Iron Mike’s rusty return
FORMER world heavyweight champion “Iron” Mike Tyson was last seen in a real boxing match in June 2005, when he faced unheralded Irishman Kevin McBride.
Tyson, 38 and far removed from his prime, looked pathetic in the fight with McBride. Too weak to get off his stool, he quit at the end of the sixth round. Referee Joe Cortez stopped the fight before the start of the seventh round at the urging of Tyson’s corner.
Once the most feared fighter in the world, Tyson was roundly booed by a crowd of over 15,000 at the MCI Center in Washington. Before he quit, a frustrated Tyson tried to break McBride’s left arm and then intentionally headbutted him. Bride told reporters after the fight that Tyson also tried to bite him, bringing back memories of Tyson’s 1997 fight with Evander Holyfield where he bit off a portion of Holyfield’s ear.
Quitting opposite a pedestrian opponent was truly a humiliating ending for Tyson. Predictably, he announced his retirement after the fight, telling reporters: “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t do this to myself and I’m not going to embarrass the sport I love. This is just my ending. That’s it. It’s finished.”
Fast forward to 2024: Tyson is coming back to the ring to embarrass himself and the sport of boxing.
Oh, Tyson does look ferocious in the videos showing him hitting a well-padded trainer. The only problem is that the videos are nothing more than, well, video clips good for about a minute or two. The amply protected trainer in the video is also not retaliating with punches and merely acting out the role of a human punching bag. As George Foreman once said, it is a totally different scenario when one is in a real fight.
Tyson, 57, is scheduled to face YouTuber Jake Paul on July 20 in Arlington, Texas. The fight will be streamed globally by Netflix. By the time the fight takes place, Tyson will be 58 years old.
Paul, 27, totes a pro record of 9-1 with 6 knockouts. After amassing a huge following on social media, Paul entered pro boxing in January 2020 against fellow YouTuber Ali Eson Gib.
Paul’s list of victims leaves a sour taste in the mouth. If he was not beating retired UFC fighters, he was feasting on a washed-up, former NBA player. Paul’s only defeat came in February 2023, when he dropped a decision to Briton Tommy Fury, the half-brother of reigning heavyweight champ Tyson Fury.
There have been allegations that some of the fights of Paul are fixed, but no concrete evidence has surfaced. While boxing purists laugh at Paul’s skills, there is no question that he brings in the crowd and the money. The fight with Fury reportedly generated some 800,000 payper-view subscriptions.
There is no question that Tyson-Paul will generate a lot of money. It is being trumpeted as a real boxing match, although the people behind the fight have yet to disclose the full details.
Tyson did face Roy Jones Jr. in July 2020, but it was just an exhibition fight. While the exhibition generated a lot of money, no one clamored for an encore.
Tyson and Jones Jr. put on an embarrassing performance.
Fans are at a loss as to why Tyson-Paul is happening. Well, the answer is simple: It’s all about the money the fight stands to rake in.
Tyson was in financial trouble when he fought McBride in 2005. He earned around $400 million during his heyday but filed for bankruptcy in 2002 after years of financial struggle. At the time, he owed the Internal Revenue Service around $15 million and former wife Monica Turner around $6 million in unpaid child support and alimony. Tyson only earned $2 million for the McBride fight.
Tyson has rebuilt his life and recovered financially, although he is far from being as rich as he was before. He is now worth around $10 million, having rebuilt his financial portfolio through movie appearances (“The Last O.G.,” “The Hangover”), a podcast, and his own cannabis brand.
Of course, the fight with Paul figures to considerably boost Tyson’s bank account. Financial analysts expect him to earn around $20 million, counting his share in the pay-per-view income.
Legacy will take a backseat when Tyson returns to the ring in July. It is all about the money on the table.