FORMER Guyana and Commonwealth champion, Lennox Blackmore, is a trainer of champions and has long been a staple at the famed Gleason's Gym in New York.
He has worked with Andrew 'Sixhead' Lewis early in his pro career and led fighters to championship titles: Julio Cesar Green (former WBA middleweight champ), Sean Garnett (WBC Latin America Jr. middleweight) and Vivian Harris (current WBA Jr. welterweight champ), whom he has just split with.
Tomorrow, Blackmore will be the chief second in (WBO #1) Agapito Sanchez's (33-7-2; 19 KO's) corner when he challenges current champ, Joan Guzman (20-0; 16 KO's) for his WBO super bantamweight title.
Fightnews spoke to Blackmore:
Word in the New York gyms is that Vivian Harris left the city and hired another trainer. What happened? Why the split?
Blackmore: I don't know why the split! He just left me without saying a word! He changed his phone numbers and just left. No word. Nothing! In fact, we were training for (Oktay) Urkal next month in Germany. He never told me that he was leaving or why he was leaving. He just left! I had to hear through word of mouth that he was down in Florida training with Ronnie Shields.
I also heard that he had a problem where some guys shot at him near his home in Brooklyn. Vivian could have at least called me, but he's not man enough. To this day, I still haven't heard from him.
Fightnews: That's unbelievable. Weren't you his trainer when he fought in the NY Golden Gloves?
Blackmore: Yes! I got him started in boxing when he was 17 years old! I took him under my wing. I brought him from winning a Golden Glove title to winning a World Championship. This is the 'thanks' I get? No 'goodbye'? Nothing? But, I should have seen it coming. When he was 19, he left when another trainer took him from me and promised him lots of money. Vivian signed some bad contracts and ended up coming back to me three years later when he was 22 years old.
Fightnews: After something like this, would you take him back again?
Blackmore: No. Never.
Fightnews: Will something like this make you leery of dedicating yourself to another fighter?
Blackmore: No. I love training young fighters. It’s what I do. Seeing them become champs is a very rewarding experience for me. There is no greater satisfaction. I'll never stop giving my all to a fighter. (Fightnews.com)