By Steve Bunce
MIKE TYSON vanished to Nepal with an contaminated face tattoo, carrying 40 kilos of fats and with an injured again when he withdrew from his February 2003 struggle with Clifford Etienne.
Jeff Fenech went again to Perth and Freddie Roach stopped ready for Tyson to indicate at the Las Vegas health club and simply went again to his room.
This all occurred 10 days earlier than the first bell and there was lots on the line in the struggle; a rematch with Lennox Lewis was deliberate for 21 June. Lewis would as a substitute struggle Vitali Klitschko on that date in his final ever struggle.
This is all true, by the manner. Well, the rumours had been true. Anything loopy that you simply suppose Tyson Fury is succesful of, overlook it – the unique Tyson genuinely had individuals shedding their minds. I assumed the bit about Nepal would possibly simply have been true. Tyson had talked about dwelling a non secular life fairly a bit over the earlier couple of years. He was going to be a Dutch monk for about 5 minutes.
Etienne’s story has been informed; the quick model is that he began to field inside Angola jail when he served 10 years for armed theft. He had been a child of 18 when he was arrested. In Memphis, Etienne was getting very agitated and was not thrilled at the prospect of his one-million-dollar purse vanishing as a result of Tyson was having a meltdown. There was a suggestion that two reserve heavyweights had been positioned on standby and had been lurking in the shadows; Etienne’s state of thoughts was being monitored. It was not the first time, and it will not be the final time.
And then, on the Monday of struggle week, Tyson withdrew with “flu-like symptoms”. This was significantly tough as I used to be flying on the Tuesday. I went anyway. When I used to be in the air, Tyson introduced he was again in, and he known as Roach, and they received on a airplane. That was a aid. This was the struggle the place a pretend Tyson landed in Memphis in a personal jet and saved his head and brand-new face tattoo hidden beneath a towel. There had been lots of rumours and images of ‘Tyson’ ducking right into a automobile after touchdown. He whacked his head on the door. It was not him; Freddie and Mike had been on one other personal jet, which landed on the Tennessee border, and they received in with out discover. That was at about midnight on Tuesday; at the identical time, Etienne was threatening to tug out and he was critical. He found that two different heavyweights had been ready to fill his boots if he had second ideas. There was a sense that Big Clifford, who was not that huge, was scared. The notion insulted Etienne.
On the Wednesday, after an extended wait, Tyson and the face tattoo appeared for the first time. He had with him his small son, Miguel, who had made his boxing debut in his father’s dressing room the summer time earlier than at the finish of the Lewis struggle. Tyson sat the boy on the prime of the convention desk, sat himself in a chair at the finish and spoke to us for over an hour. It was classic stuff, he appeared pleased.
“Lennox is a great fighter, hopefully I can get another chance,” he stated.
He laughed in any respect the rumours about his well being and physique. He by no means stated a lot about Etienne. I believe by about the Thursday, when there had not been a lot from a jittery-looking Etienne, it was apparent that Tyson was going to have a simple night time. Bruce Seldon, one other armed robber and felon, had folded in a single spherical in 1996 at the MGM. Seldon lasted till 1-49 of the opening, earlier than coming to relaxation face down together with his arms close to his head. It was an odd place for a knockout. There stays a debate about the Seldon ending; most individuals imagine that Bruce took a dive and that he was merely overwhelmed by Tyson.
Etienne was inferior to Seldon; the query was whether or not he was braver? He had overwhelmed Lamon Brewster, who had been 23-0 at the time, he had been stopped by Fres Oquendo and had drawn with Frans Botha in his earlier struggle. Etienne’s Angola jail boxing file was meant to be 30 and zero. Maybe, who is aware of.
Anyway, as the struggle received nearer and nearer, it was apparent that Tyson meant enterprise and Etienne merely didn’t wish to be there.
Mike Tyson goes in to complete Clifford Etienne
Etienne was braver in the finish and tried to let his fists go, he truly tried to let his fists go after Tyson had thrown his punches. It was not a nasty tactic, but it surely meant he was open and that’s the reason he walked onto the last proper hand that buckled him over his legs. He hit the canvas flat on his again and stirred at about the rely of eight. He by no means beat the rely; it was formally over at 49 seconds of the first. Tyson rushed to assist decide him up. People accused Etienne of faking it.
Tyson by no means received the Lewis rematch and was stopped in his subsequent two fights earlier than strolling away.
Etienne fought on, however in 2005 he had a “cocaine psychotic” second when he car-jacked a household, robbed a retailer at gunpoint and shot at the police. He was arrested and sentenced in 2006 to 160 years in jail. It was diminished to 105 years.
There was one actual chuckle in Memphis that week. The sight of notorious determine skater, Tonya Harding, making her debut and carrying a pair of shorts that will have been too huge for Riddick Bowe. She misplaced, by the manner.
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