The Moments That Mattered

Street punk. Boxer. Millionaire. Womaniser. Rapist. Everyone, according to Mike Tyson, was picking on him

Street punk. Boxer. Millionaire. Womaniser. Rapist. Everyone, according to Mike Tyson, was picking on him. The world was more outraged in June of this year when his latest lifestyle progression compelled him, in round three of this WBA title fight, to take a bite from the ear of Evander Holyfield than it was when he was sent down for six years for the 1992 rape of Desiree Washington. Rarely does a man with Tyson's sordid reputation live down to it so fantastically well as he did last June when he stunned the world by spitting a chunk of Holyfield's ear on to the Las Vegas canvas. Apparently chastened from his time in prison, where he really "dug" those guys Mao and Camus, "The Baddest Man On The Planet" confirmed he was just as psychologically unstable at the MGM Garden as he was when he went into prison. Round three will go down as the night Tyson turned boxing into a street fight and dug a deeper hole for the credibility of the sport, where he demonstrated his lack of understanding of concepts such as disgrace or embarrassment. He whined after the fight that his kids would be afraid of him. Too true, Mike. So they should be.

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson is a sports writer with The Irish Times