Knockout king Mike Tyson was one of the most feared men on the planet in his prime. Despite his stature as a heavyweight, ‘Iron Mike’ was able to deliver crushing blows to top athletes.
As one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, Tyson is an inspiration for many. With a unique style that is hard to replicate, Tyson really changed the sport forever.
However, despite having an effective arsenal of weapons, one legendary trainer has revealed that there was one aspect of Tyson’s game that he wanted to fix.
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Freddie Roach wanted to address one flaw in Mike Tyson’s game
Boxing legend Freddie Roach has coached some of the finest athletes the sport has ever seen. This includes the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, and Oscar De La Hoya.
Although ‘Iron Mike’ began his career with his Cus D’Amato, who turned Tyson into the fighter he was, the legendary trainer passed away in 1985. This meant that Tyson would go to various coaches, such as Teddy Atlas and Freddie Roach.
Reminiscing on the time Tyson walked into his gym, Roach told Youth Inc. about coaching the knockout artist. The interviewer said, “He [Tyson] needs help with his right hook… That’s why he’s there.” Roach confirmed this as the reason Tyson came to him.
“It [The right hook] was there, but it wasn’t enough,” Roach said. The coach added that the goal was to make Tyson a ‘two-fisted fighter’ as he had previously had a lot of success with his left hook. “He’s better with his left than his right cause he uses it more.”
Roach would even go on to say that he would make Tyson eat his dinner with his right hand as opposed to his left, to get more ‘usage’ from that side.
Mike Tyson won his first fight under Freddie Roach with a right hook
Tyson went to Roach following his 2002 loss to Lennox Lewis. In his next outing, Tyson would return to the ring against Clifford Etienne in 2003.
Remarkably, the punch that Roach talked about amending was the finishing shot of the fight.
After just 49 seconds, a booming right hook for Tyson would catch the chin of Etienne, who went down and out. The win would be the final victory of Tyson’s career.