Billy Giles: Master teacher of the sweet science
No matter how talented a boxer may be, having an experienced trainer with a keen eye and a business-wise manager often determines how successful of a career they’ll have. Having toiled in New York City’s sweaty gyms for several decades, Harlem-native Billy Giles, a.k.a. Thrill, has earned his stripes and is regarded as one of this generation’s elite boxing trainers and managers.
“I started in the mid-70s and liked working with those younger than me, and I realized I could do what older trainers couldn’t do with the youths,” he reflected.
Starting out as a bodybuilder with Harlem’s infamous Iron Head and Gladiator squad, he was then under the tutelage of his uncle, legendary boxer and trainer Bobby McQuillar, who nurtured him in the art of the sweet science. He trained talented boxers like Tumbler Davis and Peewee Rucker before working with a 16-year-old Hector “Macho” Camacho, taking him to win three NY Golden Glove titles and his first pro world championship in 1983.
Around that time, he also formed alliances with renowned Detroit boxing trainer Emmanuel Steward and took his fighters to get work at the famed Kronk Gym, where he witnessed some competitive sparring sessions, like Camacho vs Sweet Pea Whitaker, Camacho vs Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns, and Mike “The Body Snatcher” McCallum vs Hearns.
“Those were something else to watch,” he recalled.
His success in the corner led to him assisting other outstanding boxers by the late 1980s, such as WBA Light Middleweight Champ Davey Moore and WBA Super Middleweight Champ Chris Tiozzo, among others.
“Thrill can watch an opponent, figure him out, then give you a fight plan on how to beat him,” asserted ex-boxer Joe “Trouble” Figueroa. “He’s also a great motivator.”
By the time the next decade rolled around, he took Aaron “Superman” Davis to win the WBA Welterweight title with an upset 9th round knockout win over Olympic gold medalist Mark Breland on July 8, 1990. He also brought his nephew, Cam’ron Giles, to the gym, but the youth chose to play basketball and pursue a career in entertainment instead.
Unlike many other veteran trainers with such success, Thrill works with select amateur boxers on the rise. In the new millennium he worked with a young Devin Haney years before he became globally recognized. He also trained Paulie Malignaggi from the start of his pro career to his first world title shot against WBO Light Welterweight Champ Miguel Cotto in 2006.
He’s still helping young aspiring pugilists develop their skills in the ring, but reminds them the importance of learning life skills as well. He also says to be on the lookout for his current pupil, teenager Izzy Mitchell, in the years to come.
“I’m not only a trainer, I’m also a teacher. The streets got more wins than any boxer,” Thrill warns in closing. “Boxing helps build character, which helps people be competitive and be successful in life.”
The post Billy Giles: Master teacher of the sweet science appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.