The controversial career of Mike Tyson reached another low on Saturday night when he quit on his stool after the sixth round and lost to the journeyman heavyweight Kevin McBride.
If this does not convince the public that Tyson (50-6) is washed up, perhaps nothing will. A crowd of 15,472 at the MCI Center could hardly believe what it witnessed as Tyson refused to come out for the beginning of the seventh round, and McBride (33-4-1) and his corner began a celebration that few people expected.
Tyson looked like he wanted to quit a few moments earlier, when he fell to the canvas at the end of the sixth round, as McBride was leaning on him. Tyson had not been hit, but he looked exhausted, and it took him about 20 seconds to get up, and he looked almost unable to stand. Tyson finally rose and walked to his corner, but he never answered the bell for the seventh round.
Tyson has been stopped in three of his last four fights, and he will turn 39 later this month. This performance will further hurt his credibility with the public, and after declaring bankruptcy in 2003, Tyson's financial future looks as bleak as his career.
"I don't have the guts to stay in the sport anymore," Tyson said after the fight, perhaps indicating that he was finally ready to quit. "I most likely won't fight anymore. I won't disrespect the sport by losing to a fighter of this caliber."
What would a Tyson fight be without controversy? It began in the sixth round, when Tyson began to fight dirty because he was getting desperate. Early in the round Tyson reverted to one of his old tricks, twisting McBride's left arm as they clinched, seemingly in an effort to hurt McBride intentionally. A few moments later, Tyson head-butted McBride, opening a cut above McBride's left eye. Referee Joe Cortez temporarily halted the bout and took two points from Tyson for the head butt.
The momentum shifted to McBride in the fifth round, his best of the fight. He connected with a short right hook to Tyson's chin that appeared to hurt Tyson. Tyson leaned against the ropes in the corner, and although he survived that round, it was clear he was no longer in control of the fight.
Taller fighters have long given trouble to Tyson, who stands 5-foot-11. At 6-foot-6, McBride made it difficult for Tyson to get inside.
But losing to McBride, an obscure 32-year-old fighter from Ireland, moved Tyson's career to a new low. With his hand speed considerably slower than it was in his prime, and no longer possessing the punching power that used to be his trademark, Tyson never appeared to hurt McBride.
Tyson's stamina has also become a major issue. Although he weighed in at a respectable 233 pounds, he was clearly not in shape to fight 10 rounds, even though he was not hit with many punishing blows.
If Tyson cannot beat McBride, who can he beat?
When the first round ended, McBride had already surprised some people because he was still standing. McBride passed the first test in that he did not seem intimidated by Tyson, or nervous about the biggest fight of his career. Although the crowd was firmly behind Tyson, it could not will him to do what he used to do so easily.
The action became more heated in the third round, with Tyson rushing McBride and boring inside, trying to inflict damage with body punches.
Tyson landed his best punch of the fight to that point, a short left hook to the chin midway through the round. But McBride took it well, and much of the round was spent with both fighters in close quarters, doing more pushing than punching.
In the fourth round, Tyson got McBride's attention with a left hook that brought many in the crowd to their feet. That was followed a few moments later by a right hand to the chin, and a left to the body that caused McBride to sag. It was Tyson's best round, but McBride weathered it. Two rounds later, Tyson had no more fight left in him, although he was ahead on two of the three judges' scorecards.
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