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Not certain 'Unfulfilled' Tyson may not be done after all
Updated: Saturday October 21, 2000 9:01 PM
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Mike Tyson angrily left the ring and the arena after Andrew Golota quit before the third round in what Tyson had said would be his last fight. Golota left the ring early Saturday to a chorus of boos and a shower of soda and beer. He was roundly criticized, but upon returning to Chicago he was admitted to the hospital. "He is in intensive care under observation for a concussion," said Donald Tremblay, a spokesman for Main Events, Golota's promoter. A nursing supervisor at Resurrection Medical Center told The Associated Press she did not have any information on Golota. Golota was knocked down with 12 seconds left in the first round of the Friday night bout, and trainer Al Certo said he wanted to quit in his corner between rounds. Certo told Golota he could win, and his fighter went out for the second round in which he held his own. Before the start of the third round, Golota told referee Frank Garza, "I quit."
Golota showed no signs of distress after he left the ring. But Tremblay said Kathy Duva, chief executive officer of Main Events, said she was told Golota was "complaining" of nausea during the night and that after returning to Chicago he complained of head pain and being nauseous. As for Tyson not fighting again, heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has his doubts. "I think they'll talk him into it," he said during a conference call. "If Mike Tyson fights again, I hope he waits for me. I have something to feed him." After Tyson beat Lou Savarese in his previous fight, he said he wanted to rip out Lewis' heart and feed it to him. He also wanted to eat Lewis' children. A couple of days before the Golota fight, Tyson said he knew Lewis doesn't have children. Shelly Finkel, Tyson's adviser, said the fighter said this would be his last fight, and "at this moment that holds true." Immediately after the match, however, Finkel said, "This leaves him unfulfilled. He will probably take a couple weeks off and reassess." It is difficult to believe that at 34, not old for a heavyweight, Tyson would walk away from boxing. Because of tax and other out-of-ring problems, Tyson is not financially set. Multimillion-dollar purses remain to be had, especially in a challenge to Lewis, who will defend the WBC-IBF titles against David Tua on Nov. 11 or a third fight against Evander Holyfield, recognized by the WBA as champion "I thought the whole thing was a circus," Lewis said of the pay-per-view bout before 16,228 disgruntled fans in the Palace of Auburn Hills. "I thought the animals came to the circus. Tyson was a shadow of his past self. It looked like Golota could handle him, but he didn't have the heart." Golota's hospitalization, however, puts a different twist on his actions in the ring. Tommy Brooks, Tyson's trainer, said that a couple of weeks ago Tyson had told him he wanted to shine, something he had not been able to do in three previous bouts -- a one-round no-contest against Orlin Norris, whom he knocked down after the bell; a second-round victory over Julius Francis; and a 38-second win against Lou Savarese, whom he attacked after the fight had been stopped. Golota robbed Tyson of chance to shine and stripped himself of dignity. Tyson, who made $10 million, now faces the possibility of retiring after a controversy for which he was blameless. Golota's purse was $2.2 million. Tyson, who weighed 222 pounds, cut Golota over the left eye, apparently from a head butt, knocked his 6-foot-4, 240-pound opponent down with a right to the head with 12 seconds left in the first round. Golota got up immediately, but when he returned to his corner after the bell, Certo said Golota told him he wanted to quit. Before the bell beginning the third round, Golota left his corner and told referee Garza more than once, "I quit." Certo, telling Golota, "You've got to get back out there," got him back to the corner. But when he tried to insert the mouthpiece, Golota refused to open his mouth. Golota, a native of Poland, was apologetic. "Boxing is a very, very difficult sport," he said. "I apologize to all my fans." The official result is a third-round technical knockout. On Tyson's record under 2000 it will read: "Oct. 20 ... Andrew Golota, Auburn Hills, Mich. ... TKO 3." However, it appears unlikely that will be the last line on Tyson's record.
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