'Mike Tyson will fight again next year' - coach claims Roy Jones Jr. fight isn't one-off
Mike Tyson's coach Rafael Cordeiro has claimed that the former's upcoming exhibition boxing match against Roy Jones Jr. isn't a one-off affair. Cordeiro claims that the fight against Jones Jr. is the 'first of many' for the 54-year-old boxing legend.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Cordeiro claimed that Mike Tyson wants to continue fighting and will be seen in action again next year. Tyson's coach further stated that the former undisputed world heavyweight champion is leading the Legends Only League in the United States and will be the face of the organization.
“This will be the first of many,” Cordeiro said. “He wants to continue being active, he wants to continue fighting. He’s leading the Legends Only League in the United States, he will be the face of this organization. We’ll see Mike Tyson in action again next year.”
Rafael Cordeiro said that he was pleasantly surprised when Tyson’s business partner and CEO of Tyson Ranch, Rob Hickman, initially spoke to him about training The Baddest Man on the Planet. Cordeiro praised his star pupil for still having the same hunger to fight as he did in his prime.
Mike Tyson still hits with immense power
Mike Tyson is evidently training very hard for the fight and looks in phenomenal shape as he prepares for his comeback fight against Jones Jr. Speaking about Tyson's training, Cordeiro stated that the former absolutely shocked him with how good he still is at this age, more than 15 years since retiring.
Having held pads for Mike Tyson, Cordeiro said that the boxer's right hook "could kill someone."
"As soon as we started training I said ‘My Lord'. I didn’t know what to expect from a guy who hasn’t hit mitts for – I think – almost ten years. So I didn’t expect to see what I saw – I saw a guy with the same speed, the same power as a guy who is 21, 22-years-old. And I can tell; you would have to be a good guy to spar with Mike, because if you don’t prepare, he is going to drop you for sure – 100%. The power is different level. I have trained a lot of heavyweights in my career, with not a lot of respect for everybody, but he is almost as powerful as Wanderlei Silva is right now. When you talk about power, I held his right hook and thought ‘he is going to kill somebody’.”
Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. is an exhibition boxing match set to take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on November 28.