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 Roach Going to Camp Tyson for the Summer
By Steve Kim (April 22,, 2004)
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Trainer Freddie Roach should have a fun-filled summer, full of unexpected surprises and activities. Where's Roach going? Camp Snoopy? Nope. Roach has been tabbed once again to train Mike Tyson, which means that the trainer will be spending the early summer with the mercurial heavyweight.
"Shelly Finkel's back together with Mike, so Shelly called me and we talked a little bit and negotiated a deal," explained Roach.
The last time Roach worked with Tyson was before his bout with Clifford Etienne - a bout that was on and off again, seemingly up until the opening bell in Memphis in early 2003.
"Y'know, we had six good weeks of training, I was happy and he had a personal problem, I think, and he didn't want to fight and he got the tattoo to prove it," said Roach. "I never really had a problem personally with Mike, he just didn't show up for a week. Hopefully that won't happen again, but you never know with Mike Tyson. I am a little bit leery."
No matter how much work a trainer puts in, unless the fight goes through, he doesn't get paid, which is always a possibility with Tyson, who seems to postpone more bouts than actually participate in them.
"Me and Shelly are in negotiations right now because the last time we trained six weeks and the fight was canceled and then no one gets paid," said Roach, admitting that he would like some contingency plans put into place, just in case. "So I'm trying to protect myself a little better this time."
But Roach will have to leave his home base in Hollywood.
"We're going to train in Arizona; I got Brian Viloria fighting in Arizona, so I'm going to bring Brian," he explained. "I got the OK from Shelly to bring whoever I need with me."
After he takes care of some previous commitments, he'll be with Tyson.
"The fight’s going to be sometime in July, they don't have an exact date, yet," Roach said. "But we're going to start camp when I get back from South Africa where Virgil Hill fights on May 22nd."
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