Once upon a time the rallying cry in the good ol’ USA went "Gimme liberty or give me death" … and "My only regret is having but one life to give to my country" … and other goodies … like "Remember the Alamo" … but then came Pearl Harbor … and "Remember Pearl Harbor" muted the Alamo cry.

But one that truly topped the charts is that dandy P.T. Barnum shout about a sucker born every minute and two more to take him … and toss in Don King's "Only in America" and you have touched all bases.

And come Friday nite Oct. 20, 2000 it's Tyson vs. Golota and there they are … the patsies of good ol’ P. T. … paying upwards of two thou to see it live and $50 to peek over PPV. It's late in round one … and as past NY fite commish and former ESPN fite commentator shill a.k.a. schmuck Randy Gordon liked to shout it - Golota hasn't as yet tossed a single punch with "bad intentions."

And then it's a big Tyson right hand … and for all practical purposes this one is history … altho’ it enters the archives as a second round TKO when Golota opts to vacate the killing field prior to the sound of the bell for round three.

And with it, the P.T. clientele in attendance react as Tyson when a first-time date chooses to just say no at the end of the nite - they begin tossing things at poor Andrew … like beer and soda … and popcorn. Gimme a break … did the fools actually believe it would go as hinted by the Showtime PPV hypesters? … that every rule of Queensberry would be violated by the 1-minute mark of round 1 … and with a no-refund rule in effect they would be justified in rioting?

C’mon now … be real … what we had going in was as much a gimme as a Tyson-Butterbean meeting would be … Andrew baby not only dogged it twice with a fading Bowe - and "seized up" at the opening bell with Lewis - but then takes a constitutional late in that infamous affair with the overrated Michael Grant.

For all this he's rewarded with a $2-mil paycheck … for no other reason than to hype a down the path Tyson-Lewis dream match … I mean this guy had as much chance with Tyson as those yesteryear Christians did facing down them hungry lions.

Word two days after the Andrew strut is that he indeed did the smart thing after all … Chicago surgeon says Andrew was truly hurting … to the tune of a fractured cheekbone and concussion with nerve damage.

Not all that bright this Golota guy … nearly as stupid as much of the today fite fan … he actually believed he could turn to his corner for help after round one … I mean, from who? Certainly not a Lou Duva … or worse yet an Al Certo … first thing these guys were seeing with Andrew wanting to quit was their slice of the take sprouting wings.

As for those "fans" in attendance … it says here they are truly related to those of a long ago time … those that brought a basket lunch to the town square while attending them Saturday lynchings … and today would relish the idea of a return to the guillotine.

But back to Saturday noche … Tyson goes to 49-3, 43 KOs … and while Lewis talks the talk about a Tyson fite chances are slim there will be one - Tyson-Holyfield III is more likely.

Semper fi,

Geo El

Visit Geo El's "Nostalgic Corner"