LONG before Richie Giachetti became a trainer for fighters, he had a series of unfortunate incidents in Cleveland bars. According to his testimony, a man once walked into a bar and asked who the toughest man there was. To Giachetti’s misfortune, someone pointed at him.
The man walked over, smashed a glass in Giachetti’s face, and then proceeded to pull out a knife. Giachetti was able to disarm the man, who ended up with three stab wounds. Giachetti himself sustained severe injuries, spending eight hours in surgery to save his face and vision. Despite nerve damage and 78 stitches, he kept his left eye and wore his scars proudly. He maintained that he never met the man who attacked him.
In a separate incident at the same bar, Giachetti claimed that another stranger tried to kill him by plunging an ice pick through his ribs. However, the ice pick missed his heart and lung. These encounters taught Giachetti the lesson to frequent different bars.
Years later in Mexico City, Giachetti recounted these stories at the bullfights. He survived the unprovoked assaults and went on to train fighters at his gym in Cleveland.
At the bullfights, Giachetti shared the experience with individuals such as Angelo Dundee, discussing the fights and offering expertise similar to that of a boxing expert analyzing a match.
Giachetti was once considered to train Lennox Lewis but lost out to Manny Steward. Despite being associated with Don King, Giachetti remained loyal to his boxers, inspiring their devotion.
Throughout his life, Giachetti faced incidents such as arson attacks, being shot at, and threats from a hitman who was hired to kill him. Despite the challenges, he always emerged unharmed.
Giachetti described Don King as a liar and greedy but acknowledged his effectiveness as a promoter. Giachetti, a big man with a rough exterior, worked with Mike Tyson and even bonded over their shared love for old fighters and fantasy fights.
He once famously told Larry Holmes that he was his reminder, there to point out his mistakes and guide him in the right direction.
Giachetti has since passed away, and his memory lives on, celebrated by those who knew him.