By Jody Kohn
We caught up with decorated Muay Thai fighter and trainer Dewey Cooper to get his take on the controversy currently surrounding Duke Roufus and his training methods. Recently, an amateur fighting at one of his shows died as a result of injuries sustained at one of his events, and that led to several people who had trained previously at his gym calling into question the methods they employ.
Pat Barry, Rose Namajunas and Eric Schafer are among those that have accused the school of bullying students and for taking things too far, causing multiple injuries.
Dewey Cooper has been in the business for many years. He has both fought and trained some of the top competitors in the world in a career that has spanned nearly two decades. He even fought Duke Roufus himself during the late 1990’s. When he speaks, it is with a lot of passion and knowledge that many of us who have never competed may never understand. He is a staunch defender of his craft, and believes that it takes a special kind of person to do what he does. He is quick to call out those who don’t do things the “right way,” but at the same time, if you know Cooper, you know that his version of the right way may not be acceptable to everyone. But that is exactly why he would tell you this sport isn’t for the faint of heart.
Here is his take on Duke Roufus as a trainer, as well as what happened that fateful night in Wisconsin.
