Tyson on a mission of destruction

13 April 2012

Mike Tyson's most trusted lieutenant today revealed the savage intent behind preparations being made for the showdown with Lennox Lewis.

Stacey McKinley, who once worked in the same Detroit gym as Joe Louis, has been Tyson's assistant trainer for the past nine years. In that role he wears a padded bodysuit, which Tyson has been pounding in a small, gym here. But Lewis will have no such protection when he defends his World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation heavyweight titles against Tyson in Memphis on 8 June.

McKinley said: "I won't be satisfied unless Lewis gets some broken ribs or a broken jaw."

He pointed to Tyson's record of destruction, which includes fracturing a vertebra, ribs and the jaw of Poland's Andrew Golota 18 months ago.

McKinley added: "What other heavyweight breaks ribs and jaws beside Joe Louis? Mike Tyson. That is what we're going to try to do to Lennox Lewis. We're going to try to break his ribs.

"We practise on how to cave in all his ribs, break his jaw, crack his skull. I've told Mike 'you have got to break something. If you don't break something we are not going to win'. So we have got to break something."

McKinley claimed that Tyson is already down to within three pounds of his ideal fighting weight of 16st 3lbs. He also insisted that the former undisputed champion is bringing renewed focus to the fight with Lewis.

He said: "Only last week Mike told me 'you know, I quit fighting 10 years ago. Now I am ready to fight again'. Mike told me he felt he had just been going through the motions for the past 10 years.

"But he said that because this is a big fight. He is focused. Mike Tyson wants to go down in history as the greatest heavyweight that ever lived and this fight will do it for him."

Time would not appear to be on Tyson's side, especially as he is two months away from his 36th birthday. But he is looking remarkably trim and fit thanks to a strict regime imposed by new chief trainer Ronnie Shields.

McKinley said: "There's another thing Mike told me, 'when I train like this I can fight for 10 more years'.

"So, he is feeling real good about going in with Lewis and once he has got those belts around his waist it is going to be very hard for those other guys to take them away from him.

"This is a very winnable fight for Mike. I am very impressed with his speed. He can also punch with both hands and Lennox is not a guy who can take the best punch in the world."

The fight promoters are trying to ensure there is no repeat of the brawl between Tyson and Lewis during a press conference in New York in January.

Jay Larkin, head of boxing for the Showtime pay-per-view television network that bankrolls Tyson, said: "We plan to keep them well apart until the bell rings for the first round."

Britain's Clinton Woods has been confirmed as the next challenger to World Boxing Council light-heavyweight champion Roy Jones junior.

The fight, which will take place on 13 July, is likely to go ahead in Woods's home city of Sheffield.

Audley Harrison's next fight will be against World Boxing Union continental super-cruiserweight title-holder Dominic Negus at the Excel Exhibiton Centre in London on 21 May. Two weeks ago, Olympic champion Harrison knocked out Julius Long.

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Tyson on a mission of destruction

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