Mike Tyson: Talks 50 Cent and Promotion; Corruption of Boxing; History

Just a little bit of info but still good. Over the years, watching documentaries on the corruption of boxing and hearing from fighters and promoters how dirty the sport is....something should be done.




Time: 9:00

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO9HJZBd3sU&hd=1[/ame]

 

Right out of the gate he was very active. And even as a Champ, was actively fighting around every 2-4 months until Don King took over (who was known to keep fighters inactive)

 

Yeah, but Tyson too needed to consistently fight to stay in shape as well. He tended to put on 15 pounds MAX when not fighting even when active during the Rooney days which Rooney had no problem with because Tyson could train it off quick in camp without having to diet down...except one fight, their last fight together in which Tyson came in at his heaviest to camp against Spinks.

And without staying active, and away from Castkill and under King's control; he went to obese mode. 260 pounds 6 weeks prior to Douglas. And that's just one example.

Tyson went from only having to sharpen up in camp while with Rooney to having to worry about stripping off the weight first and then the rest. That's part of the trouble he had in camp when preparing for Douglas. He was flat all through camp.

Tyson used to spar a lot in those days. Training was crazy. Old School.
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interview:

It's been 15 years since you've worked with Mike. Is it too late to pick up where you left off?
No. I don't think so. If he concentrated and really trained hard, it can be done. When we were at the peak, I had Mike sparring 10 rounds everyday... 5 days a week! It was an all out war EVERYDAY. There was none of that one day on and one day off crap. To be a great fighter... you have to spar. You gotta spar everyday, day in and day out, week after week. With Mike, I would spar him up until two or three days before a fight.

One time in Atlantic City, Mike had gotten a bloody nose and Jimmy (Jacobs) wanted me to stop the sparring. I told Jimmy 'What the ****? If he gets a bloody nose in the fight, you want me to stop the fight then too?!' Then, Jimmy understood exactly what I meant. Another time in Vegas, Mike got a little cut over his eye a few days before a fight. But, the cut didn't re-open because he would move his head.

Another thing, ever since he left me, Mike stopped moving his head. All of his trainers after me, weren't in his mind like I was in his mind. I was raised by Cus and I think Mike had respect for me and he knew what I was telling him, was the right thing. The average person doesn't know what it takes to become a great fighter. It takes constant discipline and repetition. Boxing is 80% mental and 20% physical. Anyone can get in physical shape.


Since your departure as Mike's coach in 1988, very few trainers have been able to motivate him and keep him in the gym. Why do you think that is?
Mike didn't respect those guys. He knows more than them... and he knows it too. Those trainers that he's had, they don't know anything! Mike couldn't pull that **** with me. When it came to style, technique and all that, he couldn't go head to head with me. When he had those other guys, they didn't know what to tell him! My work with Mike had made the phrase 'Move your head' common now. But, there is much more to it than someone just saying 'Move your head.' When I say 'Move your head', there's a system. There's a secret behind that. Cus was very secretive. He always wanted to keep things secret for his own fighters.

Could Mike be so confident in his abilities that it just makes him lazy?
No. All fighters have a tendency to be lazy. Because Mike has had no guidance since he left me, he just does what he wants! His mind set is 'I'm the man.' But, a lot of fighters get like that. They forget the training that was there when they were just a little pup. Mike won't listen to anybody! If he felt he was in shape and needed to take off 5 or 10 pounds, he would just dry out. When I had Mike, he worked out. There was no need to dry out! He work out hard! That's what made him the best fighter and youngest heavyweight champion in the world.

http://www.markstraining.com/2009/10/kevin-rooney-on-mike-tyson.html
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They simply don't make 'em like Benton anymore. And they likely won't again. He was a product of a different time. You can get a taste of what we lost from this quote, from a 1992 Sports Illustrated feature on the old master.

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http://www.thesweetscience.com/news/articles/13288-rest-in-peace-george-benton