Persecuted Since the Day of the Attack on Pearl Harbor When He Was Nine — The Strange Life of Mack Kurihara the Champions’ Trainer

Every player trusted Cas and followed his teachings to the letter. They used to say, ‘Cas was my second father. I decided to follow their example and always be a part of the fighter’s family. If you build a proper relationship with them, they will take the trainer’s instructions seriously.

The training under the tutelage of Cas D’Amato was a cornerstone of Mack’s career.

“From Cas, I learned that a trainer must always use his head,” he said, “and that getting angry or yelling at someone disqualifies you from being a trainer. He was outstanding at getting me to master the combinations. He knew boxing very well, and you created the same style of infighting. I called that infighting, ‘rock and roll,’ and had Yasu (Yakushiji) do it too. I gave him those instructions a few times against Tatsuyoshi.”

Yakushiji and Mack first met at the end of 1989.

Yakushiji said. I got a call from Japan: ‘There’s a fighter from Matsuda Gym in Nagoya who wants to train with an American trainer. He was Yasu, and he started training with me in January 1991. Everyone described him as having a ‘weak heart,’ but I never felt that way. He had a strong right hand and a good left hook. In the first sparring session we did, I just told him, ‘Don’t back down,’ and put him in the ring. Then he hit a sharp jab, didn’t back down, and had some punches. I thought, “This guy is good. I knew he could become world champion.”

Mack was a trainer who did not watch videos of the opponents of the fighters in his care.

He would only watch one fight live and find holes in his opponents. I have that kind of eye. It’s a gift from God. I gave Yasu a big, tough sparring partner, so he could experience survival in the ring. That’s how I trained his mentality. I even pressured his sparing partner, “KO Yasu!” I put him under pressure every day. In the camp, we sparred every day. For example, Monday and Tuesday, four rounds; Wednesday and Thursday, six rounds; Friday, eight rounds; and Saturday, ten rounds. Of course, I also had them do a lot of road work. Many Japanese athletes say, “Mack’s camp is scary,” but it’s a menu to become a world champion. If you can’t do it, you can’t work with me.