Happy 40th Mike Tyson

Today's Iron Mike's 40th birthday. My favorite Tyson quote, "He called me a `rapist' and a `recluse.' I'm not a recluse."

 

God I'm old.

 

My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious. I want your heart. I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah!

 

I am shocked he has made it to 40.

 

As am I.

This does make me feel old. I can still remember exactly where I was -- in high school playing pick-up basketball under the lights at a local park -- when I heard that he lost to Buster.

 

I saw a picture of him a few months ago...he was a guest at a party in the Playboy Mansion. You know Hef had Tyson followed by bodyguards the whole night. That's gotta be like taking John Daley to the liquor store.....

 

Another favorite Mike quote - "I guess I'll just fade into Bolivian."

For those who haven't seen it, watch Fox's "Beyond The Glory" on Mike ...2 hrs. long, very disturbing, something shrinks could study and ponder for decades. Probably one of my fav. sports documentaries ever.

 

Where does the time go?

I don't remember much about Tyson losing to Douglas, but I do remember when Gutbuster lost in his next fight.

Some fools had paid for the match on pay TV. They came into the office later and said Gutbuster should have worn a diaper.

 

My co-worker and I had an interesting debate. What effect do you think Iron Mike had on boxing? In his heydey, his strength and brutalness surely got a lot of people interested, and his clowning later in his career -- the tattoos, the ear biting, etc. -- undoubtedly drove some away and attracted others.

Was he better for boxing -- a sport in need of some real characters -- or bad for it by reinforcing the thug and corrupt image it has among mainstream media?

 

Well, he was the last effective heavyweight, but Tyson's era just signified the beginning of the 20-year downfall of the heavyweight division. He was fighting nothing but bums, and when Douglas started fighting back, Mike couldn't handle it.

Since then, we've had a bunch of also-rans (no, I'm not forgetting about Lewis and Holyfield) that wouldn't have been able to compete in the heavyweight division's hey-day. Don King and the rampant onset of corruption certainly hasn't helped.

Also, most of the top, young black athletes certainly aren't choosing to get their brains beaten in when they could simply play basketball, football or baseball and walk away with their minds intact when their careers are over.

So to answer your question in one sentence -- Mike's rise to prominence and subsequent downfall signified the beginning of the end of the heavyweight boxing.

 

Keith Olbermann pointed out on the radio today that he is a cousin of Mike Tyson.

I guess Olbermann is somehow related to Cus D'Amato, who legally adopted Tyson.

 

Mike's wife: "Save the ears on the cake for your daddy!"