Boxing

Former Mike Tyson And Evander Holyfield Coach Passes Away At 71

Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield's former coach passes away at 71
Apratim Banerjee|
IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield's former coach, Tommy Brooks, has passed away at the age of 71. International Boxing Hall of Famer and promoter Lou DiBella broke the news on social media.

DiBella wrote on X, "Got more bad news a little while ago. It was just confirmed by his family that esteemed trainer Tommy Brooks died tonight, after having fought a very aggressive cancer."

He added: "Too young. Great boxing man and even better person, he was just a solid dude. Shared many memorable nights with Tommy and his wife, Donna Duva, during the glory days of Main Events. My love and prayers to Donna and all their fam."

Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield were among Tommy Brooks' long list of pupils

Tommy Brooks is most famously known for his association with Holyfield, training the former undisputed heavyweight champion in the 1990s and the 2000s. He led Holyfield to his two wins against Tyson in 1996 and 1997.

He later also trained Tyson before breaking up in 2002, following Tyson's defeat to Lennox Lewis. Apart from that, Brooks also worked with the famous Klitschko brothers, Wladimir and Vitali.

Tommy Brooks and Evander Holyfield
IMAGO / Geisser

During his fighting career, Brooks won the US national championship as an amateur. He went 7-3 as a professional and managed two wins against Michael Spinks back in 1982 as an amateur.

But the Arkansas born trainer really left his mark as a trainer, coaching some of the biggest heavyweight legends in the golden era of the division.

Speaking of his credentials as a boxing trainer, Brooks once told the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame: "I always say in boxing: I got my AA and BA degrees from Archie Moore, my MA from George Benton, and my PhD from Eddie Futch. And Lou Duva taught me to stand up for your guy. It should be done more often. Fighters get screwed, so you’re just standing up for yourself."

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is a Boxing and Soccer reporter for On SI. He has been in the industry for five years, having also worked for The Sporting News, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. After coming from an engineering background, he started pursuing a career in sports media. Apratim also holds an MSc. Sport Marketing degree from Loughborough University London and is a keen practitioner of social media and digital marketing. In his spare time, Apratim likes to play an array of sports and practice calisthenics. He is also an avid enthusiast of improving his martial arts skills.