Pitiful sight

After Lennox Lewis’ masterful demolition job, Mike Tyson looked like he went through a wringer. The once pompous, arrogant, and irascible monster who confessed to worshipping the almighty dollar as his god had been transformed into a broken rag doll.

Saturday’s loss to Lewis in Memphis was a humbling experience. Tyson had been beaten before by Buster Douglas and Evander Holyfield twice but never as shamefully as Lewis. There was nothing left of Tyson’s pride. At the end of it all, Tyson could only beg Lewis for a rematch-something that the London-born fighter probably wouldn’t oblige, not even for pity.

Tyson even bussed Lewis’ mother Violet on the cheek – of course, in front of the TV cameras – during the post-fight interviews. Was this the same Tyson who vowed to eat Lewis’ unborn children? The same Tyson who threatened to bash Lewis’ brains and spill his guts out on the canvas? Clearly, Tyson is schizoid. He belongs in a mental asylum. The streets aren’t safe with Tyson running loose. He’s served three years in prison for rape. He munched on Holyfield’s ears. He bit Lewis’ leg during a scuffle at a press conference. There can be no more redoubtable proof that Tyson’s mentally imbalanced.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission was right in denying Tyson a boxing license. He’s a disgrace as an athlete. He’s no sportsman. He’s a deranged freak show, an animal with no conscience. Lewis exposed him as a brainless fighter in their Memphis duel. Tyson tried to rush Lewis in the early going, hoping to land a haymaker to finish off the two-time Olympian. But Lewis proved too smart. He used his enormous 13-inch reach advantage to keep Tyson away, pumping left jabs that turned Iron Mike’s face into a grotesque mask. When Tyson barreled in, Lewis tied him up in a knot. Tyson’s new trainer Ronnie Shields, a former junior welterweight contender, had no clue as to how to penetrate Lewis’ defense. Shields was as brainless as his boss.

Tyson was in the ring only for the money. Prestige means nothing to him. Neither does the world championship. Tyson never tried to bite Lewis or do anything against the rules–not because he was reformed. He would have had to pay out $3 Million from his purse in case a flagrant foul led to the stoppage of the fight. In Tyson’s desperate financial situation, every cent counts.

Tyson owes the cable TV network Showtime anywhere between $2 Million to $10 Million in advances for fights that never took place. His second wife Dr. Monica Turner, a pediatrician, has filed for divorce and she, no doubt, won’t settle for peanuts in court. The Internal Revenue Service is breathing down Tyson’s neck for at least $7 Million in unpaid back taxes. Tyson supports five children from different mothers and maintains six homes–including a Ohio residence, a 61-room Connecticut mansion, and a Las Vegas palace where he keeps his pet tigers and lions. It is estimated that Tyson has earned at least $300 Million since turning pro in 1985. The problem is while he’s asset-rich, he’s far from being liquid. Tyson has filed a $45 Million fraud suit against Don King who reportedly paid a signing bonus of $35 Million to be Iron Mike’s exclusive promoter some years back. There is no honor among rascals.

For taking on Lewis, Tyson was paid $17.5 Million. In the past, Tyson had bankrolled a lot more. He took in $35 Million for poleaxing Bruce Seldon in a round in 1996. He was guaranteed $30 Million in the Holyfield rematch in 1997. He picked up $22 Million in his comeback fight from prison in 1995. It’s no secret that his marquee value has diminished through the years. Tyson, who turns 36 on June 30, was born out of wedlock. His mother Lorna Smith was 36 when she gave birth to an 8-pound, 7-ounce boy in Brooklyn. His father Jimmy Kirkpatrick was a burly laborer. Kirkpatrick and Smith were never married but had three children. Smith was previously married to Percel Tyson and carried his name.

Kirkpatrick abandoned Tyson’s mother and their children when Iron Mike was two years old. That was because Tyson’s mother began living with another man, Edward Gillison. Tyson was particularly close to his only sister Denise and was constantly teased by bullies as a "fairy boy" because he lisped and was "girlish" and "soft" in his ways. As a kid, Tyson took care of pigeons. One day, when a bully killed one of his pigeons, Tyson went berserk and beat up the boy black and blue. That was when he first realized he enjoyed violence.

Crime, poverty, and despair surrounded Tyson when he was a boy living in the Brooklyn ghettos. When he was 11, Tyson was sent to a correction center for a series of offenses, including armed robbery. It was at the center where Tyson learned how to box from trainer Bobby Stewart. Tyson was a natural in the ring and Stewart later tipped off Cus D’Amato, Floyd Patterson’s trainer, of his discovery.

D’Amato and his long-time companion Camille Ewald brought Tyson, then 13, into their home in New York. They became his legal guardians two years after Tyson’s mother died when he was 16. D’Amato was 77 when he died in 1985–Tyson was 19 and had won his first 11 bouts as a pro. In 1987, Tyson married TV actress Robin Givens after a two-week whirlwind romance. The marriage lasted a year and eight days. In 1988, Jim Jacobs–another Tyson father-figure and D’Amato’s business partner–died of leukemia. In 1991, he was accused of raping Desiree Washington, an 18-year-old Miss Black America contestant. In 1992, he was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for the crime. In 1995, he was released from jail on maximum remission for good conduct.

Tyson is a victim of unfortunate circumstances. When Lewis sent him down to the canvas for good in Memphis, Tyson looked a pitiful sight. He was bloodied and battered. He was badly beaten. Lewis administered a deliberate mauling to pay back Tyson for his insults and despicable behavior.

With Tyson’s poor performance, it’s not likely he’ll draw another megabuck payday. That’s what worries Iron Mike. He’s got bills to pay and little money in the bank. No wonder he almost bent down on his knees pleading for Lewis to allow him another chance at redemption. Tyson’s career as a serious title contender is over. In 1998, the World Wrestling Federation paid him $3 Million to appear as an "enforcer" on a Wrestlemania show in Boston. That could be an avenue to explore. Wrestling is a perfect sport for Tyson to unleash his aggression. But it would only make him more pititful.