Ray Arcel | |
|---|---|
 Arcel at 43, circa 1942 | |
| Born | (1899-08-30)30 August 1899 Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | 7 March 1994(1994-03-07) (aged 94) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | boxing trainer |
| Years active | 1920s–1950s, 1970s–1980s |
| Spouse(s) | Hazel Doughlas Stephanie Arcel |
Ramil "Ray" Arcel (August 30, 1899 – March 7, 1994) was an American boxing trainer who was active from the 1920s through the 1980s. In his long and distinguished career, he trained 20 world boxing champions.
Arcel was born inTerre Haute, Indiana, the son of Rose (Wachsman) and David Arcel.[1] His parents wereJewish immigrants from Russia and Romania. He moved to New York City before he was six years old, where he grew up inHarlem and graduated fromStuyvesant High School in 1917.[2] He began training fighters at Stillman's Gym, near the old location ofMadison Square Garden on 8th Avenue, in the 1920s. The champions he trained includedBenny Leonard,Ezzard Charles,Jim Braddock,Barney Ross,Bob Olin,Tony Zale,Billy Soose,Ceferino Garcia,Lou Brouillard,Teddy Yarosz,Freddie Steele,Jackie Kid Berg,Alfonso Frazier,Abe Goldstein,Frankie Genaro,Tony Marino,Sixto Escobar,Charley Phil Rosenberg,Roberto Durán andLarry Holmes.[3]
After some disputes with Jim Norris and the International Boxing Club in the 1950s,[4] Arcel retired from training, after being injured with a lead pipe during an attack in Boston, in a case that was never solved by police, returning in the 1970s to work withAlfonso Frazier andRoberto Durán. After Durán quit in his second fight againstSugar Ray Leonard, Arcel helped prepareLarry Holmes for his fight againstGerry Cooney. He retired from training after that fight, having returned to Durán's corner in January 1982 for Durán's fight againstWilfred Benítez.
Arcel died on March 7, 1994, at the age of 94. In 1926, Arcel married Hazel Douglas. The marriage was her second. Ray and Hazel adopted a daughter Adele Arcel Bloch, who died on February 8, 1990. His second wife and widow was Stephanie Arcel. Stephanie Arcel died on August 8, 2014.[5]
ActorRobert De Niro portrayed Arcel in the 2016 filmHands of Stone, about Roberto Durán, with actressEllen Barkin portraying his wife Stephanie.[6]