By: James Blears
Former triple world champion Aussie Jeff Fenech has revitalized Mike Tyson, coaching and coaxing him to peak fitness for the first time in ages in order to prepare him for his DC fight against Kevin McBride.
At the workout in the Burr Gym at Howard University, Jeff Fenech took him through a pads session. Most notable is the multi combinations to those pads held at midsection height towards the end of each of the five rounds, so Mike built up to a crescendo for a full final minute to really earn his sixty of respite.
And as Mike threw hooks and uppercuts, Jeff Fenech several times neatly tapped him in his ribcage to tighten up his defense using tucked in elbows.
James Blears was ringside when Jeff Fenech told the assembled:
“Physically and mentally my job, when I came was to make Mike happy, make him enjoy training. He has done that tremendously. I have no fears whatsoever. Whatever happens in round one to ten Mike Tyson will be fully in control of his emotions, his actions, and everything every thing will happen to be a successful night.”
Jeff Fenech then gave James Blears this one on one interview.
Jeff Fenech how do you assess Mike Tyson? You walked out on him once. But he wasn’t doing his work, and being responsible at that time.
Jeff Fenech: It’s not that he wasn’t being responsible. Mike’s always responsible. I just feel that at that time he didn’t want to fight. And I’m Mike’s friend. I’m not there for money or anything else and no fame. I’m here to help Mike, and I just thought he didn’t he want to fight, so I wasn’t there.
JM: No one is the same at 39 as they are at eighteen or twenty. What percentage of Mike do you need now to make him heavyweight champion again.
Jeff Fenech: Seventy or eighty percent we’re going to do quite easily. After this preparation, you’re going to see that Mike is going to start enjoying himself again. He’s going to think that he doesn’t have to rush, and when he does, you’ll see the best of Mike Tyson.
BoxingScene.com: You’re a student of boxing, and you’ve been a triple world champion yourself. How would you assess Mike’s place in the history of the heavyweight division?
Jeff Fenech: All eras are different, but if I was a betting man, if Mike came up against anyone be it Muhammad Ali, George Foreman - any of those guys, my money would be on Mike Tyson. Mike as a youngster punched more frequently than any other heavyweight with as much or even more power than any other heavyweight. And it was that speed factor, that when he hit you, you didn’t see it coming. And that in itself puts him amongst the greatest. Had he not gone off the rails and not gone to jail, he would have been the greatest heavyweight of all time.
BoxingScene.com: But your job is to get him back, and few people win a world title at almost forty. How are you going to pull it off.
Jeff Fenech: My job is to make Mike happy. When he’s happy, he comes to the gym every day. That’s what’s been missing in the past. When Mike gets a little bit unhappy, he doesn’t go to the gym. With me, he’s been here most days training tremendously well. You’ll see a different Mike Tyson. Not a better Mike Tyson, but a much more patient Mike Tyson. With patience comes greatness. It’s the smart guys who win fights, not tough guys.
BoxingScene.com: But Jeff Fenech in a sense you are different, because you called it a day quite early. You’re now only two years older than Mike Tyson. Why did you call it a day and Mike is still fighting.
Jeff Fenech: I had really bad hands at the end of my career and it just wasn’t the same for me. I was getting hit and all of a sudden it started hurting, where I was never hurt as a youngster. I fought everyone, I sparred with light heavyweights, never got hurt and I tried it one more time and when it didn’t work I was quite happy to take my exuberance and my work ethic from the boxing ring out of there into the work field and I’m successful in business today and I’m successful as a trainer.
BoxingScene.com: You’re taking a heck of a risk, but life is a risk too. Do you think it’s going to pay off and Mike Tyson will be champion of the world again?
Jeff Fenech: My gamble if it is a gamble has already paid off. Mike is a happy man. He’s my friend. I’m not here for fame or fortune, I’m here to make my friend happy and hopefully I can continue with that way.
BoxingScene.com: But you also said that I’m going to get my friend in shape. He’s not going to embarrass himself in the ring. Have you done your job?
Jeff Fenech: I’ll never let that happen. If I have to jump in the ring and they throw me and disqualify me to save my friend I’ll do that, but Mike will never be disgraced again. There will be no excuses. Whatever happens will happen out there, but you’re going to see some old glimpses of Mike Tyson.
BoxingScene.com: You’ve got the head movement back, you’ve got the body movement, the swiveling from the hips. Are you able to re-capture the Mike Tyson who was so elusive and so difficult to hit?
Jeff Fenech: We’ll have to wait and see, but I’m very confident you are going to see a lot of great things coming out of Mike Tyson. If it happens too early we won’t be seeing too much, because I believe that in the frame of mind Mike’s in, if he does what I’m asking him to do we might be out of there in a round.
BoxingScene.com: But he’s not a three round fighter, you got him sparring lots of rounds.
Jeff Fenech: Oh he’s been sparring six and eight rounds. He sparred an unbelievable six rounds the other day and in the last of those rounds he threw one hundred and twenty punches, which is a lot for a heavyweight, so I’m very happy with Mike Tyson.
BoxingScene.com: You know there’s a lot of cynics that say he’s a washed up fighter. What would you say to them?
Jeff Fenech: I don’t care what they say. I’m here to help my friend. My friend is here respecting me, giving the best he can. If we both do our best, we’ve won anyway. Without stepping in the ring Mike Tyson is a winner. Did you hear how he spoke today? How respectful that man is? He’s a new man, Mike Tyson is a different person. And that’s the person I’ve always known. That’s why I’ve always supported him.
