebody. You’re changing how a person feels about what they’re doing.” Still, Davis has found some benefits to his new student’s inexperience. “Even though he’s 35 years old, he’s probably like a 25-year-old,” said Davis. “He hasn’t taken much abuse. He hasn’t been in the MMA arena long, where you get beat up, taken down, leglocked, armbarred, choked out. There is something he has that you can’t teach and that’s ferocity and heart. He’s very eager to learn.” Davis credits Petruzelli’s professional training and accuracy for his one-punch stunner last October. Petruzelli hit on the chin, the fighter’s weakest spot, while Slice’s informal opponents of past didn’t connect with the sweet spot so readily. Davis said it will be his job to prepare Slice for more shots like those. But will Slice be able to handle them? “If he can’t, we’ll soon find out,” said Davis. |
Liddell Trains with Olympic Boxing Gold Medalist
April 4, 2009 - San Luis Obispo, California – Chuck Liddell is getting some extra help on his boxing skills from 1976 Boxing Olympic Gold Medalist – Howard Davis Jr., who has been in Chuck’s training camp for the past 5-weeks in California. “I’m helping Chuck with his boxing defense and making sure that he uses his hand power to the fullest,” said Davis Jr., who serves as Boxing Director for American Top Team.
Chuck Liddell takes on Brazilian superstar Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on April 18, in what promises to be one of the most explosive bouts of 2009! The 39-year-old former light heavyweight champion won an amazing 14 out of 15 UFC matches from 1999-2006, and is now focused on winning the title back from Rashad Evans, who defeated Liddell at UFC 88. Liddell is making sure that his renewed boxing skills can assure him a win. |
Howard Davis Jr. & Chuck Liddell take time out during taping to pose for a "playful" fight stance!
Glen Cove Mayor - Ralph Souzzi - presenting Howard Davis with his own street.
Howard Davis Jr. working with Kimbo Slice.
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