By Allan Fox: Trainer Rafael Cordeiro believes that 53-year-old Mike Tyson has the speed and power of that of a fighter in his 20s. He thinks that former IBF/WBA/WBC heavyweight champion Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) has the talent to fight against anyone in boxing if he workout for six months.
Cordeiro was amazed at how much speed, power, and technique that Tyson showed in their first workout together. He wasn’t expecting the kind of ability from Tyson given how long it had been since he’d trained.
After all, Tyson hadn’t fought since losing to little known 2nd tier fighter Kevin McBride by a sixth-round stoppage in 2005. Tyson was viewed as a washed-up fighter following that defeat, and not surprisingly, he hung up his gloves and walked away from the sport.
Tyson is working out to get ready for a charity exhibition match. As f now, there are no plans for Tyson to return to boxing. At 53, it would be difficult for Tyson to return after being out of the ring for so long.
Cordeiro didn’t know what to expect from Tyson
“He hasn’t hit mitts for almost 10 years. So I didn’t expect to see what I saw. I saw a guy with the same speed, same power as guys 21, 22 years old,” said Cordeiro to ESPN MMA on holding mitts for Tyson.
“As soon as we started training, I didn’t know what to expect from the guy,” said Cordeiro on holding the mitts for Tyson the first time. “He hadn’t hit mitts for almost 10 years. It has to be a good guy to spar with him becaus if it’s not a good guy, he’s going to drop 100 percent.
“When I feel his right hook, I think, ‘He can kill somebody.’ Three weeks in a row” said Cordeiro when asked how long he’s been working out with Tyson. “He’s 53-yeas-old, but when he puts his body inside the ring, he changes. Sometimes five rounds and sometimes seven. It’s up to him [how many rounds Tyson wants to hit mitt].”
There no heavyweights in the current top 15 in the division that has Tyson’s hand speed and technique. There may be a couple that can hit as hard or harder than Tyson, but none of them can match him for speed or inside fighting ability.
It’s unclear why Tyson chose the MMA trainer Cordeiro to workout with rather than someone from a boxing background. There’s a vast difference between working with an MMA guy and a boxing trainer.
If Tyson is planning on returning to the ring for a professional fight, he will do well to consider finding a trainer with a background in boxing. Cordeiro would be great if Tyson wanted to fight in the octagon, but that’s probably not what he has in mind.
In watching the video of Tyson workout on the mitts, Cordeiro appeared to bail quickly after Tyson landed a series of left hooks on his pads. If Tyson is going to continue to work out, he needs an experienced boxing trainer that can stand in there and not flee during the pad work.
Tyson can come back in six months
“I don’t know but what I can tell you whatever he wants to do in the future,” he’ll be prepared 100%,” said Cordeiro when asked if Tyson is planning on making a comeback.
“He can do both [boxing or MMA]. If he wants to come back to boxing, for sure. Give him six months and he can fight against anyone. This was the first mitts [that Tyson had worked out in 10 years]. Can you imagine after three weeks?”
For Tyson to make a comeback to fight the top heavyweights, he would need to fight a series of tune-up fights to get ready for those types of guys. The boxing public won’t take Tyson seriously unless he takes some warmup fights against respectable heavyweights with talent.
If Tyson goes straight into a fight against Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua, people will view it was a money grab, and they won’t be nearly as interested. Boxing fans WILL be interested in seeing Tyson fight one of the top heavyweights even if he doesn’t take a tune-up fight, but they would be more inclined to want to pay to see him fight if he proves himself first.
These would be good tune-up opponents for Mike Tyson to fight to prepare for the likes of Fury, Wilder, or Joshua.
- Tom Schwarz
- Otto Wallin
- Charles Martin
- Fujimoto Kyotaro
- Robert Helenius
- Zhang Zhilei
- Adam Kownacki
- Michael Hunter
These are good B-level heavyweights that would help Tyson prepare for what he would be dealing with when he steps it up against the A-level guys.
Cordeiro was worried the first time he held mitts for Tyson
“Every time I hold the mitts, I like to hold them next to my face,” said Cordeiro. “The first time, I saw his right hook, and I was my whole life. I’m going to die. Every time I hold the mitts, he pushes me outside of the mat. He puts pressure, pressure, pressure.
“As everyone knows, Mike Tyson’s game is pressure. The same way he fights is the same way he trains. Something is going to happen, but on pay-per-view,” said Cordeiro about Tyson’s charity match. “Can you imagine a third fight against Evander Holyfield?”
The way that Cordeiro holds his mitts near his face is a risky thing for him to do against a puncher like Tyson or any heavyweight. Again, Tyson needs a trainer from a boxing background if he wants to prepare for a comeback.
If Cordeiro is going to be the guy to get him ready, Tyson may not find the success that he wants. Even holding the mitts, it looked like Cordeiro was out of his league with Tyson. ‘Iron Mike’ needs an established trainer from boxing to get him ready for a comeback if he chooses to go that route.
It’s highly unlikely that Tyson would think about returning to boxing to take on the elite level heavyweights like Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, or Deontay Wilder. Those are tall heavyweights, and they’re a lot younger than the 53-year-old Tyson.
With that said, if Tyson were able to get in close to land his powerful shots to the head and body of Fury, Wilder, or Joshua, he’s hurt them and potentially knock them out.
Kellerman doubts Tyson can make a comeback
“Not a real comeback against top heavyweights. That’s not going to happen for a bunch of reasons,” said Max Kellerman to ESPN on Mike Tyson. “Mike is 53-years-old. Yes, he’s still fast and hits hard, but nearly as fast and hard as he was as a young man. The reason it’s hard to tell is that at that level, it still looks fast and powerful compared to everyone else in the world.
“But not compared to the top heavyweights that are now 30 and 40 pounds bigger than when Mike Tyson fought. Fifteen years ago, Tyson lost to Kevin McBride, who went on to lose six of his next eight fights because he started fighting better competition once he beat Tyson. Six of his next eight, and Tyson was coming off of a loss [to Danny Williams] when he lost to McBride.
“That was 15 years ago. Remember when [Major Leauge Baseball pitcher] Jim Palmer wanted to make a comeback? It was like, ‘Jim; you didn’t retire because you were still good.
“You retired because you couldn’t get guys out anymore like he used to. So why all these years later, you think you’re going to come back when you can’t throw the fastball the same way?’ That’s the type of situation this is.
“But to Mike Tyson’s great credit, and you have to measure People by the distance traveled, from where Mike Tyson started, and he had ups and downs in his career, what a second act Mike Tyson is having as a human being.
“It’s fantastic. I never thought he’d be alive this long, and I’m glad he is. And what the’s talking about is a charity match to raise money for people who need it. That’s what he’s talking about.
“George Foreman started his comeback the same way and wound up fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world. And if Mike Tyson were to so something like that, it would be even more fantastic and amazing than what Foreman did.
“I really don’t think that’s what this is about. Tyson is an athlete, he wants to get his body moving, and he wants to raise money to help people and give them a show. I think his head is in the right place about that,” said Kellerman.
Tyson can’t compete against the best
“No chance [Tyson can hang with the top heavyweights today], but what he could do is get in great shape,” said Kellerman on Tyson. “The problem with an exhibition is it’s not like Muhammad Ali in which he’s going to clown and take it easy on the guy. Mike Tyson only has one speed. So if you’re getting in with Mike Tyson in an exhibition, it’s like Rocky Balboa getting in with ‘Thunder Lips’ in Rocky 3.
“That’s the name of the game. He’s going to hurt you, so that part is tough. But no, Mike Tyson cannot compete against the best heavyweights in the world 25 years after he was at his best when they’re 30 and 40 pounds bigger than they ever were, and he hasn’t fought in 15 years,” said Kellerman on Tyson.