FREDDIE ROACH QUOTES FROM GRAND CASINO TUNICA
20.02 -Freddie Roach, the trainer for Mike Tyson, discussed the former undisputed heavyweight champion's mood Wednesday before and after his first workout in seven days. Team Tyson arrived in Tunica early Tuesday evening. Tyson (49-4, 2 NC, 43 KOs) faces world-ranked contender Clifford Etienne (24-1-1, 17 KOs) on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Saturday, Feb. 22, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, and Bill Kozerski's Fight Night, Inc., will promote the important 10-round bout from the Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tenn.
FREDDIE ROACH
"I was in Las Vegas packing my stuff and getting ready to fly back to Los Angeles when I got a call from Shelly (Finkel) yesterday (Tuesday) at about 8:30 a.m. He told me the fight was back on. Naturally, I was glad to hear that, but I was really surprised I got that call.
"By 10 a.m., I was at Mike's house. I was there about 10-15 minutes. He sounded very excited and very positive. He had run three-and-one-half miles earlier in the day and looked good. Mike said to me, 'I am a fighter. That is what I do. I am ready to go and knock the guy out.' That was all I needed to hear. I told him, "Mike, I am with you,' and that was mostly that. He autographed five posters for the Gerald McClellan fundraiser for me, and said that he would see me at the airport. Now, I am here.
"The plan is to work today (Wednesday) and tomorrow. I figure he will work out about an hour or 90 minutes today. He may spar some just to get his feet wet. Normally, our last day of sparring would have been last Monday. But he has not been in the ring since last Wednesday. That was not the greatest day of work we have had, but he did do eight good rounds on the heavy bag.
"The main thing now is that I need to get Mike ready for Saturday night. So even if there is a plan going into a workout, it is always liable to change. Every day is different. I do not go into any workout with him having made any definitive plans or decisions in advance. I see how he feels, how he is doing, and we go from there. It is not good to dwell on the past, or what has happened. We go from this day forward.
"I heard yesterday that Etienne said he was not fighting. I am not sure if Mike knew, but I was not going to say anything about it to him. Honestly, I always felt Clifford would go through with the fight. He had worked too hard. For him, it is an opportunity of a lifetime. He is making a lot of money, more than he could anywhere else, and he has a chance to defeat a guy who will be less than 100 percent.
"I thought the workout today went well. Mike was not as pleased as I was, but I thought he did fine. Mike did 10 rounds - four sparring and six on the speed bag. I am very happy with his attitude. Last week, he was prepared to go the distance. This week, I am not so sure. So we are going to go after him early. I do not think Etienne can take Mike's punches.''
