By: Sean Cross
“I’ve been doing these events for seven or eight years,” said John Scully, a memory trainer. He’s talking about amateur boxer gatherings where the likes of him, Marlon Starling and Michael Olajide reminisce about their former ring achievements and generally have a good time among their peers. Fifty-four-year-old Scully is known for wearing many hats. A former world title challenger, a broadcaster, a tireless fan of boxing that has fallen on hard times – the Connecticut native has it all. He is also someone who truly loves the sport of boxing, and knows it through the process. Not just about the ring action, but also the personalities, eras and places that make up boxing’s rich legacy.
One place Scully has been particularly interested in for years is Muhammad Ali’s training camp in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania. “I’ve been reading about it since I was a kid,” he said. After successfully helping lightweight unification champion Arthur Beterbiev defeat the legendary Joe Smith in great fashion in June, Scully held one of his amateur meets last weekend where he trained to face the likes of “greats” like Joe Frazier, George. Forman et al. “I know Mike Madden, the son of John Madden, who owns Deer Lake,” says Scully. “Mike was all for it.”
Ali, who reunited with Scully this past weekend, spent several days at the gym fighting back in physical and emotional shape. As Deer Lake’s website reads: “Muhammad Ali’s training sessions were open to the public, and many people have fond memories of Champ’s generosity and accessibility. One-on-one with people, he was rather quiet and soft-spoken, not the loud, loud man flashed on American TV screens. It’s the sense of authenticity and connection to the past that drew Scully and up to a hundred others to Deer Lake for the reunion.
Scully was so impressed by Deer Lake that he once wanted a Keeper of Memories to set up there. “I wanted to train Chad Hopkins there when he first fought,” Scully said, referring to former light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson, who he trained. Unfortunately, Scully, the warrior, had other ideas. “Chad was more of a modern person,” Scully said. Perhaps Artur Beterbiev would be more receptive to the idea of training in a legendary camp.
