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| The destruction of the myth is complete. Or at least, it should be in the eyes of even those who dared to dream that there was anything resembling the greatness of old left in an aged Mike Tyson. Tonight, even Kevin McBride, an Irish heavyweight with a most unflattering record, chosen to lay down to pave the way for another undeserved Tyson payday, |  © Tom Casino/Showtime |
proved to be too much for Tyson whose fall from grace reaches new depths of farce. McBride, who weighed in for the fight at an unsightly 271-pounds, an obligatory demand of Tyson’s sacrificial lambs, did not produce the punches that made Tyson feel as if all of Ireland had hit him; he did not have to. Tyson is clearly a man with the weight of not merely a country, but the whole world upon his shoulders and it showed tonight as he walked away from the challenge of the most nondescript opponent imaginable.
Tyson began the fight well enough, but unfortunately for him, McBride did not fall and offered some resistance, the emergence of which prompted what must be Tyson’s final appearance in a prize ring. Tyson seemed to maul McBride’s arm in a clinch, bringing a wild grimace to the Irishman’s face. Then, intentional head work from Tyson cut McBride around an eye. The end came when a messy exchange, in which McBride dumped his massive bulk on Tyson’s comparitively small frame deposited Tyson on the canvas. Once in his corner, it was obvious that Tyson did not want to continue and the fight was ended, yielding to McBride the strangest of victories, if it can be called that.
The only sensible moment of the entire proceedings occurred when Tyson finally conceded his retirement to Showtime reporter Jim Gray. Tyson stated that he did not have the same ferocity, that he would not likely fight again, that he wished not to lose to the caliber of opponent that McBride represents. Finally, and quite tellingly, Tyson asserted that he did not want to hurt boxing any more. With that, perhaps the longest running sideshow in heavyweight boxing comes to an end. Where the Mike Tyson story goes from here is anyone’s guess, but we must hope that he is as good as his word tonight and will not look to write the next chapter in a boxing ring.
Jim Cawkwell can be reached at jimcawkwell@yahoo.co.uk
