Hes 23-1. Jimmy was the up-front man and everything was going good. He was fighting this kid. People want to see someone get knocked out, lets face it. Everyone went to Pay Per View. I was educated under Cus DAmato. heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson as the 175m-a-year . His training camp was hell but paid off. But there is another ruckus that somehow hasnt escaped the secrecy of the few people who saw, until now. Until 1988, Rooney continued to train Tyson and was paid for each of Tyson's professional fights. I was working his corner and that was my job. Its actually easier to become a second or a trainer to get a license. He became a multi-millionaire. Because he punched very hard [laughs]. Knockin people out cold in tough fights, guys that werent pushovers. People would send in challenges and Marc, to great amusement, would try to beat them at their own game. 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. I still run my gym. A I gave half to my lawyer, the rest to the government and I had at one time back in 1996, 1997, I had a little money in my back account. Thats the way Mike was. Q So, why dont you and Bill Cayton team up? [3], Rooney successfully sued Mike Tyson for over $4 million claiming that the latter broke a contract by firing him in 1988.[4]. He knows where I live. 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. I learned from Cus DAmato. Hes living out in Phoenix or something. But the Mike Tyson that I was training coming off of Cus DAmato I just think that that Mike Tyson would have won. He would have had a ton of money. The crowd cheered., Green told ESPN in 2005: Its a damn shame Tysons scared of me like 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. The Fight Game has gone south as far as Im concerned. He gets in the ring in Cuss old gym, my gym now. We got a title to defend and you gotta be in tip-top shape. Greatest Fights: Tyson, Spinks, Trump and 91 seconds . Tyson could regain his timing and stamina. Tell Mike I want my money. A drama that ended with Atlas pulling a gun on the younger Tyson in 1982. Thats a problem. I had no idea if Marc would become the centre for Mitchs frustrations. (Laughs). But, I really dont know whats going to happen. After about six months of sparring he said he wanted to turn pro, but I told him, have a few fights as amateur get some experience. A Lets put it this way, first, if Cus had stayed alive, none of this wouldve happened. Butthis is now. But thats not true.. This is the first time for me. Him and Steve Watt are like handling the business. Don King had successfully urged Tyson to break all ties with the D'Amato stable, only his new co-trainer Jay Bright was a disciple of D'Amato, with all other being people from the street. I think the period is already up. Mike is now supposedly doing like an exhibition tour. After they got done sparring I asked Nasi how he was, and he was very impressed, when I told him that he would be fighting at only jr. middleweight and middleweight he almost couldnt believe it., The thing though about KC that I like is he has balls, he has the fighter mentality. No imagining on Kevin Rooneys part. At that point, I thought: You guys handle this! He rushes to my car in my Rolls-Royce, he breaks the side mirror off., Green became more incoherent and two months after the brawl, he was arrested for screaming about Tyson in public. A Well, Bill passed away. MikeI believe that Mike is one of the hardest punchers in history. Rooney became Tyson's trainer after Atlas left and just before Cus died. Then Mike left Bill Clayton and tried to fire Kevin Rooney. Hows it going? Share. Right away your hands are gonna go up. A I was an ex-professional fighter. MIKE TYSON'S FORMER TRAINER KEVIN ROONEY TALKS ABOUT SON TURNING PRO He was born into it. I think it was Philly, but, Im not really sure. We knew we would great soundbites from Mitch.. Rooney has continued to train fighters, working most notably with Vinny Paz who after being trained by Rooney, won the light middleweight title. Im gonna knock you out or youre gonna knock me outeither way, thats what the people want to see. Its Comedy Central. "I heard Kevin Rooney say, 'work with him, he's a kid,'" Blyweiss recounted. Its another thing to actually know what youre doing. Bill Cayton was a very honest man, had a lot of integrity. Q As long as were talking about money, people will say Mike Tyson earned between $200-$400 million dollars in his career. A guy that punches fast and hard, you got a guy that punches hard, well youre a tough guy all right, well, so what? And then wed go to a health club at night. Answer (1 of 3): Mike Tyson had the perfect skill set for the style Cus D'Amato devised for Floyd Patterson, and Kevin Rooney, who trained Mike at his peak from 16 to being fired in 1988 when Mike was 22, was the perfect trainer to hone that style. 0. A lot of guys. When he was with Jimmy Jacobs, Bill Cayton, and Steve Watt, he was the man. Thats what we need. But, Bill Cayton was really the brains behind the whole operation. I mean, every day they took a beating every day. I try to teach my kids to be elusive. They broke up and Mike went with King. Then he knocked out Tyrell Biggs. Rooney trained at the Police Athletic Leagues 120th Precinct in Staten Island, New York. 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. Several successful boxing trainers, including Teddy Atlas and Kevin Rooney, were tutored by D'Amato. We could make a lot of money. It would have been a helluva fight. Former professional boxer turned coach Kevin Rooney is best known for training Mike Tyson for six years during the prime of Tyson's career. He has so much potential. loss. And then the logical fan says wait a minute! A Comedy Centrals, which is good for boxing. Q Are you in contact with Mike Tyson today? We got Vito Auntefurmo, former Middleweight Champion of the world. People are still memorized by him. As a result, we will never know how good Mike Tyson could have been. Other Interests Automotive Comedy Unsolved Mysteries Political Hopefuls State Fair 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. Headlining the show will be an intriguing ten round showdown between jr. welterweight prospects, The Mongolian Mongoose Bayan Jargal (15-1-3, 10KOs) and Khanqueror Breidis Prescott (23-2, 19KOs). I remember he used to stand in front of the mirror throwing uppercuts for like 15 minutes. He knew where the money was, lets put it that way. 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. Kevin Rooney (born May 4, 1956, in Staten Island, New York) is an American boxing trainer. Jimmy was more street-wise then Bill. And why? Check this out Because he was elusive. 4 West Red Oak Lane, Suite 312 - White Plains, NY 10604
But a trainer for one of the other fighters was getting really upset about this. (Laughs). He punches harder than Rocky. Then he fought Tony Tubbs in Japan he starched him in two rounds. Alright. He didnt even get paid. Then I had Tyson. Hes very smart when it comes to numbers. If you can out point me, good for you. (Laughs). 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. Punch and move. Tickets are priced at $80, $50 and $35. Hey Mike, guess what? He never calls me. And then we'd go to the gym. Kevin Rooney: 1966, 67, 68, in that time frame. Uncategorized. So it was odd that the fighter from Huntington, L.I., said he hadn't considered what the day after his welterweight title fight with . Ive said this before and Ill say it you, whats wrong right now is that ABC, CBS and NBC dont show any fights anymore. People dont recognize Bill cause he was like the Quiet man. Youre gonna do this and youre gonna wanna do that. He is learning in there, you can see he is trying to take what I teach him and tell him and use it in the ring, and that is a good thing. A I know how to weave and slip. A lot of it revolved around Mike dodging the punches coming at him. But Green never forgot his beef with Tyson. Were not getting any publicity anymore. Mike goes out there and rips, rips body shots. I knocked you out. Thomas Hays is his name. Sources have confirmed to Skysports.com Blood unhinged and desperate lost the plot after seeing his own blood at an attempted TV comedy sketch which went horribly wrong. He was like Behind-the-scenes where Jimmy was like an Up-Front man. Heybe quiet! Thats one thing. He was claiming that King had robbed him of $100 million dollars. My agent that I had for 2 years, its the first gig hes gotten me. He was. You got money one day. The fights would have been interesting. So, I started teaching all these guys. Thats a difficult combination to deal with. BoxingInsider: When do you believe Ali was at his prime and what would your strategy be for Mike vs. Ali? Nothe great Shelly Finkel made him settle for $14 million dollars where hes paid off in increments of $3 million here, $3 million there, for, I dont know, 2 or 3 years, is how I remember it. He was just looking to make money, and he was making money with Tyson. The Outsider: Opportunity knocks for Kevin Lerena. Whoa! A fight erupted - Green was photographed with a swollen eye, Tyson sustained a fracture to his hand which postponed an upcoming title defence against Britains Frank Bruno. This guy was a genius. So that Mike Tyson, if he didnt cross channels and went with Don King, he would have gone down as the greatest heavyweight in history. Then, I got hit in 1996, 1997, whenever it was, I had to pay $800,000 to the government. Tyson had not abandoned his training yet, although he had already witnessed what being Champ meant. In 1997 Green sued Tyson for $25m over that brawl but was awarded just $45,000. Before the untold story of Greens wild locker room brawl, you need to know the story behind his infamous feud with the former heavyweight champion. Sorry, but thats just the breaks. He knows what hes doing. 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. loss. When I had Mike we were in training camp for five weeks. What Ive said do you before is Bill was the guy that was calling all the shots from behind-the-scenes. Then Mike left Bill Clayton and tried to fire Kevin Rooney. Hes fighting this guy Willie Grubbs out of Philly. Perhaps most shockingly is that, after Blood and the trainer that attacked him were pulled apart and the blood was wiped away, cooler heads prevailed. Ill never forget it. Cus died when he was 11-0. BoxingInsider: Didnt sparring guys come to the gym, see Mike punch, then leave the gym? A O.K. In 1993 TV presenter Marc Middleton had a weekly comedy segment called Marcs Monday Match-up on US television. Then he knocked out Michael Spinks in 90 seconds. The best thing about it was these guys couldnt hit him. He should never have had the loss. Q How did you get to be a trainer? People are still memorized by him. The only person that could, take any money out of Mike Tysons accounts was Mike Tyson. We call him the greatest fighter ever, he took a helluva shot. I was educated under Cus DAmato. But Jimmy was more like a jock, an athlete cause he was a handball player, where Bill was like a businessman. 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. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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. But Jimmy was like, How you doin? Whats up? We got Vito Auntefurmo, former Middleweight Champion of the world. Hes fighting for the USBA Middleweight Championship. Get rid of everybody. Im sore. Mitch was wearing wrap-around sunglasses, which broke, and it cut him. A I know how to weave and slip. You dont see that no more. Photos of a battered Mitch Blood Green appeared in the next days newspaper. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Mohegan Sun Box Office. Give Kevin Rooney eight weeks with a truly rededicated Mike Tyson and he whips any top ten heavyweight in the world active or . I had him in with my pro cruiserweight, Nasi Hani. So, Ill be on my toes for that. The guy bolted into his apartment and came back blasting.. They dont want to see this tap, tap and the referee jump in and break, break and give em all those hand signals. The only person that could, take any money out of Mike Tysons accounts was Mike Tyson. (Laughs). Q And youre right in the middle! I really dont know whats going to go on. Hes going across Europe. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Rooney wins $4.4 million in lawsuit against Tyson [AP]", Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kevin_Rooney_(boxer)&oldid=1141853459, BLP articles lacking sources from April 2019, Pages with login required references or sources, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 04:30. ESPN does their Friday night shows but they do half a year and then they take off. Kevin Lerena explains to Thomas Gerbasi how a call from Frank Warren convinced him to pack his bags Everybody was in the office it wasnt big enough for multiple grown men especially nine fighters plus their trainers! Bill fought to make the Spinks fight where he got $21 million dollarsat that point the largest purse that anyone had ever got. He never dogged it, he never quit. Do you ever speak to him? Willie Pep is a Q Kevin, whats this Punch line Show all about? I run it. But, he went along with it. He defeated Kevin Higgins of West Point in the finals. 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. 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.. American people are likelets mix it up. He was just talking a lot and I really thought he was grabbing for my pockets, so I pulled my pockets out because if he ripped my pants all the money would fall and I wouldnt have a chance to get my money so Id have to fight this cat and then my money is to the wolves. A Thats a good analogy, cause I really dont know. Lets just go back to the basics. Mike Tyson came and cleaned up boxing because of Cus. He was a basketball player on the high school team, star guard. So, the moneys gone. Im guessin hes gonna make $50,000$100,000. Kevin Rooney is pretty sure that Mike Tyson, for the first time in his life, gave in to those other voices during his stunning loss to Buster Douglas last Saturday night. (Laughs). A I own a gym. Full-on donkey kong in this office! Butthis is now. Youre not gonna stand there and say, hit me again. But, he put Jimmy Jacobs and Bill Cayton in charge. There was a guy who would stay in there and give Mike the work, but then took a beating. I really dont know whats going to go on. "Rooney is laughing it off, not paying too much attention. He was a great, great businessman. So, I was educated under the absolute best. Rooney Jr., is trained and managed by his father, Kevin Rooney Sr., who after having a very respectable professional boxing career of his own, took over the reins from Cus D Amato and lead Mike Tyson to become the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. Itd be a really popular boxing book . (Laughs). When did he die? Then all the sudden youre like, who, who, damn, wait a minute. He was barred from going near Tyson for the next 30 days, according to the LA Times. Marc was asking the promoter of the event: Mitch is okay, right?, We bought a Don King wig for Marc to wear, to make Mitch mad!. Mike picked that up right away. What do you mean? Was he referring to the balding guy who once trained Mike Tyson, guiding him to a heavyweight championship in 1986? Mike punched hard. But, Jimmy Jacobs and Bill Cayton had tied all that money up where nobody could touch it, nobody but Mike. (Laughs). Thats how I was in the ring, thats how I want all my fighters to be. The former heavyweight champion is in Saudi Arabia to watch the grudge match. Everyone went to Pay Per View. I got a few young kids that come in, but, Ive reached the point where o.k. StopDucking, Feb 1, 2021. Then Don King stepped into the picture. So, thats that. Kevin Rooney may refer to: Kevin Rooney (comedian) Kevin Rooney (boxer) Kevin Rooney (ice hockey) Kevin J. Rooney, American politician. WhoaIm outta here. Knocked em out cold. Thats one thing. It cost him a bullet, according to the book The Bittersweet Science: Mitch slapped a man whod been baiting him about his fights with Tyson. A Well o.k. I would want Mike to put tremendous pressure on him. and our Where, back in 1976, up in Montreal when Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Heerns and the other little kid who was a 112 pounds, I forgot his name. But, Im not gonna cry about it. Then, I got hit in 1996, 1997, whenever it was, I had to pay $800,000 to the government. When my fighters go out there, trust me, if someone knows were fighting Joey Smith, and who has been training him? People would sit down, sit on their couch, have a beer and wanna watch a fight. They were ripping ass. Mike is now supposedly doing like an exhibition tour. (Laughs). It's always a pleasure to listen to Kevin Rooney talk about his old charge Mike Tyson, who in his prime years in the 1980's, was the most exciting, destructive heavyweight force in boxing history. Hes 23-1. Tyson said on the IMPAULSIVE podcast in 2020 he had been arrested 40 times by the time he was 12 years old. That was funny. All those guys I just mentioned they were gonna put a hurtin on you. let me put it this way, here in Catskill, Ive had a couple of kids, this one kid that was and excellent, excellent athlete. Q That would be a big reason why it would never happen. Anyway, Mike was a money machine. He was winning the fight and then he got hit and lost the decision. Mike liked that because he knew the old-time fighters had 100 fights, sometimes 200." Mike Tyson, whose record is 41-1 with 36 knockouts, was 35-0 with 31 knockouts before his split with. You gotta help everybody and anybody as long as theyre honest and truthful. Do you ever speak to him? Were all like, whats happening?! On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Million dollarsat that point the largest purse that anyone had ever got Pep is a q Kevin, whats punch... On US television a second or a trainer to get a license Joey Smith, and has! Ill be on my toes for that when do you before is Bill was like Behind-the-scenes Jimmy! The kevin rooney talks mike tyson of the few people who saw, until now Cus had stayed alive none. Mitchs frustrations a second or a trainer accounts was Mike Tyson could have.... 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