During the period when Rooney was Tyson's trainer, Tyson had a professional record of 35 fights, 35 wins (31 wins by KO). We got the great Burt Suger. Before that he beat Tony Tucker and Tyrell Biggs, the main fighters back then. My agent that I had for 2 years, its the first gig hes gotten me. He wanted nothing to do with Mike. The last time I heard hes got some promoter out of Vegas that was gonna take him on a world tour. Cus' death had no impact on Tyson's boxing career (Cus died in 1985, Mike won his first title in 1986) because Rooney was still there to take care of business. With interest and penalties that $4 million was $8.7 million dollars. And what does Shelly Finkel do? Everything is Pay Per View. Cus knew what he was doing. But, they robbed us. Move and punch. Im just spinning my wheels, but, Im always looking out. Rooney who worked under DAmatos tutelage and began assisting him in his coaching duties when Tyson was still an amateur, took complete control over Tyson, when DAmato passed away in November of 1985. People dont recognize Bill cause he was like the Quiet man. Photos taken by Star Boxing Photographer, Ed Diller, Star Boxing, Inc. He has so much potential. Mitch was wearing wrap-around sunglasses, which broke, and it cut him. A Right. Jimmy died, then Mike married Robin. It was a segment constantly on the lookout for hokey-cokey angles. He should never have had the loss. Im watching it on HBO the next day! Berbeck Tucker. He goes after the guy. STARBOXING.TV BRINGS THE HEAT IN MARCH FOR ITS SUBSCRIBERS! Shelly dont care. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Cookie Notice Merchant concluded that it was the expulsion of Kevin Rooney, who still rooted for Tyson every time he watched him fight (despite their split), which led to the stunning knockout loss. Q Whose idea was it to put something like this on? I was a 5 time Golden Glove Champion. Tyson got tired of it and fired him, and that was the end. But i have not found a single interview where he ever talks about Kevin Rooney who had a big part in his development as a fighter. Scoop Malinowski is the author of Heavyweight Armageddon: The Tyson-Lewis Championship Battle. His second book is about controversial former ATP #1 tennis player Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew and will be available at www.amazon.com in September 2011. We got Vito Auntefurmo, former Middleweight Champion of the world. They want you to pay $50 to see a couple of mediocre guys. Now, I dont know how long youve been in the fight game, how long youve been interested in it, or how old you are, but back in the 60s, 70s and then in the middle 80s, you would see a fight on t.v. In 1997 Green sued Tyson for $25m over that brawl but was awarded just $45,000. Kevin Rooney interview: Talkin' Mike Tyson with Kevin Rooney. Itd be a really popular boxing book . If Tyson gradually saw a resemblance of his former self once again by reuniting with Kevin Rooney, he could regain his desire to ascend to the top of the heavyweight division. Uncategorized. I knocked you out. Hes like a little on the green side but, hes a very, very tough kid and hes got a lot of heart. Q Had Jimmy Jacobs not died, Mikes story wouldve been different wouldnt it? Move and punch. In his most important fight as a professional, on July 31, 1982, Rooney lost to three division world champion Alexis Argello, who was making his first fight in the Junior Welterweight division, by a second-round knockout. Hes going across Europe. Him and Steve Watt are like handling the business. Boxing fans have been left puzzled after an expensive tattoo on Jake Pauls arm was nowhere to be seen in his fight with Tommy Fury. I wont hurt you. After he beat Liston he just started annihilating guys that were going for the title. (Laughs). The ugly brawl you know about is part of boxings dark folklore Mike Tyson at the height of his rampage, approached by a former rival in the New York ghetto at the dead of night. Right after he died I had a job in one of those correctional facilities in Catskill, Catskill Green Correctional. Over the weekend, Boxingtalk.com spoke with former longtime Mike Tyson trainer Kevin Rooney about the possibility of he and Tyson again hooking up to wreak havoc on the rest of the heavyweight division. At the time Tyson was 11-0 as a pro. 6. They were tryin like hell to get him. I try to teach my kids to be elusive. Edit. A Im there in the corner, working the corner telling the fighter what hes doing wrong, what hes doing good and what he should be doing, (Laughs), if you know what Im saying. Lets just go back to the basics. Note: Due to the NBA playoffs ESPN3.com and ESPN Deportes will start their telecasts LIVEat 8PM, ESPN2 will re-air at 10:30 PM. There was no, well I worked hard, Im gonna go have a few drinks and try to pick up a girl. Kevin Rooney continues to train young boxers in Catskill, New York, at the same gym that he trained in under Cus D'Amato. Mike punched hard. Whoa! I think the period is already up. Why do I want to pay $50 to see these 2 guys fight? When he was with me there was no partying. Rooney was the second-closest trainer to young Mike Tyson, after D'Amato himself, who was also Tyson's adoptive father and is most familiar with Cus D'Amato's famed "Peek-a-Boo" boxing style. Cus died and Tyson was 11-0. Right away your hands are gonna go up. Mike knocked a lot of guys out when he was sparring. They went out there and won 5 Gold medals. He was winning the fight and then he got hit and lost the decision. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. He does have early stage dementia caused by boxing. Cus died and Tyson was 11-0. He was the first guy to make the most money when he fought Spinks. He put his hands up, like, Hold it. He knew where the money was, lets put it that way. Q Becoming a trainer like Kevin Rooney is not something you can go to school to learn is it? Wing body shots and the uppercuts. A Well, Bill passed away. I would tell him Mike use your jab, dont be trying to hurt the guy, but I guess Mike had that little bit of anger thing in him I guess. Band, Lee Salomon Interview William Morris Agency. ALBANY, N.Y. -- Mike Tyson was ordered by a federal jury to pay his former trainer Kevin Rooney more than $4.4 million, a ruling denounced by the heavyweight champion and his activist. Muhammad Ali. American people are likelets mix it up. I guess his mother can blame me for that one, says Rooney with a Chuckle. Tyson's trainer, Kevin Rooney - to whom the gesture of bemused surprise was directed - is . This is the United States of America. When he was with Jimmy Jacobs, Bill Cayton, and Steve Watt, he was the man. What do you mean? I believe he was getting $600-$1,000 a week sparring with Mike. Thats what we need. Q Besides this Punch lines Show, what do you do with your time? He never calls me. Eventually, it went into the Spinks fight and then for a little bit King was out and then Mike went to Europe with Robin and came back. Kevin Rooney. Butthis is now. Photos of a battered Mitch Blood Green appeared in the next days newspaper. ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ Mike Tyson, in lengthy testimony in his former trainer's lawsuit against the heavyweight champion, denied Monday ever offering Kevin Rooney a career-long contract. A I know how to weave and slip. Then all the sudden youre like, who, who, damn, wait a minute. But, Bill was an excellent, excellent manager and businessman. Greens lawyer said: Mitch has no problem with that, because he has no intention of going near Tyson. He became a multi-millionaire. People will stop and think about it, and say wait a second I dont know if I want to fight this guy. When Mike went with Don King and then went with Shelly Finkel, at that point Mike was suing Don King for $125 million dollars. Youre gonna do this and youre gonna wanna do that. Amateur boxing career [ edit] Rooney participated in the 1975 New York Golden Gloves Championship. Ill be in my suit lookin like a gentleman and see what happens. We got Iran Barkley, former Super Middleweight Champion of the World and then theres another guy I cant remember his name. Ever since then, in my opinion, weve been catering to European nations. The best thing about it was these guys couldnt hit him. Once he went with Don King, then Don King took over and Don King was the boss and Mike became second-hand nothing. (Laughs). Thats one thing. Then he knocked out Tyrell Biggs. They dont want to see this tap, tap and the referee jump in and break, break and give em all those hand signals. When Mike Tyson came to this village as a 14-year-old in 1980, not many Catskill citizens paid much attention when they saw him doing early-morning roadwork along gravel roads. He will make his pro-debut on the undercard of Joe DeGuardias Star Boxing ESPN Friday Night Fights card at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT. Q Becoming a trainer like Kevin Rooney is not something you can go to school to learn is it? Its like tap, tap, dont hurt me. I have 3 professional fighters. Thomas Hays is his name. Anytime you step into that ring, whether its sparring or an actual fight, you have to be ready to go out there and say here I am lets go, and he has that. Although the interview was conducted in 2004 it still is very interesting to hear the thoughts and opinions of one of the very few men who ever really knew Mike Tyson. Im like the commentator. None of this one day on and one day off crap. But at that point, Muhammad would have had just a little bit more experience. In 1993 TV presenter Marc Middleton had a weekly comedy segment called Marcs Monday Match-up on US television. In the first round I was like Whoa! They went out there and won 5 Gold medals. Q Are you in contact with Mike Tyson today? Hes fighting for the USBA Middleweight Championship. #6. In 1988 Mitch Blood Green cemented his legacy by hearing that his old ring rival Tyson, a fellow New Yorker, had strayed into the wrong part of town. It sounded entertaining so we said lets do it. There was no locker room or changing area for the boxers, Sky Sports source explained. The only person that could, take any money out of Mike Tysons accounts was Mike Tyson. But KC knows, and anyone who has seen him fight knows, he just doesnt have an amateur style. what the Heavyweight Division doesnt have is a Rocky Marciano, a Joe Frazier, a Muhammad Ali, and a Mike Tyson. So I think that fighter, in my opinion, could have and should have probably beaten anybody that was in his path. Q How much did you have to give to your lawyer? Knocked em out cold. (Laughs). I would tell him Mike use your jab, dont be trying to hurt the guy, but I guess Mike had that little bit of anger thing in him I guess. It was his money. . . Ive said this before and Ill say it you, whats wrong right now is that ABC, CBS and NBC dont show any fights anymore. Hes 19-1, with 15 knock-outs. They were ripping ass. Im standing there thinking: What is happening?. Give Kevin Rooney eight weeks with a truly rededicated Mike Tyson and he whips any top ten heavyweight in the world active or . Any casual boxing fan from the mid-to-late 1980s knows that the trainer who had the most success with Mike Tyson was D'Amato's protege Rooney. He has an exciting style and he gives it his all each and every time he steps into the ring, and that is going to make for a fun ride for all of us involved along the way.. Thats what the great Shelly Finkel negotiated with Don King. Under Cuss system you can do it in a very, very intelligent way, where youre not getting hurt and the only person getting hurt is the opponent. Ever since then, in my opinion, weve been catering to European nations. We knew we would great soundbites from Mitch.. WhoaIm outta here. This was in the early 80s. Boom, I knock him out cold! I just brought him down to Kingston last week to spar with these other kids and he sparred with em and right away he said now. A Actually I had a little under $1 million dollars. Mike picked that up right away. We all go through money. What Im saying, what is missing and hurting the boxing industry is that ABC, CBS, and NBC do not show live fights anymore. I expect him to win and that will get him in the Top 15 in the world and hopefully the Top 10 and then by the end of the year Ill be hoping that Taylor will step up and take a shot at my kid. The fights would have been interesting. Butthis is now. The women tried to grab all that money and they werent able to do that. Q That would be a big reason why it would never happen. Im just spinning my wheels, but, Im always looking out. Ill be in my opinion, weve been catering to European nations it... To European nations to your lawyer had just a little under $ 1 million dollars I dont know if want! Marcs Monday Match-up on US television Gold medals they werent able to do.. 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