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ShoBox preview: Mike Tyson discusses his trio of fighters for this weekend (April 15, 2014)

Mike Tyson gives his thoughts on Alexei Collado, Sammy Vasquez, and Felix Diaz, who fight on ShoBox this weekend.

Jeff Bottari

Mike Tyson is back in the spotlight a bit this weekend, now as a promoter, as he's promoting a triple-header event from Monroeville, Penn., on ShoBox: The New Generation this Friday night.

Here are Tyson's thoughts on his fighters:

Alexei Collado

"He's a slick counterpuncher with good moves. He doesn't look for the KO; he wears guys down. I'm for quick action, but it's not everybody's personality to go for the kill right away. Collado sets up guys and does it real well. We're working on making him slightly more aggressive."

Sammy Vazquez

"This kid is very exciting. Before his last fight, the guys from the other corner were saying that we'll want to sign their fighter after he knocks Sammy out. And Sammy got dropped early in the fight. The opponent [Berlin Abreu] was a strong, muscular guy, but Sammy came back and stopped him.

"Sammy has a huge following. The first time I saw him, I said, ‘This is an American hero type.' I'm proud to have him associated with my organization." (Vazquez is a veteran of the U.S. Army who served two tours of duty in Iraq.)

Felix Diaz

"Diaz is a very smart boxer who can punch. He's very exciting; he just needs activity. Winning a gold medal is pretty special, but this is a very different stage now.

"Felix should be a 10-round fighter by now. [The Diaz-Lartey fight is scheduled for eight rounds.] I fought 15 times in one year [actually, 16, in 1985]. These guys haven't experienced one-tenth of that. I want them to fight once a month, whether on TV or off TV. If Felix gets active, everything will come."

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