Superior trainer or just along for the ride? It was like gospel as Tyson deteriorated: "If only he'd have stayed with Kevin Rooney ..." But really, would it have been any different? Did he have insight into the Cus style and the ability to make Tyson train hard and listen that others didn't, or was he just there at the right time when Tyson was so dominant that it wouldn't have mattered if Bozo the Clown trianed him? I think he was at the right place at the right time. I don't think he has trained any fighters of note -- or at least none that thrived under his tutelage -- since. Last I read he was still in Cus' old gym, but I don't remember him making any waves as a trainer post-Tyson. But if you were around at the time, you know what I'm talking about. Pretty much every discussion about Tyson as he began to look mortal revolved around the idea that if Tyson only went back to Rooney, he'd revert to form. If that was true, why didn't Tyson at some point post-Douglas go patch things up?
He was an excellent trainer - for the Tyson mold. I believe had Tyson stayed with Rooney he would have had a longer prime. As it was, he left the numerical coded combination spouting Rooney, who had learned that style from Cus, and in his very first fight after leaving Rooney (the 1st Bruno fight) the combinations are gone and he is loading up with each shot. Perhaps if he had returned to the fold immediately instead of ending up with Giachetti, he would have had a chance, but as time went on the skills began to erode and there was no turning back. As for Rooney, I only remember one fighter of note, that being Jeremy Williams. And comically, he tried turning him into a mini-Tyson, which Williams clearly was not. Thus, he was made to order for Tyson, who was made to order for that kind of trainer. Some trainers cannot change the mold for different fighters. I recall reading a piece on Len Hutchins, whose contract, for a short spell, was picked up by Yank Durham. Yank was outstanding for Joe Frazier, but the beautiful boxing Hutchins complained, "He tried to make me fight out of a crouch, firing body shots and winging a left hook." As they say across the pond, 'Horses for courses'. Scartissue
A lot of people dont actually know this, but it was actually ROONEY, who severed the ties between him and Mike. I did a thread on this earlier Tyson wanted to 'punish' Rooney for speaking out on his private life by banning him form the corner for the Bruno fight, it was only a one fight thing, but then Rooney took Tyson to court, which basically ended everything Ill try finding that thread I cant find it now, im at work. For those who feel Rooney is overrated. Just check Tysons Pre and post Rooney record, i think it says it all.
The other notable fighter that I can think of that Rooney trained was Vinny Paz, who of course had the peek-a-boo style too.
Tyson had the perfect style for what Rooney taught him but Rooney changed that D'Amato style even more to suit Tyson's attributes. You didnt see Tyson as squared up and tick tocking towards the end of their relationship as Rooney really tightened that up to shorten Tyson's punches and create more power. Rooney doesnt come off as a brillant guy but he really knew how to mold Tyson's fighting style and was good for Tyson because he didnt take any **** and being a former pro who lost to one of the best, he knew the importance of not overlooking any opponent. Even though Tyson bought in to the whole D'Amato phliosophy, once he became champ and became more famous, he liked the idea of not having to prepare as hard for opponents that he was told would be pushovers, so he took the easy way out and left Rooney. Tyson would have left Rooney anyway, because he didnt have the type of mental control that Damato and Jacobs had over Tyson so it was bound to happen especially since Rooney had on going problems with gambling and alcohol.
Omar Sheika, Sam Peter, Hasim Rahman as an amatuer, Jean Mormeck, he was supposed to work with Tua. The problem with Rooney is he wont leave Catskill and fighters dont want to go there to train, so he stays in Catskill at his gym and works with fighters willing to go up there. Rooney is a good trainer and he teaches a style thats exciting to boxing, but it doesnt always work well for a fighters capabilities. Maybe someday he will get another Tyson, lets hope so.
Maybe Tyson and Rooney had a chemistry that neither could find elsewhre. Kevin Rooney may be overrated, but he did help Mike Tyson become the youngest heavyweight champ in history and he did help him unify the titles, he helped him clear out his division, he helped him become the only man to KO Larry Holmes How many world champions did u train? Your above response makes it clear to me what kind of person u are, Pure timewaster who has no intention of listening to anything other than your own mind. That is evident by your original post on this thread
Without Rooney, Mike Tyson was picking his gumshield up off the canvas 2 fights later Well if you cant see the clear decline in Tysons skills Post Rooney, then your blind or ignorant. yes he did, hence why he was sacked in the first place, tyson needed people who were listen to him, not order him around, like Rooney was doing. If the Tyson of the Bruno fight had turned pro minus Kevin Rooney, he never would have had half of the success he had. Tyson had not one but 3 clowns training him by the names of Holoway, Horne and Snowell, they trained him for the Douglas fight and for the first holyfield fight, that didnt work out too well there did it? Because a phenom like Mike Tyson doesnt just walk into your gym everyday. Because Rooney was the one who severed ties with Tyson by suing him and secondly Don King wasnt going to pay anyone close to what Rooney was getting. King wanted a cheaper trainer, so he got Arron Snowell, you get what you pay for at the end of the day.
Holloway and Horne were Don King toadies who acted as Mike's co-managers but they didn't train him. Two more obnoxious ****s you would struggle to find along with that other idiot who used to be in Tyson's entourage, Crocodile or Alligator I think he was called. Jay Bright was Tyson's trainer for the Holyfield fight and from memory he was in his corner for the Douglas fiasco as well. The poor bloke was a mate of Tyson's but didn't know **** about boxing (or at least it appeared that way on camera) and certainly did nothing to help Tysons post prison career.
Excellent points that to me do nothing to settle how good of a trainer Rooney was or wasn't -- when you go from even an average, competent trainer (Rooney was at the very least this) who understands your style and understands how to motivate you to actually, you know, train ... and replace that person with someone who doesn't know an Enswell from a water balloon, of course the result is going to be bad. Just because Tyson looked worse after Rooney doesn't mean Rooney was great. If he had gone to Manny Steward or Eddie Futch if he had still been around, and dedicated himself in training camp like he did as a younger man, we might have seen a BETTER version of Iron Mike. Instead, he surrounded himself with hoodlums and yes men and people who had no clue what they were doing, and it showed when he got himself in trouble. And Mike is ultimately responsible -- he could have had any trainer in the world, and he could have actually, well, trained.
The reason he didnt train is nobody could command the kind of respect from him that Rooney did. He totally ignored the advise of Brooks and Giachetti when they were in his corner. Also Tyson thought he was Gods gift and didnt need to train too hard. Nobody said Rooney was great, however he did a great job with Mike Tyson. Manny Steward could never have replicated that, nor Eddie Futch. Futch would have walked out on Tyson just like he did with Bowe.