One of Boxing’s Best Trainers Aaron Snowell Talks Boxing!

By Boxing News - 08/01/2021 - Comments

Exclusive interview by Ken Hissner: The list of prominent boxer’s trainer Aaron Snowell who will be getting inducted into the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame (running August 20-22),  in August is most impressive. He was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2018. 

Snowell is a Hall of Fame trainer of champions, producer/radio host/actor. Living nearby he started at Muhammad Ali’s Deer Lake, PA, training camp. He was director of training for Don King Productions and Carl Kings Monarch Boxing, Inc. I got a lifetime achievement award from Donald Trump.  

Snowell is the current World Boxing Council’s (WBC) Official Ambassador. He has trained over “30 WORLD CHAMPIONS” in his 45 year career from bantamweight to heavyweight including Mike Tyson. He is on record as the youngest trainer to train a heavyweight champion in Tim Witherspoon’s win over Greg Page.

Snowell also trained Rickey Parkey, who delivered the fastest knockout in boxing history: within 8 seconds of the first round. He also trained Frankie Randall being an 18-1 underdog win over Julio Cesar Chavez who was 89-0-1 at the time for the WBC World Super Lightweight title opening the MGM Grand. He trained Tim Austin 1992 Olympic Medal winner and IBF Bantamweight champion whose jaw was broken in the first round who went on to score an eighth round stoppage.

Snowell was honored as the 1994 Trainer-of-the-Year by the WBC; 1996 Trainer-of-the-Year by the WBA and 1998 Trainer-of-the-Year by the IBF. For over 45 years he has approved himself as an accomplished businessman with for-profit and non-for-profit organizations and as a trainer, director, TV/radio producer, event coordinator, community service organizer, and more.

“When I was young filling out my trainer’s license in NJ I was so young they didn’t want me to have one. I had to go to the commissioner who at the time was former Heavyweight champion “Jersey” Joe Walcott. He had me throwing jabs and other things and told me to go back and tell those guys to give you a license” said Snowell.    

Some of Snowell’s recent accolades for community service include; 2013 WBC Award for Outstanding Achievement for Community Service; 2014 United Way of Franklin County Silver Award for Build-a-backpack; United Way of Franklin County Gold Award for volunteerism and loyal contributor. In 1995 he received the International Lion Rotary Club Speaker Award in Rome, Ohio.

In 2018 Snowell was inducted into the National Boxing Hall of Fame and the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame; in 2019 the Presidential Life Time Achievement Award (Donald Trump) Five Sta. 2019 Ring 8 Boxing Historian Award, 2021 Induction Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame. 

Snowell is a member of the Amateur Boxing Association; Member of the NFL Foundation and a Member of the National Athletic Trainer Association. He has worked with World Boxing Review Radio Show and the Owner of the Jack Johnson Exhibit. He’s in many books and movies about boxing.    

“TERRIBLE” TIM WITHERSPOON, FORMER WBC & WBA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: Aaron was a great trainer but the person that taught me was “Slim” Robinson. He also taught Aaron everything he knows and I’m sure Aaron learned a lot of things along the way to be one of the best. “Slim” was one of the best that ever trained boxers. If it wasn’t for “Slim” I don’t think I would have made it. He had all the answers every time you would ask he had the right answer. It’s because of “Slim” that Aaron became who he is today. Congratulations to Aaron Snowell for his accomplishments.   

HENRY HASCUP, NJ BOXING HOF PRESIDENT AND HISTORIAN: Aaron helps a lot of boxers that are in need that no one knows about. He host a podcast called World Boxing Review and has me on as their boxing historian. The shows have run for about five years and he along with Bob Murray they do an excellent job! 

LARRY HAZZARD, Sr. NJ BOXING COMMISSIONER, NJ STATE ATHLETIC CONTROL BOARD: Aaron Snowell was and is a great trainer of champions having worked in the corners of some of boxing’s greatest fighters including the great Mike Tyson. He’s another one of these people in the sport of boxing who just don’t get their proper recognition! 

RAY MC CLINE, PRESIDENT OF THE ATLANTIC CITY BOXING HALL OF FAME: I’ve known Aaron since early 90’s working in the same camp under Don King Promotions. When I started the AC HOF he was one that introduced me to the WBC organization. He also helped me with relationship with other fighters. Over the years he became like a big brother pertaining to boxing or on a personal level. The person he is now is the person when I met him always helping other people. It’s hard to believe a guy like him never get the credit he deserves.  

DAVE RUFF, WRITER FOR RINGSPORTS AND BRICK CITY BOXING: I have known Aaron for some time now. He worked with a lot of champs and knows boxing well past as well as today. I met him in Reno, Nevada, where one of his boxers won when I was writing for Ringsports. I loved the guy since.  

Snowell worked with Heavyweights like WBC, WBA and IBF champion and IBHOF Hall of Famer “Iron” Mike Tyson, WBC and WBA champion “Terrible” Tim Witherspoon, WBO NABO and WBC Continental Americas champion Larry “The Legend” Donald, and WBA Fedelatin champion Owen “What the Heck” Beck. Two others were WBC and WBA Light Welterweight champion Frankie “The Surgeon” Randall, WBA Light Middleweight and WBC Middleweight champion Julian “The Hawk” Jackson and IBF Bantamweight champion Tim “The Cincinnati Kid” Austin. 

 Snowell agreed to answer some questions from this writer.

KH: Living close to the Deer Lake, PA, in Pottsville you must have been to the Muhammad Ali’s camp at an early age. I remember being there when trainer “Slim” Jim Robinson had “Terrible” Tim Witherspoon there.  What was your connection with “Slim”?

AS: Ali helped us young kids learn how to box. I would later meet “Slim” Jim. Ali put my younger siblings in commercials. Prior to the fight Ali had with “Big” George Foreman he did an exhibition at the local school. He raised money so the Pottsville band could have uniforms. 

KH: You worked the Larry “Easton” Assassin bout with Tim Witherspoon which was one of the highly disputed decisions I have witnessed.

AS: How did you see the outcome? I was “Slim” Robinson’s assistant for that fight and it was a bad decision against Tim. When Larry refused to fight No. 1 Greg Page Tim got the shot and won the vacant WBC Heavyweight title beating Page.

KH: Would you say that when you trained the 2-division world champion Julian “The Hawk” Jackson he was pound for pound one of the hardest punchers you worked with?

AS: I was with him when he won the vacant WBA title, then beat former IBF champ Buster Drayton and future WBC champ Terry Norris. Julian was possibly the hardest puncher at 154. 

KH: Was training Frankie Randall’s stopping Julio Cesar Chavez’s 90 fight unbeaten streak one of the highest points of your career?

AS: It was a big mark in boxing history defeating Chavez. Don King had Chavez at the time. I worked with Frankie down in Tennessee where he was living.

KH: You trained Rickey Parkey against Broderick Mason?

AS: Yes I did. Rickey knocked him out Mason in 8 seconds at the Tropicanca Casino where Don Elbaum ran shows.

KH: Finally, what is your opinion of boxing today especially in the heavyweight division?

AS: You have different platforms with various television programs unlike ABC. They have these streaming companies for Joshua and Fury. Don King could deal with these personalities and make big fights happen smoothing the ego’s of these responsible to put the fights together. What’s missing in the game are styles which make fights. 

KH: I want to thank you for taking the time to answer these questions and your contribution to boxing.   

AS: I want to thank you for taking the time to talk to me about the highlights of my career. When people ask me about how I learned to train I tell them without a team and people to teach them you don’t become a good trainer alone. 

Snowell wanted to add the following comment:

Dear family, friends and supporters. 

As the inductee to the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the tremendous support that you have provided me through the years and over the course of my career. I have had the opportunity to study boxing and to be a student of the game. I have studied the sport of boxing from a far and corner. This boxing game has allowed me to not only maintain a good life but also contribute to my community by working with non-for-profit organizations, delivering care to kids, people and my friends.

Thank You to many fighters that put their life’s and careers in my hands.

I thank you all once again for your generous support in this induction to the National Boxing Hall of Fame.

Sincerely,

Aaron Snowell

Hall of Fame Trainer of Champions – Award Winning Boxing Historian – WBC, IBF, WBA Ambassador