Mike Tyson doesn’t only have a penchant for biting off opponent’s ears. The former heavyweight king had a nibble at another area a few years after his most infamous incident.
Not content with chomping off a portion of Evander Holyfield’s lobe, “The Baddest Man on the Planet” tried to get his gnashers into Kevin McBride.
When fighting McBride at the MCI Center in Washington back in 2005, Tyson struggled to get going. The start was similar to the Holyfield clash, which eventually saw Tyson do the unthinkable in the third round.
Again, with the Boston-based Irishman, Tyson got frustrated early on and went for one of McBride’s nipples. The underdog explained what happened during the aftermath once he’d caused a massive shock.
“Tyson is crazy. He bit my nipple,” claimed McBride, who earned a purse of just $150,000 for his trouble. “I didn’t realize it at first, but he had his teeth around it. I just felt a strange sensation and then realized what he’d done.”
Luckily for McBride, ‘Iron’ Mike was no longer. The Tyson he retired after six rounds was no longer the force he once was. Even the bite itself went largely unreported by the media compared to the Holyfield occurrence. It was proof – if any was needed – on the back of the Danny Williams loss in his last fight that the Mike Tyson we all knew was no more.
A crowd of over fifteen thousand witnessed the final bout of Mike’s professional career. It was a tenure in three parts that was Hall of Fame-worthy for the first five years. The second installment concerns the furor surrounding what Tyson had left after his release from prison. And the third was his ultimate demise after the Holyfield bite.
Losing against McBride on Pay Per View and again showing his animalistic side hindered some promoters from wanting to work with Tyson. It also told Tyson that the time was right to get out.
The startling fact accompanying the event, which Showtime presented, is that Tyson only received costs from his $5 million-plus purse. He was literally fighting for money to pay off his ex-wife and creditors. Maybe Mike thought that if he made another headlining decision felt around the world, as he did with Holyfield, it would be a gateway for more money.
But in reality, it was a desperate fallen champion who couldn’t handle being taken apart by a far less superior boxer than him. This fact was evident when Tyson pulled the same move with Frans Botha and tried to break McBride’s arm into the bargain.
Tyson lost two points for the move, but McBride didn’t mention the biting incident until after the contest was over. As for the stoppage itself, Mike Tyson sat down and gave up, a solid indication that the love was gone, and he only got wheeled out to pay his considerable bills.
Never one to shy away or portray a false persona, Tyson admitted his failings in his post-fight interview.
“I do not have the guts to be in this sport anymore. I don’t want to disrespect the sport that I love. My heart is not into this anymore. I’m sorry for the fans who paid for this. I wish I could have done better.”
Who would have thought that Tyson would be returning to the ring nearly two decades later to face a 27-year-old influencer?
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