From living a lavish lifestyle to spending time in jail; from being the hammer in his prime to becoming the nail towards the end of his career, Mike Tyson has been through several highs and lows in life. Tyson retired from the sport on 11 June 2005.
After being known as the “Baddest Man on the Planet,” Tyson brought his illustrious career to “a sorry end.” The former heavyweight boxer fought Kevin McBride—a journeyman Irish boxer in his last bout. Yet, McBride managed to defeat Tyson as the latter failed to come out to fight for the 7th round (RTD), after being knocked down in the sixth round.
Following the fight, it was curtains for Tyson’s professional boxing career. Despite his defeats, Tyson remains a celebrated figure 18 years after his retirement. This Saturday marked the 18th anniversary of Tyson’s l ast professional bout. Let’s take a look at how the career of an icon like Tyson ended.
Mike Tyson’s career toward the end
Although Tyson is still loved and respected—his boxing career did not have a fairy tale ending. From the early ’90s to the early 2000s; Tyson struggled with substance issues, divorces, and spent a couple of years in prison. Moreover, the boxer had a fall from grace when he filed for bankruptcy after being the richest boxer at that time. It was at this juncture, the boxer’s intention to compete was solely for financial incentives. Naturally, the lack of hunger was palpable in his performances as his boxing career was coming to a close— in his last 4 bouts, Tyson was victorious only once.
And 18 years ago, Tyson ended his career with an RTD loss. After the fight, he stated, “I’m just fighting to take care of my bills basically, I don’t have the stomach for this anymore, I’m more conscious of my children and those guys, I’m looking at my opponents, I just don’t have that ferocity, I’m not an animal anymore.”
Tyson, despite his flaws and defeats. is still loved by the boxing world. On the 18th anniversary of his retirement, @BoxingNewsED took to Twitter and stated, “Kevin McBride brought a sorry end to the legendary career of Mike Tyson #OnThisDay in 2005.
39-year-old Tyson decided enough is enough when he failed to answer the bell for the 7th round at Washington’s MCI Center. The mediocre McBride proved too much.”