It's been a long time since boxing was a mainstream sport, but was it only ten years ago that Mike Tyson was a mainstream star? Big parties, Tyson was there. Awards ceremonies, Tyson was a presenter. Movie premieres, Tyson was on the red carpet. How beloved was Mike Tyson as an American sports hero? Let me put it this way--he was a guest voice on the Simpsons. Enough said. But ten years ago today he crossed the line from tough guy, more than a little thuggish, championship boxer to just plain weirdo. Yup, it's the decade anniversary of the "biting Evander Holyfield's ear off," fight.
ESPN put together this little piece about the event, and you know, we may not be able to produce great boxers anymore, but boxing commentators sure can still hack it with the best of them. One Boston writer describes Tyson's state of mind this way: "Dogs bite when they're scared, not because they're aggressive." Michael Wilbon throws in a still incredulous, "...the ear just went flying across the ring!" And Teddy Atlas sums up Holyfield's victory over Tyson in terms reminiscent of the Keyser Soze speech in the Usual Suspects. A little long (4-5 minutes), but interesting stuff nonetheless.
http://broadband.espn.go.com/ivp/splash2?id=2919092
No comments:
Post a Comment