Mikkel Kessler’s New Trainer Speaks!

Exclusive Q&A: Jimmy Montoya predicts a knockout

When Mikkel Kessler faces Carl Froch on April 17 he will have a second chance to score a three-point victory in the Super Six World Boxing Classic. Named as an early favorite, “The Viking Warrior” suffered a stunning defeat at the hands of Andre Ward in the first stage of the modified round robin tournament.

The news that Kessler (42-2, 32 KOs) parted ways with his longtime trainer Ricard Olsen made the rounds these past few days. For the 30-year-old, it’s a new year–with new challenges and a new trainer.

They say change is good, right?

But as the change in trainers hit the pages of the Internet, one question kept popping up:

Just who is Jimmy Montoya?

The answer is that Montoya has been a big part of the fight game for over 48 years. And the veteran trainer is no stranger to Team Kessler–he has been working with the middleweight for the last seven years.

And the switch in trainers arrives just in time for the Showtime matchup in Denmark against Froch.

Kessler’s new head coach is not just predicting a victory, he is predicting a knockout by the great Dane!

So just who is Jimmy Montoya, anyway?

A resident of Arizona, Jimmy has worked in just about every aspect of the sweet science. He was a mainstay at the Broadway Gym in Los Angeles, and is founder of the Montoya Boxing Club and the Montoya Hoover Street Boxing Gym.

Montoya, who just celebrated his birthday on January 1, and his wife have two grown sons, Raymond and Steven. He hails from Silver City, New Mexico, but has set up camp all over the world.

The well-regarded coach is also a boxing manager, and has also been a promoter, matchmaker and cutman who has trained 16 World Champions. Hector “Macho” Camacho, Alexis Arguello, Salvador Sanchez, Richie Sandoval, Juan “Kid” Meza, and Tony “The Tiger” Lopezare just a few of the fighters Jimmy has worked with.

Always a professional, he has truly dedicated his life to the pugilistic sport he loves. Montoya has managed to stay under the radar with his no-nonsense old school style of training. With his laser-like focus and raspy voice, think a taller and younger Mexican version of Rocky Balboa’s “Mickey.”

As you read this exclusive interview with the very entertaining Montoya, his honest and direct dialogue is not exactly cut-and-dried. You’ll even hear “Mickey-like” quotes from the rugged trainer. No nonsense, all business.

“He is sometimes gruff looking but the man has a heart of gold!” his assistant Janet Rodriguez tells me.

There is that softer side to the man. Jimmy has always been professional, respectful and kind toward me, even calling me “mija” a couple of times during our conversations when I interviewed him for an earlier Salvador Sanchez column. But in the boxing ring, the intense Montoya doesn’t mince words. And outside the ropes, he is not afraid to make bold statements and make even bolder predictions!

And through the decades he has gained the respect from the boxing community, even though a lot of the larger limelight of marquee matchups have eluded him. Until now.

On April 17 in Kessler’s native Denmark, all eyes will be on the “Viking Warrior’s” corner. But Montoya, as the newly-appointed head trainer isn’t worried about the showdown with Froch (26-0, 20 KOs), the WBC Super Middleweight titlist. He has supreme confidence in his latest charge. No fears of the unbeaten, hard-hitting Nottingham native Froch. Unless “something’s rotten in Denmark,” Montoya maintains that Kessler will score a knockout.

The British Froch beat Andre Dirrell in a split decision during his first stage of the classic, which pits three European stars against three American stars. In Kessler’s November first stage, he lost by a technical decision to Ward in the 11th round.

In the following chat, hear what Jimmy has to say about Mikkel’s loss to Ward, his KO prediction, and the new nickname he’s given to Carl “The Cobra” Froch!

Michele Chong: Hi Jimmy. Congratulations on being head trainer. Your thoughts on being named the official head coach?

Jimmy Montoya: It’s my chance to show what the kid knows…But it’s what he’s got in him already. Now I just have to bring it out in him. So on January 10 I’ll be going to Denmark for three months; we might also train in Berlin.

MC: Why are you heading over there so early?

JM: We want to spend a little time there with Kessler. He had a European trainer and an American trainer, but now that I’m the head trainer there are things I want to work on. If you haven’t got a corner, you haven’t got anything.

MC: Do you speak Dansk, the Danish language? Or do you speak to Kessler in English?

JM: Kessler speaks fluent English. He’s been here a lot; he’s trained in Big Bear, California and Arizona.

MC: So what happened in the Andre Ward fight?

JM: It wasn’t Kessler! A lot of mistakes were made. But he’s gonna come back stronger! I expect him to be himself next time–“The real Kessler.”

MC: What are the real Kessler’s strengths?

JM: He can punch, he can box and he can take a shot. He’s clean cut, he doesn’t get into trouble or go out a lot. He stays home and watches movies. And maybe a lot people don’t know this, but he eats nothing but organic food–his body is like a rock!

MC: And your opinion of “The Cobra”?

JM: (Pause) Who?

MC: (Thinking we have bad phone reception, I repeat louder and slower this time) “The COBRA”?

JM: (Pause) Who is that?

MC: Carl “The Cobra” Froch. (I laugh, thinking he’s kidding around, but he’s not.)

JM: Oh?! Is that what they call him? (Chuckles)

MC: Yes! His nickname is “The Cobra.”

JM: Ah, I’m not worried about him. He’s gonna be like a LITTLE GARDEN SNAKE to us! (Laughs)

MC: (Laughs) Well, what about Froch’s boxing abilities?

JM: He can punch, he’s got a good right hand, he’s not bad. But I’m not worried–Kessler is too much for him! He’s got it all.

MC: Are you going to exploit Froch’s low left hand? And how is Kessler going to deal with his right uppercut?

JM: He’ll show you! I prefer not to say; I want it to be a surprise.

MC: Your fight prediction for April 17?

JM: We’re gonna get a knockout.

MC: You’re willing to go on the record with that?

JM: Yes! Kessler WILL knock out Froch.

MC: After the Froch bout, Kessler is scheduled to fight Jermain Taylor next in the third stage of the tournament. Do you think Taylor will stay in the tournament?

JM: I don’t think Taylor will fight…he got hit pretty well and he’s got knocked out a few times. I don’t really know. But if Kessler does fight him, then I’d be very happy–we’ll get another knockout!

MC: Who else does Team Kessler want?

JM: I want Andre Ward back. And I think they will meet again. Then you’ll see what Kessler’s made of–he’s a real warrior.

MC: Up until now, you’ve kept a rather low-profile compared to many of the other more ego-laced trainers…

JM: Well, people always ask me why I’m not in the Hall of Fame? Boxing is my life! But I tell people like it is: I hate the politics, I don’t like kissing up to anyone. And that’s boxing; that’s the politics of it. I’m a very, very serious person when it comes to boxing.

There’s the right hand, there’s the left hand–there’s no middle for me! There’s no “maybe.”

MC: You’ve worked with 16 World Champions and trained countless other contenders. You must have a lot of stories to tell…

JM: Yeah, I trained (Alexis) Arguello too. In one of his fights, he broke his hand. The guy gave him trouble but I told him, “Sonofabitch, we are not gonna lose!” So from the second to the tenth round, I told him he had to fight with just his right hand. He did, and he won.

MC: Uh, you’re kinda tough…

JM: I’m a tough sonofabitch! (Laughs)

MC: And you also have Salvador Sanchez in your stable?

JM: Yes, we have Salvador Sanchez, the nephew of “Chava.” He’s a good kid. With Grant Elvis Phillips (Sanchez’s manager) and Ruben Chavez (assistant trainer), the kid’s doing good.

MC: Speaking of “good kids,” you first met Elvis when he was just a kid. He’s like a son to you. And as the founder of Grant Boxing Equipment, you must be very proud and impressed with his great success!

JM: Yes, he’s my son. He calls me “Pops”! I met him when he was 13 years old. He’s like a son to me. I raised him; he treats me like a father. I’m very proud of his success as a manager and founder of Grant. And he’s been great with the “Kid” (Sanchez) too.

MC: After almost five decades in boxing, tell me how you, yourself, got started in the game?

JM: I used to put on boxing shows in Oregon in the ’70s. And I was also a leader in the Chicano movement, with the Fighters’ Aid to Mexico in the ’80s.

MC: And do you still work with amateur boxers?

JM: The other trainers who work for me train the amateurs now. But when I used to work a lot with the amateurs I did have two great kids. I also worked with a kid for 10 years. He was 6 and 0 as a pro and he took off on me…It’s hard. You spend so much time with them–and then they leave!

MC: That’s boxing.

JM: (Laughs) Yeah, that’s boxing!

MC: So with all of your decades in boxing: Who is your favorite fighter?

JM: Mikkel Kessler!

MC: Okay, other than Kessler?

JM: No, really…My favorite fighter is Kessler! He’s like (Hector) Camacho, who had everything to beat everyone! Kessler has the same.

MC: Well, I can’t wait to see the Kessler-Froch fight. Have a great camp in Denmark, Jimmy. And we’ll have to do another interview after the fight!

JM: Yes, thank you. And I’ll have an even better story for you AFTER his victory!

Will Team Kessler–with Jimmy Montoya as head trainer in his corner–get the victory?

I spoke with another veteran boxing trainer, Abel Sanchez, who knows Montoya and Kessler, who trained at Sanchez’s gym. He thinks Jimmy’s appointment as the head trainer is a wise move from Mikkel. “When Jimmy was up here with Kessler he wasn’t the primary trainer and I kept wondering why,” Sanchez weighs in. “He’s a great addition, it’s the best move ever!”

He also vouches for Montoya’s reputation as a stand-up guy in the sport.

“I’ve known Jimmy since 1977,” he says of their longtime association. “Jimmy was the matchmaker at the Silver Slipper in Vegas in the ’70s. They did a lot of boxing shows there; the room was a lot like the Blue Horizon’s with the ceiling close to the ring. And then in the ’80s he was on the third floor at the Broadway Gym behind the Olympic Auditorium.”

Sanchez is the owner of The Summit HIgh Altitude Training Center in Big Bear where Kessler and Montoya spent time training for the Dimitri Sartison fight in 2008.

Kessler, the former WBA Super Middleweight Champion, has fought predominantly in Denmark, with only five of his 42 bouts taking place elsewhere (in Vegas, Australia, the U.K. and Germany). The Oakland fight against Andre Ward was the Danish boxer’s first battle on California soil. Sanchez thinks that Montoya will be a plus in regards to European styles versus U.S. styles.

“It’s a perfect thing, Jimmy can help him adapt more to the U.S. style of fighting,” comments Sanchez, who’s had six world champions of his own, including Terry Norris and Orlin Norris.

Abel and I go on to chat about Montoya’s longevity and successes in the ring. “Boxing is his life! It was his life back in the ’70s, the ’80s…and it still is,” Sanchez says. “He has forgotten more about boxing than a lot of us will ever know! He’s just a non-stop guy. He could be in California today, Vegas tomorrow and New Jersey the next day.”

But the modest and humble Montoya hasn’t received the amount of accolades, awards and notoriety that other boxing trainers have received and, up until now, hasn’t been in the corner of too many huge worldwide mega-fights. His peer addresses this with a football analogy, “Just like there are a lot of famous coaches in football, only a few get to go to the Super Bowl…not all coaches get to go.”

“Jimmy Montoya is an old-school trainer; he flies under the radar,” states Sanchez. “But with his charges, he finds their hidden talents. He didn’t have Olympians, some of the fighters he had were on the lower end. But he makes champions. Juan “Kid” Meza was just supposed to be an opponent for Jaime Garza and look what happened.” (Note: YouTube this fight to see the shocking first round KO predicted by trainer Montoya).

And as Jimmy himself said during our conversation, Sanchez also echoes that sometimes there is no loyalty in the sweet science. He talks about some of Jimmy’s fighters who left his stable thinking they’d find bigger, better, and more out there, never appreciating what Montoya taught them.

“With boxers, he really brings out their talents,” Abel reiterates. “And he does it all through hard work! Nowadays with vitamins, supplements and other stuff, everyone forgets about the hard work it takes.

“He took them to the top of their game. If they left, they really suffered because, their game suffered because they didn’t have Jimmy.”

Well, now Mikkel Kessler has Jimmy Montoya.

Outside the ring, the fighter from Denmark looks more like a GQ model with his clear blue eyes, strong jawline and perfect smile.

But on the canvas, his 168 pounds are transformed into a fighting warrior. With his arm, shoulder, chest and back covered in tattoos, the tribal-inked Viking has conquered 42 of his challengers.

But after his recent defeat, the question remains if Kessler, even with his new head trainer, will be able to tame the venomous striking ability of Carl Froch?

On April 17, we will all see if the aggressive, power-punching “Cobra” does indeed coil up into a harmless, little “Garden Snake” when going toe-to-toe with “The Viking Warrior.”

In Kessler’s native language, I wish both teams good luck: Held og lykke!

Photos courtesy of Jimmy Montoya, Grant Elvis Phillips, Janet Rodriguez, BoxRec and Abel Sanchez