No 'guts', no glory for Tyson in defeat - boxing - ESPN

No 'guts', no glory for Tyson in defeat - boxing - ESPN

WASHINGTON – Now it finally appears to be over for Mike Tyson.

Once the most feared fighter alive, the so-called "Baddest Man on the Planet," Tyson is no longer that man. Not even close.

Now he appears to be nothing more than a 38-year-old pug with little to offer other than his famous name.

Unheralded Kevin McBride ...delivered a beating to Tyson until the former champion quit on his stool... 

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)




Tyson hit the canvas in the sixth round, apparently his last as a pro fighter.

McBride, 32, from Ireland, took everything Tyson had to offer and never wavered, not even when Tyson purposely head butted him in the sixth round, ripping open a cut in the corner of McBride's left eye.
With Tyson pinned along the ropes and McBride leaning on him, he smashed his head into McBride's face with a little more than 2 minutes left in the round.
The fight resumed after a short delay while McBride had the cut examined. When it did, McBride landed a brutal uppercut that rocked Tyson in the final 20 seconds of the round.
Right as the bell sounded Tyson went down on his backside along the ropes, but Cortez ruled it a slip. An exhausted Tyson didn't look like he wanted to get up but eventually did and slowly went back to his corner.
Moments later, the fight was over, and McBride (33-4-1, 28 KOs) and his crew were celebrating.
McBride had been considered nothing more than a journeyman, losing the two times he previously had stepped up in competition. He had also lost twice to sub-.500 fighters, including a third-round knockout by Michael Murray in 1998. Murray finished his career on a 1-17 skid – the only win coming against McBride.
That's how low Tyson had sunk when it came to finding an opponent, and he couldn't even handle him.
McBride tied Tyson up and slowed his momentum. But Tyson could only muster short spurts of activity.
... it was over. And so, it appears, is Tyson's career.


Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.