Boxing hits below belt with Tyson-Lewis bout

The Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | 6/6/02 | Bill Lyon

[GeneD]

You said it, brother.

[Octavius]

Never watched anymore boxing since the Ali/Jimmy Young fix.
It's crap

[pikachu]

The Tennessee state legislator who campaigned to land the fight for Memphis, Joe Towns Jr., declared: "Mike Tyson is an industry, just like Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson."

Is industry a new prejorative term?

[Sir Gawain]

Guest Editorial:
"Iron" Mike Tyson
“The Ludicrous Thoughts of Those That Criticize Me”

    You know, a lot of people like to think that I’m crazy or something.  Listen, my friend, that just ain’t true.  Sure, I’ve done some crazy things in my life, like raping and biting peoples, but that don’t mean that I’m crazy all the time.  Like, say you got into a car accident.  That don’t mean that you drive around getting into car accidents all the time, does it?  I say no, it doesn’t.  And if you did get into accidents all the time, it would be a ludicrous assumption to construe that you did so on purpose.  More constructiveness and purposefullness is needed when we think through things, such as the pre-mentioned scenario that I have just described.
     I think most of the crazy things that I may have done in the past are due to the fact that I am misunderstood and persecuted.  Nobody knows about the thoughts that go inside of my head, but everybody tries to judge me when I act on the thoughts.  That, to me, is thinking that is post-judiciously false and erroneous in several ways.  Another reason is my persecution.  I have been taken advantage of my whole life; by acquaintances, managers, wives, and even those that proclaimated to be my friends.  They all either wanted my money, my talent, or my fame.  When they began to understand that they couldn’t have it, they would conspire behind me and force me into situations where only craziness seemed to defamate things.
     Now, I am about to fight Lennox Lewis for the heavyweight championship of the world.  He is an example of another punk who is trying to cash in on my famitude and talents.  Who would Lennox Lewis be without Mike Tyson?  He would have no interest in him, whatsoever.  He would be fighting somebody, but nobody would care.  I am making Lennox Lewis richer and more famous than he has ever been.  But instead of expressing gratitudes and thoughtfulness, he is attempting to disrespect me, in the newspapers and in the press.  So, when I heard these things, I said that I wanted to punch his brain with my fist.  Now, some people thought that was a crazy thing to say.  But, now that you understand the multitudes of things that he said and did to force my buttons and push me into the situation, I think you must agree that me wanting to punch his brain with my fist is a sensible and rational conclusion to the question. 
     A lot of people are betting against me in this fight, and in life.  They want me to fail because I represent multitudes of things that most people just do not realize.  That is why I am writing this editorial and calling it “The Ludicrous Thoughts of Those Who Criticize Me”.  I hope that the words that I have proclaimed onto these pages will help everyone to understand what happens inside my head, and why I say some of the things and do some of the things that I do. 
     In conclusion, this is not a perfect world that we live in, and sometimes forces beyond the regularness of our lives contribute to our actions.  Like, the man who goes to work every day but sometimes his thoughts project into another life where he is not going to work all of the time.  Or the housewife who wishes that she could perfunctorily go on a vacation and not have the responsibilities that the normallness in her life produces for her.  Those are examples that maybe you, the common person, can relate to, and begin to understand my life and why I really am not crazy.

[Wolfie]

Yes, on an average night, boxing is just two guys beating the hell out of each other. I can see why the author's upset.

[weikel]

Well the thing is his 1st conviction was BS the girl went up to his hotel room at 4am and you expect me to believe that was rape. Now after that he started doing a lot of bad crap.

[Quilla]

I can't help it - I love boxing. I'm paying my $27.50 toward Lewis' purse and my neighbor is pitching in Tyson's share. Add about 10 more folks - a couple cases of Corona - sit back and see who or what Tyson bites this time. Who know, we may get lucky - it could be Don King.

[Abcdefg]

Corona?!!?

[LibWhacker]

lol

[Quilla]

Yep, training beer.

[GoreIsLove]

I'm with you... all except the Corona.

[dead]

I'll be with about a dozen friends, playing poker and watching this fight at my buddies house.

But we're stealing the broadcast through his pirate cable box, so that allows us to maintain our moral sanctity.

I'm really looking forward to it. It won't be good boxing, but it will certainly be entertaining.

[wheezer]

I can't help it - I love boxing.

Round One of Hagler vs. Hearns was perhaps the greatest three minutes in sports history.

For that fight, me and about twenty friends paid thirty bucks apiece to watch it on closed circuit at the Ritz in NYC. We were very happy when home pay per view came along. If you like a particular fight, and have a good group of friends...it's a bargain.

[TomB]

Who know, we may get lucky -

Yea, I'm torn on this. I hate to think that the money is going to Tyson, but on the other hand, it would be just my luck that I wouldn't get it and Lewis would pummel him into brain death (Now THERE'S a tough diagnosis).

It's the same reason NASCAR had the success they did with the Truck Series. At the start, one of the drivers was former footabll coach and current blithering idiot Jerry Glanville. Now I had no desire to watch trucks race, but I found myself glued to the screen for feat I'd miss Jerry in a fiery crash.

[Tacis]

I believe that professional boxing will never be taken seriously until the winner of the Tyson-Lewis fight and Tonya Harding duke it out for the championship belt. THAT fight will raise the stature of professional boxing like nothing else could.

[bigdog]

But we're stealing the broadcast through his pirate cable box, so that allows us to maintain our moral sanctity.

LOL

BD

[dead]

My reading of that editorialation construed much hilaritude on my person.

[1Old Pro]

you will happily permit them to stick the nozzle in your wallet and siphon off $54.95.

WRONG: The choice is in the consumers hands. It's not armed robbery, it's freemarket commerce.

I'd rather read a rant about the CRAP that is on TV each and every night. Yes there is a choice there also, but more people who choose to turn on their TV are subjected to the daily crap than the 1 million who want to pay to see the Tyson circus.

[Cable225]

The promoters say they will sell more than 1.2 million buys. At $54.95 per. As they say, do the math. This brings to mind armed robbery. No gun, true, but same basic principle of commerce.

Not even close. It's my $54.95, and no one is stealing it from me. The market drives the price, and it's my decision whether I feel there is value or not.

That being said, I just can't wait for this fight to start!