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I love boxing. I always have. I cannot get enough of it. And I hung around it for a long time….Far greater than my capabilities. But I have a good eye for it. I would say I am pretty damn boxing literate with nothing but a world of respect for those who have taken the ring walk. I too have done so. It matters not, your overall abilities. It is not a natural, good feeling to know you are going to get punched in the head and body hard, where the goal is to incapacitate you in some shape or form. But there is no better feeling in the world when it is over and you gave it your best shot, win, lose, or draw.
My last tournament was on 20 November 2004. It was a big to do. Police, Fire, Coastguard, and Miami Beach Ocean Rescue all squared off at the Miami Beach Convention Center. It was a grand affair and a lot of planning went into it. I had the honor to be part of the Miami Beach Police Boxing team as Miami Police did not have enough pugilists to sport a team.
Anyhow, The Rescuers in the Ring became a following. Each year it grew and grew. Ultimately in became an event at the Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fl. Remember, I was done…..not with boxing but rather fighting. I elevated to the refereeing ranks. My responsibility was no longer self-perseverance but rather making sure the two combatants in the ring were watched over carefully with safety always as the primary goal.
That being said, this is not an article about fighting. It is an article about invaluable advice that has given me great victories…And I am not talking about inside the ring…I am talking about life itself.
Stay with me here…..and know that the pearls of wisdom came from Angelo Dundee….YES, that Angelo Dundee.
Circa 2009 or 2010, there was a meeting up in Broward County. Some of the fighters were there, some referees, some other good folks, AND Angelo Dundee. I was working that day and thus arrived in my uniform. I was currently a major with the Miami Police Department.
The meeting covered the coming tournament and some information that we needed to be aware of. But in all honesty, all I could fathom was that there sits Angelo Dundee…..A kind man. A good man, who did not like cursing. Oh man, I hope nothing slips from my tongue. I am the son of a sailor.
Anyhow, the meeting concluded. And here is where the article truly begins.
Perhaps he liked the uniform. I was but a small number of people in uniform. Anyhow, he had some material he presented. After the meeting, I introduced myself and told him it was an honor to meet him. I gave him a Reader’s Digest version of my boxing history…But more so, the Miami Beach angle as his brother Chris was a Miami Beach icon.
I told him, “let me walk you out and carry that to your car.” He obliged me the honor. We made small talk as we walked to our cars….Coincidentally, we parked only a few cars apart.
I then said, “Mr. Dundee, what is the best advice you can give to a boxer?”
I figured I may learn something new that I can hone my skills a tad in case a senior’s tournament or some charity event comes up and I decide to get involved with( I was 47 or 48 at the time).
Softly he told me, he had Ali and Leonard. Once in a lifetime personalities with skills to match. He went on to say, he had a number of good fighters who were “idiots”. He also said he had many mediocre fighters, who he still keeps in touch with to the day. They were really good people. Then he ended the discussion with these words I will never forget: “Advice? OK. Be a nice guy.”
He then repeated it “Be a nice guy.”
I believe I was pretty much one prior to meeting Mr. Dundee, but I made it an added effort to “move up the ranks” and remain in the ring of respect, of kindness, of resilience. I think it is a championship fight we can all aspire to and successfully go the distance. What a cornerman to have me “bob and weave” through the complexities of life with four simple words.
About the Author
David Magnusson is a retired police chief with 36 ½ years of law enforcement experience
having spent 30 of these years with the Miami Police Department retiring as an assistant chief. He was chief of the Havelock Police Department in the Marine Corps City of Havelock, North Carolina, home to Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station. He returned to South Florida as chief of the El Portal Police Department. He chaired the COVID and Domestic Violent Extremism Committees for the Association of Miami Dade County Chiefs of police. He teaches (facilitates) about Hate Crimes, Violent Extremism, and Inclusive Policing to law enforcement agencies.
A graduate of the FBI National Academy (Session 224) , the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) Senior Management Institute for Police, and the JFK School of Government Leadership Course at Harvard. He holds a Master’s Degree in Military History.
A historian, Magnusson has written on military and presidential history topics. He is a diehard baseball (St. Louis Cardinals) and boxing aficionado, being a former Golden Gloves boxer. Magnusson resides in South Florida with his wife. Their children and grandchildren are never too far away.
“The Avid David” can be found at Magnusson32.substack.com
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