Freddie Roach had the pleasure of working with two legendary heavyweight champions in Mike Tyson and Wladimir Klitschko.
Roach trained Mike Tyson for a relatively brief period late in his career. This was during a time when Tyson was attempting a comeback.
Roach was in Tyson’s corner for two fights: Clifford Etienne in 2003 – a quick 49-second knockout victory – and Danny Williams one year later. Williams sprung the upset by scoring a stoppage in the fourth round.
Shortly after the loss to Williams, Tyson parted ways with Roach. He fought once more, quitting on his stool against Kevin McBride in 2005 before retiring. Of course, he returned this year against Jake Paul.
Roach’s stint with Klitschko was smaller still, having been brought in to assist the coaching when Wlad lost to Corrie Sanders in 2003. The Ukrainian would end up partnering with Emanuel Steward not long after, entering the most significant chapter of his campaign.
With experiences, however small, with both men, Roach told Boxing Social that a fantasy fight in their primes would come down to power. As such, he sided with Tyson.
“Tough fight. Wladimir’s a very good fighter, a very good puncher. I trained both guys. I’m gonna have to go with Mike because he’s the bigger puncher of the two.”
‘Iron’ Mike, the youngest heavyweight world champion in history, recently made a controversial comeback against Paul, losing a clear unanimous decision and realising his 58-year-old body could no longer do what he asked of it inside the ropes.
Klitschko – who alongside his brother Vitali dominated the heavyweight scene between 2004 and 2015 – is currently plotting a comeback of his own in an attempt to become the division’s oldest ever champion at 48, which would beat George Foreman’s record by three years. He has been linked with Daniel Dubois and a rematch against Tyson Fury, though the latter must first defeat another Ukrainian in Oleksandr Usyk.
