10.05.05 – By James Allan: Boxing is without doubt one of the most physically and mentally demanding sports in the world. Human being’s are not designed to be repeatedly punched around the head and body without it taking some sort of toll on them. It is no secret that many boxers don’t know, or won’t admit when the time is right to get out. They fight on too long, either ending up physically or mentally damaged in some way, or else tarnishing their reputations. There are numerous examples of great fighters who have become or became only shadows of the athletes they once were, in fact there are too many to mention. Bearing this in mind, I was saddened to hear about the return of Mike Tyson to the ring.
Tyson is now only a very, very pale shadow of the fighter who was once the most feared destroyer that the Heavyweight division had seen since George Foreman in the early 1970’s. There are numerous stories of opponent’s that were scared witless even before stepping into the ring with the young Tyson.
The look on the unbeaten Michael Spinks’ face as he waited for him before their fight to determine who the pre-eminent heavyweight of their era was, told you all you needed to know about how feared he was amongst his fellow fighters. Those days are long gone. Tyson is now a one to one and a half round fighter at best.
Any reasonable heavyweight who can last those first four minutes and thirty seconds with Tyson is in with a real chance of beating him. Douglas began the dismantling of the invincible aura that surrounded Tyson, Hoyfield compounded it, Lewis made it clear that it was pretty much over for him and Williams finished him off. These four fights all ended with Tyson being knocked out. Add these four knockouts to the punishment he has taken in his twenty-year career and also to the damage he has done to himself outside of the ring and you have to wonder how many more fights can he be in before he winds up seriously hurt.
Any boxer can be seriously injured in a bout and in the heavyweight division where they hit harder than in any other weight class, it makes me wonder how long it will be before Tyson has to go to the hospital after suffering serious injuries in the ring. Tyson is still a superb physical specimen. In his last fight with Williams he looked in great shape, but so too does Evander Holyfield and you only have to listen to him talk never mind watch him in a boxing ring to realise he is no longer what he once was.
All the gym work in the world can’t cover up the unseen damage that a boxer’s body suffers. It is only when you see that fighter perform that you are able to get an understanding of how much they have slipped and in Tyson’s case it is now painfully obvious that he is beyond redemption. But fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately for Tyson, he is still a name. People are still willing to pay their money to watch him fight and for the Danny Williams’ and Kevin McBrides’ of this world, that still makes him a scalp worth claiming. Add this to the fact that he still has early knockout power and any boxer he is in against will try to take him out as quickly and as cleanly as they can.
There is no doubt that Tyson has serious financial difficulties, and that in his mind boxing offers him the best chance of paying off his debts and of also providing him and his family with a reasonable standard of living. But his children need him whole, physically and mentally, not punchy and washed up. He has a better chance of being able to sort out his financial problems while he is still relatively undamaged. He will always be Mike Tyson; his name alone will always mean that he will never worry about where his next meal comes from. It is the one asset that Tyson still possesses, but if he keeps on fighting and getting knocked out much longer then I personally fear that soon he may not be in any condition to capitalise on it.
Boxing doesn’t need any tragedies and it certainly doesn’t need one as high profile as Tyson. It is now time for him to get out, and if he won’t do it of his own free will, then it is the responsibility of the boxing authorities to stop him. They did it quick enough to save Holyfield from himself, now it is Tyson’s turn.