Tyson Quits, June 11, 2005, by Kurran Ochwat

From MemoryArchive

Who: Kurran Ochwat
What: Mike Tyson Quits
When: 11 June, 2005
Where: Washington, D.C.

My father always watched Tuesday Night Fights on USA television when I was growing up. We would sit in the living room together and play poker and eat Classic Pizza while we watched. It was the only time during the week that he would let me stay up late on a school night. At a young age I knew several of the great boxers with my favorite being Mike Tyson. I watched the majority of his fights at get-togethers with family and friends. One of my most memorable fights was when Buster Douglas took away his championship belt. Buster was from my hometown of Westerville, Ohio so it was a pretty big deal. No one was expecting “Iron” Mike Tyson to get knocked out let alone loose. My dad always told me that there is always someone out there that is smarter than you, better than you, and more skilled that you. It is how you handle that experience is what makes you different than everybody else. I would follow Tyson’s career my whole life watching him be convicted of rape, biting off ears, and trying to break arms. After a recent spout of unemployment, Tyson would soon fight a nobody fighter--Kevin McBride in one of his many comeback matches. I just got out of the American University Library with my buddy and we headed over to my lady-friend’s apartment in the Berkshire to watch the fight. We all knew that the fight would be entertaining which was why I loved Mike Tyson—You never knew what he would do. The fight was rather boring. Tyson looked very old and slow. We all knew that he was way passed his prime and wanted to keep fighting to pay off all his enormous debt. The majority of the rounds Tyson was getting pounded. I wished that he would land one of his famous uppercuts and knock the guy out and then retire on a win. Well in the 6th round he refused to get out of his corner and quit the fight. I looked at my friends and said that we just witnessed boxing history. I felt sad for the guy knowing that he was scum. I actually felt bad because their was no more “Mike Tyson”. Boxing would be boring without him. Well, he had a good run and I last saw him on the Jimmey Kimmel Live Show this past Halloween singing the Monster Mash with Bobby Brown.It is clear the Tyson also left the little dignity he had in the ring the day he quit.