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    COLUMN: Is there reason to get excited about Mike Tyson's comeback plan?

    Getting real on Mike Tyson's comeback attempt
    May 30, 2020
    PHOTO: AP
    haymaker

    NOT since the days of Jane Fonda has a workout routine caught the attention of the world. The video of former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson hitting the mitts with explosive power has gone viral on social media and predictably fueled talks of a ring return.

    As if to add more sauce on the spaghetti, Tyson recently posted yet another video of him working out and declaring “I’m back!” Tyson does appear to be in great shape, but it is difficult to appraise his true boxing worth considering that the mitts never bothered to hit back.

    Here are some serious facts to consider: Tyson is already 53 years old and has been inactive for 15 years. The last time ‘Iron’ Mike was in the ring was on June 11, 2005 and he looked as worn out as my old high school jeans. Facing a sacrificial lamb named Kevin McBride, Tyson ended up getting stopped in six rounds. McBride did not really do anything; Tyson just ran out of steam and fell down. He barely made it back to his corner and decided to just throw in the towel. After the fight, Tyson told reporters that he was not going to fight again because “I don’t want to embarrass the sport.”

    Long before the McBride fight, Tyson was really no longer his old self. The most devastating version of Tyson actually came in the late 1980s when he was running over the heavyweights like a tank trampling a row of shanties. The young, disciplined Tyson who was trained by Kevin Rooney offered discipline, great head movement and textbook combinations. Tyson peaked in June 1988, when he knocked out Michael Spinks in one round to cement his reputation as the baddest on the planet.

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    After Spinks, it was all downhill for Tyson. The wild lifestyle and all the domestic issues eventually took their toll on Tyson. Less than two years after the Spinks fight, in February 1990, Tyson was knocked out in 10 rounds by James ‘Buster’ Douglas. In 1992, Tyson was convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison.

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    The Tyson who returned to the ring in August 1995 after being released on parole was no longer the same Iron Mike. The post-prison Tyson was more one-dimensional, preferring to just chop down foes with one punch. The air-tight defense, the head movements and feints came in flashes and it became easier to pick Tyson apart and frustrate him. Barely thirteen months after his ring return, Tyson was stopped in 11 rounds by Evander Holyfield.

    Tyson tried to rebuild his career by taking on a slew of doughnut-knitted foes, but in June 2002 he was knocked out cold by Lennox Lewis. Tyson should have retired after the Lewis fight, but he had bills to pay and continued to fight. Tyson ended up getting stopped in two of his last three fights.

    Tyson has been very cautious in announcing his “return.” He clarified that he will only be figuring in exhibition bouts and will look to raise money for charity.

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    For the record, the biggest comeback in the history of the heavyweight class was authored by George Foreman. Then again, it is worth noting that unlike Tyson, Foreman was only 28 years old when he retired from the sport in 1977 to become a pastor. When Foreman returned in 1987, he was only 38 years old. Foreman was also a huge heavyweight, unlike the smaller Tyson who had to rely on his youth, speed and timing to beat taller opponents. Foreman’s size and paralyzing power enabled him to breeze past the younger heavyweights. In 1994, a 45-year-old Foreman regained the heavyweight title by stopping Michael Moorer.

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    Foreman returned to the ring originally to raise funds for his church. However, when the purses started to balloon, Big George started fighting on a full-time basis.

    The same can be said of Tyson’s impending return. While Tyson insists that he only wants to take part in exhibitions to raise money for charity, the moment the offers start pouring in it will be hard to turn down a real contest.

    As things stand, Tyson is browsing over a list of potential opponents for his return. Former heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs, who has not fought in four years, announced that he and Tyson had agreed on an exhibition fight to raise money for a gym in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York, where they both grew up. Tyson, however, did not confirm Briggs’ announcement.

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      A third match with Holyfield may also be on the table after the ‘Real Deal’ announced that he is also returning to the fight game. Holyfield, 57, last fought in 2011. Holyfield is clearly returning for the money he stands to earn in a third duel with Tyson. Holyfield earned almost $200 million in his career and once owned a mansion that had 109 rooms and a 135-seat theater. He now lives in a two-bedroom apartment and earns most of his money on personal appearances.

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      Believe it or not, even reigning WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has joined the mix. Fury disclosed that he received a phone call offering a fight with Tyson. Fury expressed his willingness to fight Tyson, but admitted that nothing was finalized. Fury, who was named “Tyson” by his father John as he was born just two months after Tyson stopped Spinks, called Tyson the “original baddest man on the planet.” From where this writer sits, however, the inclusion of Fury is just a marketing ploy. If a fight does take place, it will strictly be an exhibition contest. No boxing commission should even sanction a real fight involving the two. At 6’9” and 260 pounds, Fury will bury Tyson.

      Tyson is promising a huge name for his comeback. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, 45, revealed that he is also in the hunt. A fight with Ortiz carries an interesting twist as it involves the possibility of a mixed martial arts contest.

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      It will be interesting to see just how far the Tyson Comeback Express will go. But do not hold your hopes high; Tyson had clearly seen better days and is riding on his reputation. Still, the ride figures to be an exciting and lucrative one.

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      PHOTO: AP
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