Mike Tyson does not want to do this. He has to.
Seventeen months ago, after quitting against an inferior Kevin McBride, Tyson spoke of retiring from boxing, of why the Sweet Science no longer fulfilled him and how interested he was in doing missionary work abroad.
“I just don’t have this in my gut anymore,?Tyson said at the post-fight press conference. “It’s just not in my heart anymore. I’m not trying to take anything away from Kevin McBride. We know his record, we know his credentials, and if I can’t beat him, I can’t beat [former 122-pound titlist] Junior Jones.?br />
“I just want to do something that has a more tangible effect for people,?he said.
But with last month’s official announcement of Mike Tyson’s World Tour, a proposed series of exhibitions commencing next month in Youngstown, Ohio, Tyson’s philanthropic preference has been delayed. Instead, the self-deprecating, self-aware former two-time heavyweight champion finds himself back between the ropes, fulfilling the desires of the voyeuristic public, the money-hungry promoters, the tax creditors ?everyone except the man who wants to help others, though specifically with missionary work.
That Tyson will return to the ring should surprise none, despite his insistence that it was time to retire following the McBride loss. He is in debt, and a payday ?be it from training in a makeshift ring at a hotel in Las Vegas to traveling the globe to play the role of freak show celebrity ?is still a payday, and it’s better than wallowing in emptiness. [details]
Seventeen months ago, after quitting against an inferior Kevin McBride, Tyson spoke of retiring from boxing, of why the Sweet Science no longer fulfilled him and how interested he was in doing missionary work abroad.
“I just don’t have this in my gut anymore,?Tyson said at the post-fight press conference. “It’s just not in my heart anymore. I’m not trying to take anything away from Kevin McBride. We know his record, we know his credentials, and if I can’t beat him, I can’t beat [former 122-pound titlist] Junior Jones.?br />
“I just want to do something that has a more tangible effect for people,?he said.
But with last month’s official announcement of Mike Tyson’s World Tour, a proposed series of exhibitions commencing next month in Youngstown, Ohio, Tyson’s philanthropic preference has been delayed. Instead, the self-deprecating, self-aware former two-time heavyweight champion finds himself back between the ropes, fulfilling the desires of the voyeuristic public, the money-hungry promoters, the tax creditors ?everyone except the man who wants to help others, though specifically with missionary work.
That Tyson will return to the ring should surprise none, despite his insistence that it was time to retire following the McBride loss. He is in debt, and a payday ?be it from training in a makeshift ring at a hotel in Las Vegas to traveling the globe to play the role of freak show celebrity ?is still a payday, and it’s better than wallowing in emptiness. [details]
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