GAME OVER!!!! maybe the last we see of Mike Tyson in a boxing ring...
He Said He Will Stop After This
He Doesnt Have The Heat For Fighting Anymore.
He Wont Disrespect Himself By Losing To This Caliber Of Fighter
He Said Hes Not An Animal Anymore.
I Think The Medication finally Kicked In
He Said He Only Did It To Pay Some Bill$.
He Doesnt Love It Anymore.
It's Officially Over For lengendary Iron Mike.
Mike Tyson (50-6) quit on his stool last night in his fight against Kevin McBride (33-4-1). Tyson's surrender against the unranked McBride marks the fourth loss in a row that he has said "No Mas."
Funny, last week when asked about what he thought of McBride, Tyson said "He doesn't look like he punches hard," after previously referring to him as a "tomato can." What does that say about Mike Tyson throwing in the towel and sitting on his stool to end his fight against him? It says exactly what Tyson has always been, a front running bully who backed down every time he was challenged and met with resistance. This will change nothing among those who will continue to ignore the truth and accept excuses as to why he lost. In reality, Tyson adds another piece of evidence showing why it was a pipe dream to ever mention him as one of the all-time great heavyweight champs. But most boxing fans who began following the sport with Tyson will continue to try and build his case for greatness around his victory against Michael Spinks. Today Tyson is more known for his losses than his wins. Name one other great that can be said about.
Mike Tyson had two things working for him that blurred who he really was as a fighter, starting with the fact that he was the most brilliantly managed fighter in boxing history. On his way up he was promoted and hyped to be such a devastating puncher that no fighter could withstand his punch. Yet he lost in his prime by knockout to a fighter who never beat a top heavyweight before or after he knocked Tyson out. The promotion of Tyson was so overwhelming that when Buster Douglas' mother pa**ed away three weeks before their fight, it was viewed as a positive for Buster and helped him defeat Tyson. After the fight, of course. Prior to the fight, it wasn't thought of as being a positive until Tyson was crawling around on the canvas looking for his mouthpiece.
This was due to the fact that novice fight observers needed an excuse to fathom Tyson not just losing, but getting counted out. Tyson made the job easier for the marketing brain trust who crafted the Tyson myth, because he could punch hard with both hands and acted fearless coming into the ring. However, knockouts against second-tier journeymen conned a lot of boxing fans, writers, historians and television executives. This is mainly due to the fact that those who watching boxing from afar are scared and fearful of hard punchers.
To those who don't know, a big puncher is very intimidating and most can't see beyond that, missing the puncher's obvious flaw. They also miss that more times than not, big punchers don't always have the best chin or the biggest hearts. They just can't get past the power. Tyson coming off a spectacular early-round knockout was perceived as unbeatable.
As hard as this may be for some to accept, Tyson's lack of toughness is what identifies him most as a fighter. Yes, more than his power and hand speed. History lesson, no fighter knocks out every opponent. If you're dependent on your punch, you better have something to fall back on when confronted by that opponent you can't knock out. Tyson didn't have that last night . . . just like he never had it on any other night he needed it.
I'll bet if I asked the first 100 guys leaving the MCI Center tonight, "Who would you rather have to take the title from, Mike Tyson at the top of his game or Evander Holyfield at the top of his?" I would bet anything that over 90 percent would rather have to fight Holyfield. With their reason and logic being, Tyson hits too hard, Holyfield isn't a great puncher, justifying their decision to choose Holyfield. However, the object is to win. It takes more to beat Holyfield than it does Tyson.
I can only speak for myself, but I'd rather fight Tyson in a second. Sure, he's capable of beating his opponent worse than Holyfield, but I want to win. That's why Holyfield is scarier to me. A fighter who has dynamite in both hands, but has the heart of the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz is more beatable. How often has it been said that if a fighter gets past the first couple rounds with Tyson, he's beatable?
