Ray Arcel
Ray Arcel (August 30, 1899 – March 7, 1994) was an American boxing trainer who guided about 20 world champions from the 1920s to the 1980s. He was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, to Jewish immigrant parents from Russia and Romania, and grew up in Harlem after moving to New York City as a child. He finished Stuyvesant High School in 1917 and began training fighters at Stillman’s Gym near Madison Square Garden in the 1920s.
Arcel trained many champions, including Benny Leonard, Jim Braddock, Barney Ross, Tony Zale, Roberto Duran, and Larry Holmes.
His career had ups and downs. In the 1950s he had disputes with boxing officials and retired after being injured in a Boston attack that was never solved. He returned in the 1970s, helped Duran in his later years, and assisted Holmes for his fight with Gerry Cooney. He was back in Duran’s corner in 1982 for the Durán–Benítez fight.
On the personal side, he married Hazel Douglas in 1926, and they adopted a daughter, Adele Arcel Bloch, who died in 1990. After Hazel, his widow was Stephanie Arcel. Arcel died in New York City on March 7, 1994, at age 94; Stephanie died in 2014. His life was depicted in the film Hands of Stone, with Robert De Niro playing Arcel.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:49 (CET).