Mike Tyson Trainer Trauma, Bring Back Sacked Kevin Rooney For Last Hurrah Against Roy Jones
Kumbaya, holding hands reunion heals some if not all psychic wounds of yore
In England they refer to someone getting canned as being “sacked” or being “made redundant.” Don King’s preferred expression was that a person was a “FMF.” meaning a fired mother plucker.
One of boxing’s most infamous separations from gainful employment came in 1988 when cantankerous Kevin Rooney, Keeper of the Cus D’Amato fistic flame, was axed by undefeated and undisputed world heavyweight champion Iron Mike Tyson.
Unwittingly, I played the role of messenger for Boss Tyson through the pages of my then employer, New York Post.
The backdrop was that newlywed Tyson, goofy in love with actress Robin Givens and shadowed by zany mother in law Ruth Roper, was being told by them and others that he was a manic depressive who needed constant medication.
See Tyson on egomaniacal rant about his greatness.
The lack of domestic bliss came to a head one day at Tyson’s million dollar plus mansion in tony Bernardsville, New Jersey. Rockin’ Robin and Ruthless Ruth said that Tyson threw a horrible temper tantrum which peaked with the champ throwing furniture and other missiles into a roaring fireplace.
Divorce lawyers were summoned on speed dial and it was obvious the celebrity couple was not on the rocks but fragmented beyond repair.
If ever there was a time for Rooney, who mistakenly thought co manager Bill Cayton had his back, to keep his motormouth sealed, this was it but Rooney could not keep his pie hole sealed.
Rooney did a backyard interview with ESPN in which he verbally blasted the mother and daughter and vulture King circling relentlessly and Tyson blew a gasket.
I was at The Post’s newsroom when Tyson rang me up and made it plain that Rooney had “betrayed” him and was being replaced as head trainer. I was reminded of a remark Tyson had made to me about King’s pursuit.
“They say King is a snake,” Tyson said with Rooney listening in at the old gym above the Catskill police station (where D”Amato had more or less adopted a 13 year old Tyson.)
“But Cus taught me to deal with a snake, keep it in a room with the lights on,” Tyson said as Rooney nodded his assent.
Anyway, back to the axing of Rooney. I wanted to give the trainer the news and get his reaction but I couldn’t reach him in Catskill or on Staten Island. Then came the TYSON FIRES ROONEY POST EXCLUSIVE headlines.
Suddenly, there was no D’Amato voice, no Cus echoes in Tyson’s ear although friend Jay Bright tried and failed to fill such a role. It wasn’t anything like when Teddy Atlas voluntarily split from Team Tyson and Cus tapped Rooney to take over.
But Rooney wanted to shoot me, the media messenger.
Would Rooney’s continued presence have prevented the Tokyo KO loss to James “Buster” Douglas or the ear-biting meltdown against Evander Holyfield? I doubt it but we will never know.
Rooney is age 64 now and not so active in boxing. He never tutored another superstar although he did train Vinny Pazienza.
Tyson is 52 and gearing up for a hopefully harmless exhibition against Roy Jones.
It would be a nice gesture, an act of reconciliation, if Tyson invited Rooney to “work” his corner or designate him an honorary trainer for the Nov. 28 event.
I previously suggested Holyfield be the referee.
Heck, bring King into the act and they can all hold hands and sign Kumbaya. How’s that for good karma and forgiveness.
Hey, you can’t be a bitter FMF forever. What’s the point?
Like a soap opera but real....