Tyson turnabout

Iron Mike surprisingly gracious after loss to Lewis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Sometimes, the schoolyard bully gets his.

That was the case as Mike Tyson, bad boy of the sport, left the ring bloodied, floored for good by Lennox Lewis in the eighth round. Shocked? Not really, as Lewis roughed up the smaller Tyson for most of the night, firing away with vicious left jabs and a final crushing right jab.

The surprise, if there was one Saturday night, was Tyson playing the role of gracious loser, even wiping blood form Lewis' unmarked face in a post-fight interview. He said all the right things, spewing accolade after accolade in Lewis' direction, thanking him for the $17.5 million payday -- and then asking, no begging for a rematch.

Why bother? Once again, Lewis proved the axiom that a quality big man owns the advantage over a smaller fighter. (see George Foreman, Joe Frazier). Lewis, with nearly a 6-inch edge in both height and reach, peppered Tyson with jabs and thwarted his every boor-like charge. A few times that Tyson got inside early, Lewis tied him up and shoved him aside.

This was a classic schoolyard butt-kicking. The bully who came in promising to "crush this guy's guts," ended up himself a bloody mess, cut above both eyes and bleeding from his nose, a huge welt hovering over his right eye.

If he won -- no, when he won -- Tyson talked of having a tattoo planted on his face. Lewis handled that too.

"He can take a helluva punch," Lewis said, paying Tyson his due. "I caught him good, and he took it like a man."

Tyson, who only logged 19 rounds in the last five years, won the first round on all three scorecards -- but that was it. Lewis opened a cut over his right eye in the third round, staggered him with a straight right at the close of the fourth (losing a 10-8 round for a punch after the bell) and then ripped him apart until sending him to the canvas in the eighth.

A left uppercut brought a standing eight count from referee Eddie Cotton. A straight right put Tyson out of his misery.

"In competition, the best man always wins," Tyson calmly offered. "I've known Lennox for 15 years. We've always been friends. He knows I love he and his mother [Violet]. He knows who I am."

The defrocked bully was a pleasant sight to see, with Tyson acknowledging some of the barbaric, vulgar, pre-fight talk was little more than hype.

Or was he simply playing up the champ in hopes for another payday? In the post-fight ringside scene, Tyson did everything but genuflect, asking for another shot, as Lewis acted coy and aloof.

"Thank you for the chance," Tin Mike began. "Nobody wanted to give me a chance. I am thankful you gave me the chance.

"I am happy for you, and I hope you give me a fight one more time."

And why might the outcome be any less devastating?

"I said it would take two or three more fights before I fought him," Tyson said. "If he gives me one more chance I would be grateful."

This night, Tyson had nothing. His legion of fans came to pay homage to the street brawler, expecting Lewis would wilt under the pressure of his head-first charges. Boxing insiders suggested Tyson's best days came and went more than a decade ago, and on this night it was never more obvious.

Lewis used Tyson to pump his own status in heavyweight circles. He previously avenged his two losses and also twice defeated Evander Holyfield -- himself twice a beater of the bully -- but this was sweet for a guy Team Tyson ripped as soft, a coward and a few more colorful terms.

"That may have been the best Lewis performance I have seen," Foreman observed from ringside.

As has been his demeanor here all week, Lewis was calm, even unwilling to rant, even in victory.

"I showed boxing [fans] who was the best in the world," Lewis said matter of factly. "I'm a pugilist specialist. Nobody thought I could adjust to his style but I did."

The fighters first set foot in The Pyramid about two hours before the bell, with the showing of Tyson's entrance on the arena's big screen drawing raucous cheers. Tyson, wearing a tight-fitting knit shirt, stopped to plant a kiss on the cheek of a female TV technician, laughing as he strode to his dressing room.

Lewis, in a bright red sweatsuit, entered 30 minutes later, looking somber as opposed to the relaxed Tyson. The British fighter also declined a pre-fight chat in his dressing room. Tyson appeared loose in front of the pay-per-view cameras.

After playing it safe in the opening round, Lewis demonstrated why he's world champion and Tyson is a name from the past.

"Heavyweights mature at different times," said Lewis, putting his and Tyson's careers in perspective. "Mike Tyson matured at 19. He was the best on the planet.

"I came along and I rule the world now."

 

Related information

Stories

CNNSI.com will have round-by-round updates Pacquiao defends IBF junior featherweight title Lewis KOs Tyson to retain heavyweight titles

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video