Overview

• Family and promoter Lou DiBella confirmed that Brooks died on July 29, 2025, at age 71 after battling aggressive cancer.
• Brooks captured the 1975 National AAU Middleweight championship and compiled a 7-3 professional record before retiring in 1979 to focus on training.
• He engineered Evander Holyfield’s consecutive victories over Mike Tyson in 1996 and 1997 and later coached Tyson through a six-fight unbeaten streak until their split after a 2002 loss to Lennox Lewis.
• His mentorship extended to heavyweight stars Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, where his emphasis on fundamentals bridged American and European training styles.
• The World Boxing Council hailed him as one of boxing’s greatest trainers and he is widely expected to receive posthumous induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.