Coach O is training to literally beat Bama’s arse

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Professional boxers cycle through Morvant’s cozy boxing club in Baton Rouge, seeking advice from a guy who trains in the ring at night and works in piping during the day. In fact, Morvant began training a new client, a man, about two months ago. The man is burly, strong and athletic, especially for his age. The man packs a potent punch, even bruising Morvant despite the body pads he wears during training sessions. The man is a relentless worker, spending two hours in the ring three nights a week jabbing at ropes, pads and dummies, leaving exhausted and sweaty.

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He’s an incredibly strong and explosive man,” Morvant says. “He loves boxing. It was love at first punch.” The man is Ed Orgeron.

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The pandemic-triggered quarantine left college football coaches with a luxury they don’t often possess: free time. Many of them embraced new hobbies, vacationed at beach houses and cozied with families they, normally, rarely see. LSU’s head football coach, already an imposing figure, a large, gravelly voiced Cajun man, took up the art of fighting.

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Orgeron trains six hours a week at Morvant’s boxing club, Beat2Sleep, about 20 minutes from Tiger Stadium. They’ve boxed through the pandemic. Morvant shuts down his club three nights a week for one-on-one training sessions with the coach. Orgeron is a quick learner, says the 46-year-old Morvant. And despite turning 59 later this month, Orgeron is fast on his feet and lethal in his arm.

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