Mike Tyson Calls It Quits After A Disgusting Performance

The once Iron Mike Tyson is alot less "iron" these days as his boxing career has spiraled out of control and plummeted downhill at record speeds. The rape conviction, the ear biting incident and the chaotic press conferences are all just parts of Tyson's very interesting/controversial life and professional career. Although we may of seen the last of these antics and Mr. Tyson himself, at least the last of him in the ring. After Saturday nights bout against Kevin McBride, Tyson found himself on the receiving end of the majority of punches, even laying him out on the canvas. Tyson called it quits to the fight after just the 6th round. Then later in the press conference he called it quits to his boxing career as well. He stated the reason being that "his heart just wasn't in the sport anymore". Personally I think he should of called it quits a few years back when he showed his skills were diminishing as he bite Holyfield out of frustration.

For many boxers, fighting in the ring is a positive way to take your frustration out and that was one thing Tyson did very well. He has never hid the fact that he is an emotional guy. Tyson's emotions would boil up until they erupted inside the ring. Unfortunately, as time went on and Tyson grew older, his skills were not as sharp as they once were. He became frustrated by this and would resort to "fighting dirty" - pulling out all the punches and even biting if he had to in order to regain control over his opponent and attempt to win the round. As Tyson approaches 40 years of age, I can't help but wonder what he is going to do with all these built-up emotions now if he doesn't have a boxing ring to unleash them in. For that reason, I think we will see more of Iron Mike, just not when it comes to boxing. My guess is you turn to CourtTV rather than ESPN in the future to see what's up with Mike.

Many consider Mike Tyson as one of the greatest boxers of all time. His mix of power and intensity were unlike any other heavyweight. He use to literally stalk his opponent down in the ring like a tiger, cornering him and then exploding with furry. He struck hard and fast, never letting up until Tyson was left towering over yet another fallen man. Years ago, he never failed to impressed me as I would watch him battle it out in aww. However the last few years he has done anything but impress me...rather he has disgusted and disappointment me. I've never seen such a tremendous amount of raw talent go to waste. It's pretty sad given all the potential he had before him. There is no doubt Iron Mike has left his mark on boxing history. I'm just not sure if his career will be highlighted in a positive way. You can't deny his accomplishments in the sport, but as the years went by, those championship belts were overshadowed by all of the mayhem he brought along with him. To me that is a shame because I feel he will be remembered more for biting someone's ear off than for having a 50-6 record with numerous 1st round KOs all while fighting the biggest names in boxing. He was one of the reasons I got into boxing. I loved Tyson's relentless style. It was so impressive that it could bring out great enthusiasm even in non-boxing fans.

So Mike Tyson left his legacy after being pushed to the canvas in the sixth round on Saturday. He was slow to get up and resume his non-title fight with McBride. The bell rang to end the round and Tyson sat on his stool in his corner. And that is where he stayed, deciding not to continue fighting, against McBride or any other opponent. "I cannot do this no more," Tyson said. "I am not going to lie to myself. And I am not going to embarrass this sport anymore." Um, I think throwing in the towel during your last professional bout is in no way as "embarrassing" as chewing off the ear of another man! But yes Mike, I agree you are embarrassing this sport these days and your time has come and gone. I hope you enjoyed the ride while it lasted and I also hope that people will try and remember Mike Tyson with more of the great talent he brought into the ring, rather than the disgusting antics he closed out his final few years with.