After twenty years as a professional with 58 fights, it seems we have finally seen the last of Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KO's, 2 NC). What was to be Tyson's stepping stone turned out to be his tombstone. Ireland's Kevin McBride (33-4-1, 27 KO's) proved to be tough enough to outlast the former Heavyweight Champ forcing "Iron" Mike to retire on his stool after the 6th round.

Tyson was aggressive early on; however, he was throwing wide shots, one at a time, that did not have anywhere near the effectiveness we are used to see from Tyson. While Tyson was throwing early on, McBride was content to simply survive early on by clinching several times per round, opening up once Tyson began to tire.

In the 4th round Tyson decided to start working the body more, but McBride was able to absorb the punches well. By the 5th round McBride started doing some damage, late in the round he caught Tyson against the ropes and landed an uppercut that seemed to hurt Tyson, then followed with a couple more shots.

In the 6th round Tyson's frustration came out in the open when, in a clinch, Tyson apparently tried to break McBride's arm by holding with one arm and applying force with the other. Referee Joe Cortez warned Tyson for his roughhouse tactics, but as soon as the next clinch occurred Tyson was at it again. He clearly head butted McBride, causing a cut over his left eye. Cortez deducted two points from Tyson for the head butt. After the deduction an obviously worn Tyson tried to land some meaningful punches, but was unable to do so, throwing shots without landing anything cleanly.

In the closing seconds of the round, McBride pushed Tyson to the canvas immediately before the bell rang, once it did, Tyson simply sat on the canvas against the ropes for a few seconds and seemed uninterested in rising to his feet. Once he did, he walked to his corner where he, along with trainer Jeff Fenech, decided they wanted to quit.

After the fight Tyson seemed to retire, remorsefully saying, "I do not have the guts to be in this sport anymore. I don't want to disrespect the sport that I love. My heart is not into this anymore. I'm sorry for the fans who paid for this."

Through all the ups and downs, trials and tribulations, it seems we have seen the last of Mike Tyson. Despite all his antics both in and out of the ring, he is still the most memorable boxer of the last twenty years and one of the most recognizable faces on the planet. No one can ever take that away from him.

6-11-2005

Brought to you by Saratogamist copyright 2001-2005