Holyfield and Tyson both on Oprah right now

Nice. The sad part is, I'm far from small and I think I could fit my whole family in that t-shirt.

 

"Back," he says.

 

I'll fuck your shit up too!!!! I'm in a rage now after watching Tyson bite off Holyfield's ear!!!

 

This sci-fi/comic book/Grey's Anatomy/Gilmore Girls/Raider fan scoffs at your attempts at bravado.

 

One of these is not like the other.

I mean, seriously. Grey's Anatomy?

 

I just caught part of the interview, along with part of Tyson's interview with Oprah from earlier this week, and yes, it was compelling. It's too bad this thread got sidetracked (not that it doesn't happen all the time and I'm often a part of that, so I'm not trying to complain), but it really was quite gripping.

I haven't been able to see the rest of it - caught "Part 1" on Youtube - but it really was interesting to see the two of them together. That fight was certainly the most "infamous" of any I've seen, so to get those two talking about it, and quite candidly, was a major stroke of luck for Oprah (Evander saw Mike's interview earlier in the week and called to see if they could make it happen).

Tyson is easily the most fascinating athlete of my generation. He's a lot like Tupac in that he has a tremendous self-awareness and is able to speak really honestly about his own flaws (of which there are MANY), but always seems like he's trying to do better for himself, even if he so often fails.

Tyson is not an athlete that I admire, but I do think he's far more complex than the caricature animal he's often portrayed as (and, not uncommonly because of his own antics).

 

Most telling Tyson quote on the showcame when he was talking with an audience member about his daughter's recent death. After gathering himself, he said, "If I was 2 years dumber, I woulda killed some people" but decided to honor her instead.

Say what you want about Oprah, but (a lesson for all reporers) she's got the good sense to give someone ample time to finish his answer. There was an eternity of dead space when Tyson was trying to gather his thoughts and composure...and it paid off big-time to let him finish.

Other general observation (for those who missed the show) - there is NO love whatsoever from Holyfield. It was awkward and tense the whole time. Tyson really wanted/tried to reach out more than Holyfield would allow. EH was gracious enough, but ... one man can apparently evolve and another one can apparently forgive... but some things never really heal.

 

This thread title, with its imagery of an unholy ménage a trois, has effectively rendered me permanently flaccid.

 

Tyson once said about himself, "Old too soon. Smart too late."

I've always liked that line.

 

Talking of Tyson, twenty-two years ago this month he fought Tyrell Biggs. To be exact, today the fight was twenty-two years and two days ago.

Mike Tyson (31-0-0) Vs Tyrell Biggs (15–0–0) (October 16, 1987) (Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States)

Part 1:

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Part 6:

 

I was at that fight. Very weird. We were sitting pretty high up and couldn't figure out what the heck was happening. As we're leaving and making our way back to the casino to catch the monorail back to Bally's --- we were walking next to Dick VanPatten and what appeared to be his grandson --- everybody was bitching about the fight and a security guard who was about 6-foot-8 yells, "ALL RIGHT. JUST GO HOME AND BITCH ABOUT IT OVER SOME BARBEQUE AND WATERMELON!" (He was black, by the way.) I thought we were going to die! By the time we get back to Bally's, we're walking past the sports book and we see the TVs had live shots of all the police cars out in front of the MGM because of the shots that were fired in the casino. Very strange night, indeed. (Rob Lowe was sitting two rows in front of us and disappeared moments after all the stuff in the ring started post-fight. I was surprised how small he was.) A VP at Bally's later told us that shows were indeed fired inside the MGM.

 

I thought the Biggs fight was Tyson's best performance. Easy to forget now how highly regarded Biggs was in those days. Tyson used his jab very well and put his punches together brilliantly. I don't know if Biggs ever laid a glove on him.