Virgil Hunter began training fighters while working with troubled youths in the probations department Feeling confident that he could build a fighter Hunter worked as an apprentice for several years in Oakland California with trainers including Bobby Warren Jimmie Simmons Charlie Smith and Tiger Floyd Hunter closely associates with a fraternity of trainers including Barry Hunter no relation Leon Lawson Tony Morrison Kevin Cunningham Nazim Richardson He began training eventual Olympic gold medal winner Andre Ward when Ward was nine