Bruce Trampler has been the chief matchmaker for Top Rank for 45 years, and has also seen boxing from just about every angle: as an amateur boxer, a trainer, a cut man, a referee, a manager, and a judge. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010.

In this episode, he explains the art of matching boxers strategically but carefully, about what he looks for in a young boxer, and about how the boxing business has changed. He also talks candidly about the dangers of the sport, about the art of trying to gently persuade boxers to move toward the exit, and even the emotionally shattering experience of having a boxer die in his arms. It’s a compelling conversation with one of the sport’s smartest and most experienced observers