Thanks to Daniela, translated from an Italian newspaper article:

Angelo Dundee is one of Russell's trainers. He was born in Philadelphia but his parents were Italian (Mirenda is his real surname). He trained boxer like Alì and Leonard. He spent a month in Sydney to work with Russell and he says about him:

" As soon as I met him, I realized he's got the qualities to become a good athlete, he's got the suitable body to. He's not afraid to work hardly and he loves boxing. We got on well together at once as he's an easy-going (down on earth) man, he's never temperamental: on the contrary many of his colleagues are. Besides he loves Italians. Australia is full of Italian Australians and he's got many friends among them. He's used to our speaking, to our behavior, to our food and he's crazy for the real cappuccino. A day they made a present to him: a jerkin with a map of Italy on the back. He loved it so much that he always wore it.

I couldn't stay with him all the time so I made him work with a great boxer: Wayne Gordon. Wayne was one of my pupils and he knows how I work, he had a very successful career. He teaches Russell not only boxing but he cares also his athletic training. They run together for many miles, they swim 12 lengths, they cycle, often hardly on mountains. I teach Russ how to move and how to speak, to be credible in his role, how to move in scenes filmed on the ring or in the gym. I'm explaining him all the treats. Russell learns very quickly, I think his work will be superlative.

In Sydney we visited many gyms and we met Anthony Mundine who was so happy to meet me. He kept training in front of me and he didn't even see Russell! Aussie newspapers wrote a lot about it and Mundine apologized publicly with Crowe. Anthony said he was too excited for meeting me!"

-from Corriere della Sera, 03/31/04

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