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CNN Live Today

Interview with Kevin Rooney, Former Mike Tyson Trainer

Aired June 04, 2002 - 11:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Now news of a man who is very familiar with the inside of a courtroom, and that is boxer Mike Tyson. He has canceled a news conference that was set for this morning. There's just a few days that remain before his big fight with Lennox Lewis in Memphis, Tennessee.

Some of Tyson's handlers say they want him to stay under wraps so that he's not going to generate any new controversy -- not easy for Mike Tyson.

Our Josie Karp knows all about Mike Tyson and the controversy, and she is with us now from Tunica, Mississippi. That is a suburb of Memphis where the boxers are staying before the fight -- Josie, good morning.

JOSIE KARP, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

I don't think anyone was too surprised when we all heard yesterday afternoon about this press conference, originally scheduled for this morning, had been canceled. There's been no real official word from anyone in Mike Tyson's camp as to why Mike Tyson won't come out and answer questions from the media.

But you can make a pretty educated guess. If you go back and you look at recent history, everything that's happened when Mike Tyson has stood up and had a chance to express his opinions in front of microphones and on cameras. Back in January, at a press conference in New York, to originally announce his fight with Lennox Lewis, Tyson touched off a brawl. During that brawl he ended up biting Lennox Lewis. And after that, the fight originally scheduled for the first week in April in Las Vegas had to be canceled.

Then you go back about a month ago. Mike Tyson was training in Hawaii. He had reporters from both the broadcast and print side of things out to Maui to interview him. And after those sessions, the fight was still on, but many people were questioning Mike Tyson's state of mind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE TYSON, BOXER: I'm in a lot of pain, too. You know I'm just in pain that I'm going to have for the rest of my life. And by some way, the littlest part, I'm trying to give some of that pain to you all. You know, sometimes you guys you have no pride. So it doesn't matter what I say, it doesn't affect you guys, because you guys don't care about nothing but money. So every now and then I kick your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) ass and stomp on you and put some kind of pain, inflict some kind of pain on you because you deserve to feel the pain, some of the pain that I feel.

I wish one of you guys had children, so that I could kick them in the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) head and stomp on their testicles, so you can feel my pain. Because that's the pain I have waking up every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARP: Although there is no longer any formal session scheduled to talk to Mike Tyson and ask him questions, there is still scheduled media availability this afternoon, when Mike Tyson will hold a media workout. He's scheduled to spar, and that's when cameras will be allowed to videotape him and we'll get a chance to see Mike Tyson.

And it's not as if he's been completely reclusive since he arrived here in this area. Over the weekend and yesterday he worked out at a local gym, and several people found out about it, including a group of gay and lesbian rights activists. Mike Tyson drove up, he got out of his SUV, he went up to one of the picketers, he gave the guy a hug and he said, "I'm not homophobic." And it was after that that one of his trainers indicated that he wanted things to get shut down a little bit more and for Mike Tyson to be a little bit more private -- Daryn, that's the news here in Tunica, back to you.

KAGAN: Josie, it's like the guy can't help himself. Even just walking from the car into a building he makes news. We're seeing those pictures that you were talking about right now, where he went over and hugged the activist. So you're going to be later today at that public workout that he plans to hold, if it still stays open?

KARP: Yes. It's a media workout, and we'll be present there. And if anything happens there -- there's always the chance, as you point out, that he can't resist himself, that he might say something. So we might have something to report there.

KAGAN: Well especially if he sees you, Josie, because from when you took that trip over to Hawaii and you had those very interesting comments.

KARP: Well I think I've had my turn. It might be somebody else this time.

KAGAN: And that would be one story I'm sure you would be more than happy just to pass on. Why don't you go talk to him over there?

KARP: Pass the baton.

KAGAN: OK. Stand by with this, because we are going to keep talking about this. We want to bring someone else in here for our discussion. And one boxing writer says that Tyson -- that this fight is arguably the biggest event in Memphis since Elvis died there 25 years ago this summer. Well, that's possible.

There still are a lot of tickets on sale and lots of controversy surrounding Tyson, as always. What makes him tick? One man with some insight is former Tyson trainer Kevin Rooney. He worked with the fighter in the '80s before, well, Tyson fired him. It is a temptuous (ph) relationship, and he joins us today -- good morning. Thanks for joining us, Kevin.

KEVIN ROONEY, FORMER TYSON TRAINER: Good morning.

KAGAN: Are you surprised of this decision to kind of keep the quiet lip on Mike Tyson; to try to keep him from the media for now?

ROONEY: No, not really. It's a publicity move, that's what I think. Most of the things that Tyson has been saying, the stupid stuff, he's feeling the pressure from the media. And the media has been on him since...

KAGAN: It's our fault he's saying things like that, Kevin? Come on.

ROONEY: No, no, no. Did I say it was your fault?

KAGAN: Yes, you said it's pressure from the media.

ROONEY: No, I'm saying he's feeling the pressure from the media because the media has been on him since 1990. So when he gets the same questions over and over, he has a tendency to, you know, go off.

KAGAN: To mouth off. But clearly...

ROONEY: It's a two-way street. You can't stand and say, oh, Mike -- we can say whatever we want, and then if Mike gets mad, well then we're not partly to fault. It's all Mike's fault. I'm not saying it's your fault, I'm saying it's partly some of the reporters.

When he went off in that press conference down in New York, some reporter was telling him, "You belong in a straight jacket. You belong in a straight jacket." And that's when he went off.

KAGAN: Yes, but Kevin, that was after he already let loose on Lennox Lewis and his people.

ROONEY: Yes, that was staged. They were supposed to do that.

KAGAN: For the publicity, they were doing it -- clearly.

ROONEY: Mike threw the left hook at the bodyguard. He completely missed him.

KAGAN: Kevin, clearly there are bigger problems with Mike Tyson and the potential that he had to be one of the greatest boxers of all time. Clearly, there are bigger problems there than just questions from tough reporters.

ROONEY: I won't go that deep. Everyone is a psychologist now. You know -- yes, Mike grew up tough. Mike, you know, he -- he's a good fighter, he's a good fighter. He should have been the greatest heavyweight ever.

KAGAN: Exactly. He was more than a good fighter. As somebody like you, who was so close to this incredible talent, that saw it up close, closer than any of us ever will that are talking today, doesn't it just break your heart in terms of somebody who loves the sport of boxing of what could have been if he kept his act together just a little bit more?

ROONEY: Well it doesn't break my heart. I mean, I think about it every once in a while. He could have been the greatest and he could have made a ton of money. And I in turn could have made a ton of money. But I just feel -- I feel bad for Mike because he -- you know, when he went with Don King, that was the beginning of the end. When he first married Robin Givens, that was the beginning of the end.

KAGAN: Well, and that's also about the time that he fired you too. So we should point that out, right?

ROONEY: Well -- no, Don King fired me because I said that Don King was trying to muscle his way in. And then there was a lawsuit and that took two years to be resolved and be resolved in my favor. So I didn't go out like nothing.

KAGAN: Let's get your insight for the fight this weekend: Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson. Lennox Lewis a lot bigger than Mike Tyson. I looked into sports talk radio yesterday, and Evander Holyfield was on and he was saying that he favors Mike Tyson just because of the different styles of these boxers.

ROONEY: Well, I think that Mike is the harder puncher -- I know he's a harder puncher. And I just feel that sooner or later Mike is going to hit him on the chin and he can knock him out.

KAGAN: Really? You're predicting a TKO? How many rounds?

ROONEY: Well, I would bet on a one-round knockout, get the odds. I'd bet under five rounds. The over-under is five rounds, I was told.

KAGAN: First round knockout, that's what you're predicting?

ROONEY: No, you're not listening to me. I said I would bet on first-round knockout. But you're getting three to four odds -- three to four one odds. I'd bet on under-over to five rounds, and then I'd bet on Mike to win the fight.

People are saying, "Oh, Mike can't go the 12 rounds." People are forgetting he went with Tony Tucker back in '87. He went with a couple of other fighters.

KAGAN: Are you going to be there, Kevin?

ROONEY: No, I won't be there. I'm not going to go to Memphis.

KAGAN: You won't be there. Pay per view? You'll be watching -- come on, you've got to watch.

ROONEY: Oh, yes, I'm going to watch it. There's no question about that.

KAGAN: All right.

ROONEY: And I'm rooting for him. I always root for him.

KAGAN: OK. Well I'm sure he appreciates your good wishes. Kevin Rooney, thanks for joining us on that.

ROONEY: Thank you.

KAGAN: Josie, let me bring you back. Is it true there still are tickets available for this bout?

KARP: Yes, it came out recently that some of the tickets that had been announced originally as a sell out right when the tickets first went on sale. But according to some reports, because of the large contingent of people they expected to travel from Great Britain to see Lennox Lewis decided not to come, that there are still tickets available at many different price levels.

KAGAN: All right. We know you'll be there working as a reporter. Josie Karp, lay low.

KARP: I'll try for now.

KAGAN: Very good. And Kevin Rooney, thanks to both of you.

ROONEY: You mean Monday after the fight?

KAGAN: You want to stop by Monday after the fight to talk about -- all right, Kevin, we would love to have you. We'll talk to you Monday after the fight and we'll break it down.

ROONEY: OK.

KAGAN: OK. I love a guest that just invites himself to come back. We will have him Monday.

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