Mike Tyson still has the speed and power of a 21-year-old, according to his coach Rafael Cordeiro, as the former world champion prepares to make a boxing comeback.
Tyson sent shockwaves throughout the boxing world when the legend posted a video on his social media channels last Friday showcasing his frightening speed and power on the pads – even in his early fifties.
Mike Tyson is training with legendary MMA trainer Rafael Cordeiro
It transpires the poor soul holding the pads in the clip was none other than Cordeiro – a huge name in the world of mixed martial arts.
The three-time Brazilian Muay Thai world champion made a name in combat sport training at the legendary Chute Boxe Academy in Curitaba and trained several world champions in MMA.
After moving to Kings MMA in 2009, Cordeiro has continued to work with several UFC superstars and was recruited by Tyson’s manager to help him get back into boxing training.
The 2015 Trainer of the Year was stunned by what he saw from the former undisputed heavyweight champion, telling the Ariel Helwani MMA Show Tyson, at 53, still has incredible power.
“As soon as we started training I said ‘My Lord’”, Cordeiro said. “I didn’t know what to expect from a guy who hasn’t hit mitts for – I think – almost ten years.
“So I didn’t expect to see what I saw – I saw a guy with the same speed, the same power as a guy who is 21, 22-years-old.
Corderio won the 2015 Coach of the Year at the World MMA Awards
“And I can tell; you would have to be a good guy to spar with Mike, because if you don’t prepare, he is going to drop you for sure – 100%.
“The power is different level.
“I have trained a lot of heavyweights in my career, with not a lot of respect for everybody, but he is almost as powerful as Wanderlei Silva is right now.
“When you talk about power, I held his right hook and thought ‘he is going to kill somebody’.”
The New York-native teased a return to the sport, with reports suggesting he could make a return to acton in four-round charity bouts.
With the globe gripped by the coronavirus pandemic, Tyson has taken the opportunity to get into great shape and speculation has intensified to suggest a proper comeback is on the cards.
But new coach Cordeiro was hesitant to get too carried away.
The Brazilian trains the likes of Rafael dos Anjos, Wanderlei Silva and Kelvin Gastelum now
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I can tell you; if he wants to do something in the future, he is going to be ready to do that – 100%.
“I don’t want to say too much because it’s Tyson man. We can’t play with this guy.”
Although former coach Jeff Fenech believes Tyson could KO former WBC champion Deontay Wilder in one minute, his new coach was slightly reserved.
But Cordeiro admitted his life flashed before his eyes the first time he took a Tyson hook.
“When I hold mitts, I like to hold them close to my face,” Corderio added.
“And the first time, I saw his right hook and Ariel I saw my whole life [flash before me].
“My wife, my daughters, my dog – I see everything because I thought, ‘I’m going to die here’.
“But it’s just the fear; every time I hold mitts for him and he threw any kind of combination, it would push me off of the mat.
“He puts on pressure, pressure, pressure. Mike Tyson’s game, as everybody knows, is pressure. Same way he fights, is the same way he trains.”