Mickey "Mighty Mick" Goldmill (7 April 1905-15 August 1981) was an American boxing trainer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a professional boxer from 1922 to 1947, and he later opened a gym, Mighty Mick's Boxing, where he trained world heavyweight champion Rocky Balboa. He died from a heart attack in 1981 after a scuffle with Clubber Lang's entourage.
Biography[]
Mickey Goldmill was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 7 April 1905 to a Jewish family, and he boxed professionally from 1922 to 1947, achieving great athletic success but neither fame nor wealth. He never had a manager, which he credited for his lack of fame. He retired in 1947 with a record of 72 wins (70 knock-outs) and one loss, and he went on to open a gym, Mighty Mick's Boxing, in Philadelphia. Starting in 1969, amateur boxer Rocky Balboa began to attend his gym, and Goldmill evicted him in 1975 due to his apeish fighting style and his association with mobster Tony Gazzo. However, when Balboa decided to fight against world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, Goldmill convinced Balboa to allow him to be his trainer, and Balboa fought Creed to a draw on 1 January 1976. When Creed challenged Balboa to a rematch, Goldmill trained Balboa to increase his speed by having him chase a chicken, and he also had him change his fighting style from southpaw to right-handed in order to confuse Creed and protect an eye injured in the last fight. Balboa was victorious after an almost double-KO, and Goldmill continued to train Balboa until he agreed to one last fight, this time with Clubber Lang in 1981. On 15 August 1981, Balboa and Lang's entourages got into a scuffle, and Goldmill, trying to break it up, was shoved against a wall and suffered from cardiac arrest. He died before reaching the hospital, telling Balboa that he loved him. He was interred at a Jewish mausoleum in a funeral attended by Balboa, Adrian Pennino, Paulie Pennino, and Al Silvani.