Re: Kevin Rooney,Good trainer or was he just in the right place at the right time?
Like has been said before, cus was only able to train whoever came to his gym, he was 200 miles from the city centre, same with Rooney yet they both trained world champions and 2 fighters to have held the youngest heavyweight champ title, one still holds it 21 years later !
kevin has let himself go, same as Mike, Mike hasnt reached the depths that Kevin has, kevin lost what kept him going, like Cus said in an interview, something along the lines of "im an old man who can no longer take part in sex, this fighter is keeping me going" It was something similar to that, he was on about Mike, I think Kkevin had the same buzz, being around such a phenomenom and being wholey responsible for his fighting fitness.
He lost that
Re: Kevin Rooney,Good trainer or was he just in the right place at the right time?
Kevin Rooney didn’t LOSE “what kept him going.” He THREW it away.
The Times Union article says - - But don't blame these events entirely for Rooney's spiral. He drank when he trained Tyson, too. "It wasn't a daily problem then, but a problem enough," Hujtyn recalled. "There were enough times when he didn't come to the gym. 'Tell the boys I'm not going to be there today. I don't feel well.'"
So, Rooney’s problems can’t be blamed on Tyson leaving him. If he could not control himself when he had MIKE TYSON, how could he control himself in the inner city with average kids? No matter the location, it’s impossible for any fighter to respect a trainer who won’t come to the gym because he’s drunk.
That TU article made it evident that Rooney is an emotionally troubled and sick man. The only way to help an alcoholic like him is for his family and friends to turn their backs on him and refuse to deal with him until he chooses to straighten out his life. By tolerating his behavior, only worsens things for Rooney.
Like the last sentence of the TU article said, But know this -- if Cus still ran the place, if he saw this Kevin Rooney, until he sought treatment and sobered up, the door would stay closed.