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By Thomas Gerbasi - Despite the presence of the kinder, gentler Mike Tyson we’ve come to know and love over the last couple years, the man who will enter the Hall of Fame in Canastota next year was cut from a different cloth during his fighting career, something he famously referred to after his 2000 fight with Lou Savarese.
“I was gonna rip his heart out,” said Tyson, who halted Savarese in 38 seconds. “I’m the best ever. I’m the most brutal and most vicious and most ruthless champion there’s ever been. No one can stop me. Lennox (Lewis) is a conqueror? No I’m Alexander, he’s no Alexander. I’m the best ever. There’s never been anybody as ruthless. I’m Sonny Liston, I’m Jack Dempsey, there’s no one like me. I’m from their cloth. There’s no one that can match me.”
You remember the rest, about eating then-heavyweight champion Lewis’ children before giving praise to Allah, but what is still most compelling about this nationally televised stream of consciousness is that despite his ups and downs, despite being on the tail end of his career, Tyson still had his mean, and he wouldn’t lose it until he faced Lewis two years later and wiped blood off his rival’s cheek during a post-fight interview. Iron Mike would fight three more times, losing two, but the die was already cast. As Burgess Meredith’s Mickey told Rocky Balboa in the third Rocky film, “you got civilized.” [Click Here To Read More]
“I was gonna rip his heart out,” said Tyson, who halted Savarese in 38 seconds. “I’m the best ever. I’m the most brutal and most vicious and most ruthless champion there’s ever been. No one can stop me. Lennox (Lewis) is a conqueror? No I’m Alexander, he’s no Alexander. I’m the best ever. There’s never been anybody as ruthless. I’m Sonny Liston, I’m Jack Dempsey, there’s no one like me. I’m from their cloth. There’s no one that can match me.”
You remember the rest, about eating then-heavyweight champion Lewis’ children before giving praise to Allah, but what is still most compelling about this nationally televised stream of consciousness is that despite his ups and downs, despite being on the tail end of his career, Tyson still had his mean, and he wouldn’t lose it until he faced Lewis two years later and wiped blood off his rival’s cheek during a post-fight interview. Iron Mike would fight three more times, losing two, but the die was already cast. As Burgess Meredith’s Mickey told Rocky Balboa in the third Rocky film, “you got civilized.” [Click Here To Read More]
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