[ad_1]
Published:
MALMÖ. Let’s immediately establish one thing.
That a 54-year-old man and a 51-year-old man are in the box does not serve either of them.
The fact that it is still possible to trigger a fight between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr to reach record pay-per-view heights shows a bit of the madness of the boxing world.
The game was as expected. Tyson led with aggression and his left hooks. Roy Jones with hands dangling and sticking to the left and then holding or dancing. It was like watching aging soccer stars at exhibition games.
Stabbigt.
Spasmodic.
Oprecist.
And unsurprisingly, it’s not much more entertaining than simply watching two of the greats in history against each other in the ring.
The guys didn’t show anything impressive last night in Los Angeles, no matter how many boxing legends they are. Otto Wallin would have crushed both Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. if he had met them at the same time in the ring.
However, the match was an excellent description of how professional boxing has always worked.
Known for his losses
Talk about huge exaggerations. Match big sports hopefully. If not. And that? Bullets are included.
Still, I saw hours of rumors that these two were going to a match that could be seriously considered a major sporting event and not a business stunt with two well-known situations. Embarrassingly served with break entertainment by a rapping, hash-smoking Snoop Dogg.
Of course, it was really about seeing Mike Tyson again 15 years after his departure.
During his first year, 1985, as a professional, Tyson played 14 games. The second year there were 13 fights. The bay is extremely numerous in such a short time in the harsh industry.
But none of those who hit the road in a running band start has left any trace in boxing history.
In his 27th match alone, Mike Tyson faced a real-class opponent, Trevor Berbick, where Tyson became an unprecedented heavyweight champion.
Previously, he had made a name for himself as a monster by knocking out full and middle zeros in a rage not seen often in the ring.
As champion, Tyson defended the title against clearly qualified opponents. Undefeated Tony Tucker, Tyrell Biggs, Michael Spinks, former champion Larry Holms, a little underrated Tony Tubbs and terrified Frank Bruno.
Good wins, not talked about, but not magic wins like Ali’s classic yet. Not boxing history, except possibly Spinksknocken.
By contrast, Mike Tyson is best known for his losses.
First, the loss to James “Buster” Douglas, who was considered a shame that he didn’t even end up in the same ring as Tyson. The match was not allowed to be in the United States, so the blow that took Iron Mike down and shocked the boxing world in Tokyo.
Reasonably, the fascination for Mike Tyson should have died here and there. Douglas, who by all accounts was a zero, had revealed the monster’s weaknesses.
In freak show
Although Tyson regained the WBC title by once again scaring Frank Bruno and later winning the WBA title against Bruce Seldon, whoever he was, Toykotorsken became his most famous match along with the two losses to Evander Holyfield with him. others where he bit his earlobe on The Real Deal as the absolute top. A scandalous match that has become one of the most famous in boxing history solely because of the disgust at Tyson’s failure.
I watched Tyson’s last big fight at The Pyramid in Memphis, USA, in 2002. A World Cup match on WBC, IBF and IBO against world champion Lennox Lewis.
During a pregame interview, Tyson addressed Lewis: “I want your heart. I’ll eat your children. “
I myself was interviewed on American television and said that the great interest in the USA (the party removed everything else in the media and was reported 24 hours a day) was because people saw it as a freak show.
The young reporter took a deep breath and hissed:
– What?
But that’s exactly what the Memphis fight was about. The town of Elvis was not the epicenter of the world that weekend due to a sporting event. I was there hoping that violence would win.
The show is the third-highest money boxing match in world history. Every celebrity imaginable was present. I spoke for 20 minutes with a nice guy that my daughter a few years later, after looking in my photo archive, revealed to be Justin Timberlake.
“Everyone” was really there.
And everyone was there to see the Monster revived.
One dreamed of recovering the raging drum machine that no opponent could resist.
One did not dream of the elegance of Muhammad Ali.
One dreamed of being able to sit very close to a small square ring where a compact mountain of muscle would burst out in reality embodying all the violence that could otherwise only be seen on directed television shows.
The monster.
Nobody loved Mike Tyson.
The border of nostalgia was crossed
Everyone has always wanted to be a little scared that they could experience real brutality up close.
Lennox Lewis was cruelly superior in the match.
Tyson kept the distance with a long straight to the left and lowered it when Lewis finally wanted to.
“Give me a second leg, I need it,” Mike Tyson pleaded in his crying candle voice at the subsequent press conference.
But the life line was cut off.
The brutal monster was killed.
And he didn’t wake up last night. Both Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. said they would love to continue show fighting, which is of course a good thing when the proceeds go to charity, but I can’t say this was a match that sparked interest in pursuing a sequel.
Nostalgia is usually pleasant. But it’s just a border and I think the Tyson / Jones border was crossed this morning.
Published:
