Some may call it an upset and others will say it was just a matter of time but either way it looks like the end of Mike Tyson’s career was written in stone on June 11, 2005 from the MCI Center in Washington, DC. With losses in three of his last four fights, including the latest setback to Kevin McBride (33-4-1 27 KO’s), the once glorious career of Mike Tyson (50-6 44 KO’s 2 NC) has come to a screeching halt.

Everyone knew Tyson was near the end but no one knew when that time would come. Many boxing experts expected the faded ex champion to steamroll over the Irishman and when the fight was over commentators and writers started an unfair tirade without looking at the accomplishments of Mike Tyson. Regardless of the setbacks and poor decisions he has made Tyson was one of a kind. Nothing like kicking a man when he is down and for people like HBO’s Larry Merchant to rip Tyson during the telecast on their network was uncalled for and bush league. It’s no secret that Tyson is no fan of Larry Merchant and vice versa, but for Merchant to say what he did, should have been kept off camera instead of plugging HBO and their programming.

In the weeks leading up to the fight Mike Tyson sounded very confident and felt in due time he could compete with the elite in the lackluster Heavyweight division. His financial situation has been well documented and with that said some felt there was one last spark that could vault Tyson back into contention. Kevin McBride deserves credit, albeit against what we now know as a very shot Mike Tyson. McBride didn’t beat Tyson as Tyson beat himself and the lasting image of him quitting on his stool was a tough pill to swallow yet understandable in the end.

That last spark everyone was looking and hoping for, myself included,  fizzled out in the sixth round of what should be the final chapter of his once stellar career. If this was any other fighter nothing would be made of it, but fighters get old and it’s a fact of life. Tyson set the bar very high during his hey day and in the end that hurt him as he could not recapture past glory. When people have someone like Mike Tyson on a pedestal and he comes crashing down it hurts. Much of what is being said I’m sure is due to anger and people hoping for a storybook ending that ended a few chapters too late.

Without Mike Tyson the sport of boxing wouldn’t even be on the radar with most media outlets. He did have his share of controversy and more so than a lot of others, but what Tyson brought to boxing was intrigue and the theatre of the unexpected. Bottom line is that he put asses in the seats when 99% of others could not. We all like to ride in the clouds when our hero soars with success but unfortunately when the hero becomes a has-been people jump off the bandwagon and turn on them. It’s a sad fact but very true.

All good things come to an end in all walks of life and Mike Tyson ended up running on fumes over the last few laps and in the end he gave it all he had but his tank was empty. For twenty years the man, the myth and the legend known as Mike Tyson brought boxing into the limelight and thrilled us with many exciting bouts and for that I thank you champ!

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6-11-2005

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