Veteran trainer Joe Goossen notably nurtured the Ruelas brothers from adolescence to world champions, honed the considerable skills of Michael Nunn and later Diego Corrales in the epic shootout with Jose Luis Castillo during one of the greatest fights of all-time.

Goossen, who was one of 10 children, was born in Burbank, Los Angeles on September 7, 1953 and enjoyed a picturesque middle-class childhood.

"Back then Los Angeles was like paradise, it was incredible," Goossen told The Ring. "The 50s-80s, I would say you were in Disneyland here. It was beautiful, all new for the most part."

Goossen and his friends went out on their bicycles, played baseball with friends and hung out at the beach.

"My dad was a homicide detective, he worked in the Hollywood division, now we were not allowed to go there because my dad knew the underbelly of Hollywood even in the 50s and 60s," he said. "It was a far cry from what was going on in the Valley."

Goossen Sr. showed his sons some moves but that was as far as it went.

"My first priority was football," he continued. "When I was in high school, I played for three years in a row and then I played junior college at L.A. City College in the fall of 1971."

Goossen, whose older brother Greg, played MLB for the New York Mets from 1965-70, was a tough guy and had his ego pricked by his sibling, who championed another's cause.

Goossen sought out the other boy. It turned out to be Randy Shields, who later twice fought for the welterweight title. The two shared some rounds together, became friendly and Goossen accompanied Shields around during the 1970s.

In 1982, Goossen along with another older brother in Dan, opened the Ten Goose boxing gym in Van Nuys, where they were a one-stop shop: Trainer, manager and promoter.

One day by chance, two young brothers, Gabriel and Rafael Ruelas, stopped by the gym. Goossen wasn't initially keen to work with them, but his stance softened, and he put the two siblings to work.

"[They] never boxed before, came to me in 1984 and 10 years later they both won world championships," he said proudly. "That's tough to do that, take a kid from junior, open, pro and to a world title."

Goossen began working with a returning Frankie Duarte soon after the gym had opened. Their unlikely run saw them controversially lose a 15-round unanimous decision defeat to WBA bantamweight titleholder Bernardo Pinango in February 1987.

He helped shape and build a young Nunn into a middleweight champion and though the pairing seemed destined for greatness, ultimately fell short.

He later worked with Corrales and was famously in his corner when he scored the most unlikely of stoppage victories over Castillo in their May 2005 encounter. The Californian was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of the 2023 class.

Goossen, now 72, is married and has four children. He lives in Camarillo, Los Angeles and still owns the Ten Goose Boxing Gym in Van Nuys, while also a commentator on PBC's Amazon Prime shows.

He graciously took time to speak to The Ring about the best he trained across 10 key categories.

Michael Nunn: "He was extremely tall for a middleweight, and was a southpaw. Able to sweep around you, he never really came in straight forward with the jab. He would move laterally and circle you with it. You had to keep up with the turn if you didn't want to get hit with the jab and it was extremely hard to get away from, he would double, triple, quadruple up on jabs. He really used it as a weapon, not just a set up. I saw him stun guys with jabs, really turned his knuckles over; twisted his wrist when he would put a jab out."

Nunn: "Nunn was almost impossible to hit cleanly. Al Bernstein said it best, 'Michael Nunn doesn't only not lose fights, he doesn't lose rounds.' He didn't, was extremely difficult to hit defensively and for some guys, almost impossible.

Ryan Garcia: "For speed, blinding speed with one punch, Ryan Garcia fits that bill. He had blinding speed with that left hook. Nobody sees it coming. If he wants to throw it short, right from the hip, waistline, that thing will turnover without any give away."

Nunn: "His elusiveness and footwork, look at the Frank Tate fight, what he does is incredible. There are highlight tapes of Nunn out there where they zoom in on his footwork and defense, it was very Ali-esque."

Nunn: "He's what you would call a Franchise player, for sure. Highest IQ, probably Nunn."

Rafael Ruelas: "In terms of inside fighting, I equate that with being strong because you've got to be strong to sit in the pocket. I don't think I had anybody that was more efficient and well-schooled on the inside than Rafael Ruelas."

Frankie Duarte: "Frankie was almost impossible to hurt. He was a bantamweight, but the size of his head was like a middleweight. He had a Tex Cobb-esque head."

Diego Corrales: "Diego Corrales could knock you out or hurt you with one punch very easily and he did it quite often."

Ruelas: "Nunn wasn't technical, Nunn was more of a freestyle, more of a jazz player, not a structure. Rafael Ruelas had the most technically sound inside game of anybody I've ever worked with. He only really lost to two guys under me, Oscar De La Hoya and Kostya Tszyu - not bad guys to lose to."

Nunn: "Nunn had it all, the speed, the size, the accuracy, defense, the constitution, he was extremely confident in himself. He was a once in a lifetime fighter."