| Not the Greatest |
24 February 2003
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Tyson Beats a Nobody in 49 Seconds
Boxer Mike Tyson could have been greater than Muhammad Ali. He was stronger, faster, and younger when he started boxing for money. Yet, his personal life and mental strength prevented it. In his latest fight, he beat Clifford Etienne in 49 seconds, and few were impressed. The big money is in a fight with Evander Holyfield or Lennox Lewis, and Tyson doesn't want it. The way boxing is governed will let Tyson do as he pleases, which means he'll fight a bum a month and his career will fade out rather than blaze out.
Part of the problem is the highly individual nature of boxing; only golf and tennis rival boxing in this. Yet those sports have recognized events; boxing is an ad hoc affair provided to the sporting public as promoters can deliver it. The reason for this stems from the historical alphabet soup of governing bodies: WBA, WBC, IBF, etc. With no agreement on who the champion is, there was no way to establish a "regular season" and "play-offs." However, HBO created a unification series many years ago, in which a young Mike Tyson first came to the public's attention, and proved that a powerful, well-funded entity could create a boxing tournament that worked. That is what is needed now.
Of course, many believe that boxing is barbaric and should simply be banned. It is hard to argue the point, but the fact is that boxing has been part of sport for literally thousands of years, and it won't go away with the stroke of a pen. Far better to centralize it, put it on a solid financial footing, and create a way for young fighters to rise to the top without the recourse to box office politics.
For Mr. Tyson, it will be too late. He is fast approaching 40, and the end to his career regardless of the way boxing is run. He will finish things off fighting boxers with less talent, less experience or both, and win or lose, he will become a shadow of what he once was. That is a pity because he could have been a contender.