Back to basics
New trainer looking for Tyson to recapture old style
Posted: Tuesday December 22, 1998 09:53 PM
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Brooks joined Tyson's camp as head trainer without any thought of remaking the man who once was the most feared heavyweight in the world Vincent Laforet/Allsport |
NEW YORK (AP) -- Trainer Tommy Brooks is looking for a return of the old Mike Tyson when the former heavyweight champion makes his comeback next month.
"In order for him to be successful again, to regain the title, we have to go back to the old style," Brooks said of Tyson (45-3 with 39 knockouts), who has not fought since being disqualified for biting Evander Holyfield's ears in their rematch in June 1997.
Tyson was banned by boxing for a year before having his license returned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission two months ago.
"We are looking to get that head movement, nonstop punching and stepping aside and around his opponent back," Brooks said during a conference call on Tuesday from Scottsdale, Arizona, where Tyson is training for his January 16 fight against South Africa's Francois Botha in Las Vegas.
Brooks joined Tyson's camp as head trainer seven weeks ago without any thought of remaking the man who once was the most feared heavyweight in the world.
"When you are a new trainer, what I've been concentrating on is not trying to change his style but working to get back to the Mike Tyson of old," Brooks said. "I was worried that I might not have enough time, but he showed me he was taking everything in that we were working on. He was putting his punches together in bunches and not trying to take him out in one punch. He was not squaring up."
Brooks was in Holyfield's corner for his two victories over Tyson. In the rematch, Brooks remembers sensing Tyson's growing frustration before snapping and biting Holyfield's ear to get disqualified in the third round.
"The thing that happened to Mike was he wasn't in shape and he was getting hit by punches that he didn't think he could get hit by and he just lost it," Brooks said.
"He was going back to his corner and not getting any help. He lost his confidence in his corner. They weren't telling him anything. He had no program"
That won't happen this time.
"We've have been doing our homework on this guy," Brooks said of Botha (39-1, with 24 KOs). "We are going to capitalize on what we can do best and just going to take it to him."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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