Time is up for Tyson

By Phil Gordos

An intelligent and articulate man when he wants to be, Mike Tyson will, in moments of introspection, admit his career began to hit the skids on 11 February 1990.

That is when his aura of invincibility, founded on a string of brutal knockouts, most of them coming in round one, was shattered by a shock defeat in a half-empty arena on the other side of the world from his New York home.

Few expected James "Buster" Douglas to offer any kind of resistance to the so-called "Baddest Man on the Planet".

Mike has said his heart isn't in it... he doesn't have the dedication he once had because it's all about money Tyson's friend Jay Bright

Certainly not the majority of the boxing media, who chose not to travel to Tokyo for what was supposed to be another Tyson massacre.

Not only that, bookmakers, so often a true barometer for sporting success, had Tyson down as a 1-42 favourite in a two-horse race.

The reasoning appeared sound.

A ferocious fighter, Tyson had blown opponents away like an over-excited kid blowing out candles on a birthday cake.

Of his previous 37 fights, just four had lasted the distance as he cut a swathe through the heavyweight division, becoming a champion at just 20, only 21 months after turning professional.

In contrast, Douglas was regarded as a journeyman pro, a boxer with talent but apparently little motivation.

He had fought for a world title once before, losing to Tony Tucker in 1987, but he was not considered any kind of threat.

The reality was very different.

Tyson, now 41, has been doing some charity work in South Africa

In a less-than-full Tokyo Dome, such was the general lack of interest in witnessing another Tyson massacre, Douglas absorbed everything the champion could throw at him and then, inspired by the memory of his mother who had died just a few days previously, turned the sport of boxing on its head.

In 'The Last Great Fight: The Extraordinary Tale of Two Men and How One Fight Changed Their Lives Forever', author Joe Layden takes a look at the Tyson-Douglas fight in great detail; its build-up and, more importantly, aftermath.

It's a compelling read, shedding even more light on the tragic figure that Tyson has become, no mean feat given the amount of column inches that have already been written about him.

Through interviews with those closest to the troubled American as well as the man himself, Layden establishes, whether intentionally or not, that Tyson is done with boxing and should leave it well alone.

Even with considerable debts - Tyson earned $400m during his career yet still ended up filing for bankruptcy - it is clear there should be no going back.

"Mike has said his heart isn't in it," says Tyson's friend and former trainer, Jay Bright, towards the end of 2005.

"(He fights) because he has a bill; he has to make money. That's basically it. He doesn't have the dedication he once had because it's all about money.

"Before, it was about titles and beating people and being the best fighter he could be - beating everybody. At this point it's just to get people off his back."

I do not have the guts to be in this sport anymore and I don't want to disrespect the sport that I love by continuing to fight Mike Tyson

Tyson has fought just 10 times in eight years since losing to Holyfield for a second time, a fight that ended in farce when the former was disqualified for biting a chunk out of his opponent's right ear.

His last outing came on 11 June 2005, when he was stopped by Irishman Kevin McBride, a fighter he would have dispatched with ease at his peak.

It was after that defeat that Tyson revealed he had no more left to give boxing.

"I do not have the guts to be in this sport anymore and I don't want to disrespect the sport that I love by continuing to fight like this," he said.

"My career is over, it's been over since 1990."

If that statement wasn't enough to convince us that Tyson, now 41, should never set foot in a ring again, then Layden's meticulously-researched book should.

The Last Great Fight: The Extraordinary Tale of Two Men and How One Fight Changed Their Lives Forever by Joe Layden, £18.99, is published by JR Books Ltd.