By Keith Idec

Lou Duva, one of the feistiest, most charismatic, colorful characters in boxing history, died at 94 on Wednesday.

Duva, whose unforgettable face helped make him famous, spent parts of nine decades in boxing. The patriarch of a family immersed in boxing, his work as a manager and trainer earned him induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in June 1998.

His son, Dino Duva, confirmed to BoxingScene.com that Duva died of natural causes at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey, his hometown.

The legendary Duva began making his mark in the sport nearby, in Totowa, New Jersey. That’s where the Duva family’s promotional company, Main Events, put on memorable club shows at the defunct Ice World in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The company’s biggest break came in September 1981, when it helped promote the “Sugar” Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns welterweight title fight in Las Vegas. Its involvement in Leonard-Hearns enabled Main Events to transform itself from a mostly local company into one of the most prominent promotional firms in boxing.

Lou Duva was long considered the face of Main Events, but he always said his late son, Dan Duva, was the brains behind the company’s success. Dan Duva died at 44 of a brain tumor in January 1996.

Evander Holyfield, Meldrick Taylor and Pernell Whitaker were among the 19 world champions with whom Lou Duva worked during his illustrious career. Main Events signed those prominent fighters after the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Duva’s first world champion was Joey Giardiello, who won the middleweight title in 1963.

The fiery Duva was known for fighting for the boxers he managed and trained, both in and out of the ring. Even at 74 years old, Duva was involved in the infamous melee after the first Riddick Bowe-Andrew Golota fight in July 1996 at Madison Square Garden.

Footage of Duva almost falling off a stretcher as EMTs attempted to wheel him out of a riot encapsulated the chaos at the Garden that night. Rudy Giuliani, then New York City’s mayor, was among those that visited Duva in the hospital after the riot.

The Boxing Writers Association of America previously honored Duva as its “Manager of the Year” in 1985. Two years later, the World Boxing Association chose Duva as its “Trainer of the Year.”

In addition to his enshrinement in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Duva was a member of the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame and the National Italian-American Hall of Fame.

In 2000, once his daughter-in-law, Kathy Duva, assumed control of Main Events following a legal battle, Lou Duva helped Dino Duva and Lou’s daughter, Donna Brooks, launch Duva Boxing. Among others, the company promoted eventual WBO junior welterweight champion Kendall Holt, whom Lou Duva managed, and heavyweight contender Kirk Johnson.

Before becoming enormously successful in boxing, Duva served in the Army, owned a trucking company, was a bail bondsman and a union representative.

Duva was predeceased by his wife, Enes, his son, Dan, six siblings and his parents.

Lou Duva is survived by his son, Dino Duva, and his wife, Margi; his daughter, Donna Brooks, and her husband, Tommy Brooks; his daughter, Denise MacPhail; his daughter, Deanne Boorman, and her husband, Mike Boorman; 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.