Kenny Adams

Kenneth Adams (September 25, 1940 – April 7, 2025) was an American professional boxing trainer and onetime Olympic amateur boxer. Adams was a highly respected boxing trainer. Adams was a pioneer in boxing, having been the first American trainer to implement strength training. He was also the first African-American selected as head coach of the American national boxing team. Adams brought such a strict disciplinarian training style that the eight-time, five-division World champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. refused to work with him. In 2005, eight-division World champion Manny Pacquiao requested to train with Adams, but Adams declined in order to aid his ill wife at the time.

Adams was the boxing coach of twenty-six professional World champions, thirty four Olympians and a total of fifty-six boxers who became World Champion. This list includes Edwin Valero, Vince Phillips, Diego Corrales, Freddie Norwood, Charles Murray, Kennedy McKinney, Frankie Liles, Michael Nunn, Johnny Tapia, Ruslan Chagaev, Samuel Peter, Cory Spinks, and Michael Bentt.

Adams' last most promising boxer was lightweight contender Sharif Bogere. Adams later retired from the sport due to health issues.

He came out of retirement in 2018 and started training Dee-Jay Kriel while he was a WBC International Champion and went on to win an IBF world title at minimumweight.

Adams was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the Non-Participant category as part of the class of 2024.

Boxing career Adams grew up with 5 brothers and 4 sisters. He first became interested in boxing when he was 5 or 6, and he admits to always fighting as a little kid. Adams is on record as saying that he had a reputation although he was small in stature, he packed quick hands and was brave. He also learned how to curse at a very young age from being around people in the pub where he grew up. Once as a kid in gym class, Adams knocked an older boy out that outweighed him by over one hundred pounds. Adams would be reinstated after he appealed the decision to the federation's board of directors.

He was again very successful winning three gold medals, three silver, and two bronze. His students would include even more future world champions in Roy Jones Jr., Riddick Bowe, Michael Carbajal, Kennedy McKinney, Kenneth Gould, Anthony Hembrick, Andrew Maynard, and Ray Mercer. Many believe that Roy Jones Jr. was robbed of the gold medal in the final against Park Si-hun of South Korea. Adams similarly believed that Michael Carbajal also suffered the same fate. To add, Adams believed that the Riddick Bowe fight was stopped prematurely against Lennox Lewis of Canada.

Adams trained lightweight contender Sharif Bogere, middleweight Bastie Samir, and Cuban amateur standout lightweight Raul Cespedes out of the Long Life Fighter Gym in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Style and philosophy Adams marveled at studying and watching his opponents' films and tapes. He was known for successfully predicting in what round and with what combination his fighter would win. He was also known for never losing a re-match with any opponent, due to his great ability to make adjustments after the first fight. One of Adams' many sayings is "nobody beats me twice!".

Adams brought an extremely strict disciplinarian style to the gym with him. He demanded a strong work ethic and he lived with the mentality that he was always the boss – it was his way or the highway. Adams exclaimed that “they asked me to work with Floyd Mayweather Jr. back in the late 90s and early 2000s, so I headed over to the gym and was working out with another guy out front. When he showed up, he had one of his guys come and tell me he was ready for me out back. I told his guy that 'I'm the boss' and to come out front. In the end, we went our own separate ways.” He believed that his fighters would have longer careers if they could master his defensive techniques, while also learning his gritty, offensive attacks.

Illness and death In late November 2010, Adams, then aged 69, was admitted to a hospital in Las Vegas when his bladder and prostate swelled up, leaving him close to kidney failure. He recovered very quickly, in time to be ringside to see his fighter Sharif Bogere win on the undercard of Khan-Miadana in mid December. Adams was back on the mitts just two days later.

Adams died on April 7, 2025, at the age of 84.

Honors Two-time "Coach of the Year" Ring Magazine "Upset of the Year" (Rene Jacquot) in 1992. Won three gold medals, three silver and two bronze in the 1988 Summer Olympics (USA). Won nine gold medals, one silver and one bronze in the 1984 Summer Olympics (USA). Won every Army and Service championship fighting at flyweight (amateur). Won East Coast & Florida AU’s titles fighting at bantamweight (amateur). Inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in July 2016.

Notable boxers trained

Key −Former World Champions*Current World Champions

Nationality Name Weight Class Notes Armenian −William Abelyan Featherweight American −Michael Bentt Heavyweight Ugandan Sharif Bogere Lightweight American −Riddick Bowe Heavyweight American −Mark Breland Welterweight American −Michael Carbajal Light Flyweight American Israel Cardona Lightweight Russian −Ruslan Chagaev Heavyweight American −Al Cole Heavyweight American −Eddie Cook Bantamweight American −Diego Corrales Lightweight American −B. J. Flores Cruiserweight American Kenneth Gould Welterweight American Andrew Maynard Light Heavyweight American Anthony Hembrick Middleweight American −Virgil Hill Light Heavyweight American −Evander Holyfield Light Heavyweight France −René Jacquot Light Middleweight American −Roy Jones Jr. Light Middleweight American −James Kirkland Light Middleweight American Deandre Latimore Light Middleweight American −Frankie Liles Super Middleweight Venezuelan −Jorge Linares Lightweight American −Ray Mercer Heavyweight American −Kennedy McKinney Bantamweight American −Charles Murray Light Welterweight American −Freddie Norwood Featherweight American −Michael Nunn Middleweight Nigerian −Samuel Peter Heavyweight American −Vince Phillips Light Welterweight American −David Reid Light Middleweight Kenyan Chris Sande Middleweight American −Cory Spinks Middleweight American −Johnny Tapia Super Flyweight American −Frank Tate Middleweight American Henry Tillman Heavyweight American −Meldrick Taylor Light Welterweight Venezuelan −Edwin Valero Lightweight Kenyan Robert Wangila Welterweight American −Pernell Whitaker Lightweight

Notable mixed martial artists trained

Key −Former World Champions*Current World Champions

Nationality Name Weight Class Notes American −Keith Berry Light Heavyweight American −Frank Mir Heavyweight