Thursday, Feb. 6, 2003 | 9:31 a.m.
Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4084.
Mike Tyson has gone through more than his share of trainers, each of whom found the job a challenge.
But his latest handler, the highly acclaimed Freddie Roach, could prove to be a significant asset.
Roach is working with Tyson at the Golden Gloves Gym in preparation for a Feb. 22 fight with Clifford "the Black Rhino" Etienne in Memphis, Tenn. The bout is a critical one for Tyson, who needs a strong showing and a victory to land a June 21 rematch with WBC heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in Las Vegas.
"He wants to be champion again," Roach said Wednesday, speaking of Tyson. "To me, he can't beat the Black Rhino by decision in a lackluster fight. It's not enough to just win, it's got to be impressive and he knows it."
Toward that goal, Roach is pushing Tyson to be at his best and has found the sometimes irascible slugger to be a willing student.
"He told me he really hasn't trained this hard in years," Roach said, adding that he had Tyson throwing up between rounds the other day. "Mike pretty much likes to be the bully but I'm not going to let him. We've had words (but) so far he's responded well.
"He's in great shape."
Tyson, 36, was a little too trim at 222 pounds last week, which has had Roach looking to bulk him up. He's at 228 now and sparring with Lamon Brewster and Friday Ahunanya.
"Mike's waiting for me every morning when I get him at 5:30 for road work," Roach said. "Physically, he's ready for the fight."
Roach has streamlined the training process and Tyson has eliminated some of his distractions.
"He doesn't have an entourage anymore," Roach said. "He drives himself to the gym and we lock the door and go to work."
That type of commitment was what Roach was looking -- and hoping -- for after he accepted the trainer's duties. Calls from Tyson's manager, Shelly Finkel, and Tyson himself persuaded Roach to come up from Los Angeles for a camp that opened Dec. 26.
"I doubted taking this job," he admitted. "I was told Mike was hard to work for, but I've found the opposite to be true. I said, 'Don't waste my time, I'm not going there for a payday or to kiss your a--.' But he's been fine."
Roach, who fought with the legendary Eddie Futch in his corner for nine years, initially wanted to get Tyson in shape, and now that he's past that stage he's working on the fighter's mental conditioning.
"He's hard on himself and he wants to do things perfect," Roach said. "I tell him, 'You're in shape, let your hands go and don't be afraid of getting tired.' "
As for Tyson being on medication, which was the case when he was blown out in eight one-sided rounds by Lewis last June in Memphis, Roach said it appears as if everything is okay.
"We haven't talked about it yet, but I don't think he's on anything," he said. "He's very sharp every day and he's very articulate."
And yet, for all of the good things Roach says he has seen, he knows questions about Tyson's ability can't really be answered until he's actually in a fight.
"As good as he looks now, the gym will never tell you," he said. "If he goes against the Black Rhino and doesn't perform well, it might be time for Mike to think of doing something else."
But Roach is optimistic.
"Mike doesn't have the hand speed he once did, but he still has enough speed and power to beat a lot of the heavyweights out there," he said. "He's not looking to land one shot at a time anymore, and I'm pleased with that."
While many who follow the sport question how much Marquez has left in the tank, he is noticeably bigger than Mosley and realizes this could be his last hurrah.
"I'm not a shot fighter," Marquez, 34-2, said. "I have a chance."
In preparation for the left-handed Marquez, Mosley has been working with an array of southpaws, including former champion Carl Daniels.
Mosley is 38-2 although he has lost his last two fights, each to Vernon Forrest. He expects to get past Marquez, maybe fight again this spring and, perhaps, take on Oscar De La Hoya Sept. 13. The latter fight still has some contractual issues that could prevent it from falling into place, although a De La Hoya vs. Mosley rematch is a likely and logical development.
Kenny Bayless will referee the Mosley-Marquez fight and Joe Cortez will referee the undercard feature, which matches welterweights Andrew Lewis, 22-1-1, and Antonio Margarito, 27-3.
Also scheduled: Kelly Pavlik, 15-0, vs. Ronnie Johnson, 19-15, eight rounds, middleweights; Jose Celaya, 16-1, vs. Norberto Bravo, 11-7-1, eight rounds, welterweights; and Jason Litzau and Allen Litzau, each 1-0, vs. opponents yet to be determined in four-round bouts at 130 pounds.
For more on the Mosley vs. Marquez fight, see Friday's Sun.
Boxing reform legislation is being discussed in Washington D.C. at the U.S. Senate committee level, and promoter Don King spoke out against it Wednesday. "I'm concerned that a federal agency might affect the entrepreneurial spirit of boxing," he said in written testimony as bills by senators John McCain and Harry Reid were debated. ... South Africa's Corrie Sanders, 38-2, gets the assignment of facing Wladimir Klitschko March 8 in Germany. ... The Edgewater in Laughlin canceled a card that had been scheduled for Friday. ... Sam's Town has a Friday card with Emanuel Augustus (26-19-5) looking to protect his IBF No. 3 ranking in a junior welterweight fight with Omar Weis (35-4-3). Welterweights David Estrada (13-0) and Armando Velardez (14-1) are in the primary support bout. ... Ricardo Williams vs. Juan Carlos Rubio is the new undercard feature for the Feb. 15 show at Caesars Palace.
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