Paez’s Cornerman Is a Cut Above the Rest

Chuck Bodak, who has been in boxing nearly a half century, gave Jorge Paez quite a compliment recently, comparing him to Muhammad Ali, considered one of the slickest fighters of all time.

“Jorge is an instinctive fighter. He has a lot of Ali’s characteristics,” said Bodak, who will be Paez’s cutman when he challenges Tony Lopez for his International Boxing Federation junior-lightweight championship Saturday at Arco Arena.

“Jorge can do something wrong and make it turn out to be where it’s right,” Bodak said. “His reflexes and raw talent are unbelievable. Ali was the same way.”

Bodak, 74, said one of the highlights of his boxing career was having been associated with Ali.

Bodak, born and raised in Gary, Ind., said he spent 75 percent of his career working out of Chicago, and that was where he first met Ali, then an amateur.

“I worked with Ali in both national and international amateur bouts,” said Bodak.

Bodak worked with Ali again briefly in the latter stages of his career.

“Angelo Dundee was his main cutman for most of his professional career,” Bodak said. “I ran into Ali in Las Vegas in the 1970s when he was shooting a movie there, ‘The Greatest.’

“He asked me to work for him, and I did, including the Leon Spinks fight (Sept. 15, 1978, when Ali regained the world heavyweight championship).”

Bodak at various times has worked for Jimmy Ellis, Ernie Terrell, Michael Dokes, Tony Tucker, Tommy Hearns and Julio Cesar Chavez.

Since 1981, Bodak has been associated with fighters under the guidance of Nacho Huizar, Paez’s manager and trainer.

Bodak has been in Paez’s corner since Huizar obtained his contract before his 23rd fight on December 1987. Paez, a pro since 1985, is 35-2-3 with 25 KOs.

Saturday’s bout will be the 10th world championship fight for Paez since he beat Calvin Grove for the IBF featherweight championship on Aug. 4, 1988.

Bodak hasn’t had much to do in those title fights. Paez has only been cut three times.

“The worst cuts came in his first (Louie) Espinoza fight (May 21, 1989),” Bodak said. “That’s the only time he had to have stitches.”

Huizar said: “Chuck did a great job then. Jorge had a deep cut over his eye that was caused by a head butt and another cut underneath the eye. They happened early in the fight, and I thought the fight might be stopped, but Chuck kept the cuts controlled.”

Bodak said Paez’s other cuts also were caused by head butts -- once against Lupe Gutierrez on Dec. 9, 1989, in Reno, and again in his last bout on July 29 against Troy Dorsey in Las Vegas. “We just taped those up,” Bodak said.

Paez has been on the deck only once, put there by a right to the jaw by Steve Cruz in the second round on July 30, 1989, in El Paso, Texas.

“He was stunned,” said Huizar, “but he got right up. He told me in the corner, ‘I made a mistake. It won’t happen again.’ Jorge went on to win the fight.”

On Tuesday, Paez appeared at the Sacramento Police Athletic Gym, posing for pictures and signing autographs. Huizar said that will be Paez’s final appearance at the gym. “He’s done with training except for running 10 to 15 minutes in the morning,” Huizar said.

Will Edgington, Lopez’s trainer, said the champion’s training has gone well.

“He’s starting to get on edge. I like that,” Edgington said.

Lopez will complete his sparring at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Brocker’s.