Legendary Fort Worth, Texas boxing trainer Paul Reyes, passed away peacefully at age 85 last week. He had been battling serious health challenges.
If you grew up in the 80s you remember the quiet, well-spoken trainer in the corner of the tough and talented group of fighters out of manager Dave Gorman’s Super Pro’s Gym in Fort Worth. As regular staples on Saturday afternoon network television, Reyes and his fighters were no stranger to fight followers.
The Lone Star State was red hot for boxing back then, and Gorman’s gym was churning out some good ones. And, in the corner for most of the fighters was the recognizable face of Paul Reyes.
A quiet man out of the ring, he was well respected in the industry for the work he did with fighters of all styles. From a rough and rugged banger like Gene Hatcher, a face-first brawler like Troy Dorsey, to talented boxer-puncher like Paulie Ayala to P4P KO artist Donald Curry, once considered among the very best in the sport, Reyes fine-tuned them all.
Along with Curry, Ayala, Dorsey, and Hatcher, Reyes also worked with world champion Stevie Cruz, among many others.
Reyes was inducted into the Texas Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022, along with Curry, Ayala, Cruz, Dorsey, and Hatcher.
Congratulations on a great career Paul.
Gone but not forgotten.
Rest in Peace.
