Fifteen years ago, an individual who perhaps belonged in an institution of sorts ended up flat on his back inside a ring in Memphis, Tennessee?
?You tell me it?s the institution. Well, you know, you better free your mind instead,? sang the legendary John Lennon nearly fifty years ago. The classic track, ?Revolution? had a very distinct guitar tune for it and it?s said that to achieve the rough effect sought for the lyrics, Lennon laid on his back during the recording session. Fifteen years ago Thursday, an individual who perhaps belonged in an institution of sorts ended up flat on his back inside a ring in Memphis, Tennessee. We as boxing fans were made to painstakingly wait for half a decade or more until Floyd Mayweather finally met up with Manny Pacquiao. Other than the letdown felt by some due to the site chosen for the September clash between Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez and Gennady ?GGG? Golovkin, we were at least able to exhale a bit alongside the comfort in knowing the wait was over.
For those us old enough to remember, though it?s not so long ago, the heavyweight division of the late 1980?s and early 1990?s had its fair share of the waiting game. Most notable was perhaps the showdown between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, which was several years in the chat room until it finally materialized in late 1996. Mike was set to take on ?Real Deal? Holyfield first in the summer of 1990, but those plans went south after he was upset by 42-1 underdog James ?Buster? Douglas. This writer actually had a t-shirt from what was supposed to be their second try at the hotly awaited clash at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in the fall of 1991. Alas, Tyson?s indiscretions (which led to time in prison) as well as an injury sustained in training derailed that one until November of 1996 and it turned out to be a night for the ages. Holyfield looked as if he?d pulled some magic elixir from the shaman?s bag. He pushed back and gave ?Iron? Mike a spoonful of concrete as well as reality until he won by knockout in the eleventh round. We all remember their rematch and so there?s no need to rehash.
Mike was back after more than a yearlong hiatus and en route to his eventual 2002 showdown with Lennox Lewis, he didn?t exactly fight the ?who?s who? of the heavyweight division. After he savagely knocked out Lou Savarese in the summer of 2000, his post-fight interview with Jim Gray wasn?t one to remember, yet it was one we wouldn?t soon forget. He gave a few religiously inspired shoutouts, proclaimed his love for his own children and openly admitted that he hadn?t trained much for the bout which was over in less than a minute. This was, of course, the famous ?I want your heart and I want to eat your children? sound byte which still resonates to this day for some reason. The contest was originally scheduled for April 2002 in Las Vegas, but their January press conference didn?t go as planned. Mike went haywire and after trying to start the fight in the New York City ballroom which hosted the presser, he went on his infamous diatribe against members of the press in attendance, most notably one who claimed that Tyson belonged in a straightjacket.
It was as if he was doing everything he possibly could to ruin his career even more, not only with the aforementioned actions but also his disgusting, chauvinistic comments made to a female reporter as well. All of this is available on the internet, so it won?t be justified any further in this article. Lennox Lewis was made to wait because Las Vegas gave him and Mike the boot, as did California, New York and Texas. Finally, Memphis won the bidding war which guaranteed Lewis versus Tyson ?is on,? as the fight poster boasted. The Pyramid arena in the city made famous by Elvis Presley, great music and unforgettable barbecue would be the host. A line of security guards in yellow shirts stood diagonally across the ring during the pre-fight introductions to keep the fighters away from each other until the opening bell. Who are we kidding? It was to keep the then maniacally unhinged Tyson away from his English opponent, who at the time was the best heavyweight in the world.
What did we ultimately get in the bout that is still the highest grossing contest in heavyweight boxing history? A one-sided rout. Although Mike tried his best to come out firing in the opening round, he was soon shut down by the calm, collected yet brutal Lewis. He opened cuts over both of Mike?s eyes and had him bleeding from the nose and mouth. Some were shocked, yet many more were happy to see the utter destruction of someone who had managed to piss off so many people over the years.
The fight held the distinction of being the highest grossing pay-per-view bout in history until it was surpassed five years later when Floyd Mayweather, Jr. took on Oscar De La Hoya. Of course, that record was in place for eight years until 2015 when ?that fight? finally took place. In any case, fifteen years have absolutely flown by and the night of June 8, 2002 was certainly one to remember. Mike fought on a few more times until 2005 when he retired with a record of (50-6, 44 KO?s). There was talk, albeit brief of rematch but it wasn?t in any way necessary.
Lewis (41-2-1, 32 KO?s) was able to avenge the two losses on his boxing ledger (Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman, respectively) well before he fought Mike. He fought just once more the following year, in 2003. That June, his stoppage win over Vitali Klitschko really had truly begged for a rematch. That one was necessary. It never happened.
