Mike Tyson vs. Corey Sanders: Was this the final boxing match of his career or will he make a comeback?

Iron Mike Tyson, the youngest man to ever claim a portion of the heavyweight championship and a fighter once known as the “baddest man on the planet”, officially retired from boxing on June 11, 2005 after a surprising defeat to the unheralded Irish fighter, Kevin McBride. The fight itself was seen as nothing more than a tune up for Tyson who was coming off a knee injury that he suffered in a loss to Danny Williams. The bout with McBride saw Tyson struggle to his land shots, being outmatched heavily in size and getting fatigued rather quickly in a fight that had turned competitive. 

At the start of the 6th round, Tyson sensing some urgency, put forth an attack on McBride in an effort to end the match, but saw this attempt like many of his others on the night end with the much larger man tying him up. This was the beginning of the end for Tyson, as he let frustrations overtake him and began to foul McBride. First came a warning from Joe Cortez for trying to break McBride’s arm in a clinch, and then came a two point deduction for an intentional head butt that left Kevin bleeding from the eye.

Undeterred by what was happening in the ring, McBride continued doing what he had done all night and that was simply tying up, leaning on, and hitting Mike with short shots on the inside. At the end of the 6th round, McBride leaned on top of Tyson once again, this time causing Mike to collapse to the canvas where he struggled to get back to his feet. Once back to his corner, his trainer Jeff Fenech decided Mike had enough and called a halt to the match, leaving the once most feared boxer in the world retiring on his stool.

To most boxing fans, the lasting image of Iron Mike’s final career bout was that of a boxer who could no longer fight effectively in the ring, and a fighter who was so exhausted at the end of a match that he was reaching up to the referee looking for help to get back to his feet. I like to think of his final ring appearance a little bit differently, mainly because the fight with Kevin McBride was not the final time Mike Tyson fought inside the ring. Back in September 2006 the Mike Tyson World Tour was announced, in which Tyson would fight a series of 4 round exhibition fights around the world in an effort to alleviate some of his debts and improve his self-esteem.

Some wondered if this world tour was the start of something bigger and, if Mike was successful, whether this could launch a serious comeback. The first fight was scheduled for October 20, 2006 in Youngstown, Ohio against former sparring partner Corey “T-rex” Sanders. The fight was to consist of four two and a half minute rounds in which his opponent would be allowed to wear head gear. Mike entered the fight in reasonable shape and weighed in at 241.5 lbs, while Sanders came in actually lighter and in better shape than a lot of his recent professional bouts weighing in at 292.5.

The crowd waited in an anticipation to once again see Mike Tyson enter the ring in hopes of seeing glimpses of the fighter he used to be in the past. Mike came in wearing a white tee-shirt, had on his trademark black shorts & black shoes, and seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere. The bell for the first round rang, and as things started it was clear that this was a much more relaxed version of Tyson. He went out there giving more ring movement, working both to the head and body, not really trying to overwhelm his opponent.

About twenty seconds into the match, Tyson unleashed a five punch combination ending with a right hand that dropped Sanders, and left him on the canvas having to work his way back to his feet. It was clear that even at age 40, Iron Mike was in with an over-matched opponent. As the round continued, Sanders started to look more and more like he was just there to be target practice for Tyson, as he offered little resistance to punches that were being fired his way. Towards the end of the first, Mike again hit Sanders a big right hand that had him on shaky legs and seemingly ready to fall if not for the fact that Tyson had held him up after the shot.

As the first round drew to a close, the crowd seemed less than happy with the action and intensity being put forth in front of them. The second, third, and fourth rounds brought much of the same, where Mike would throw a series of hard shots, but not consistently enough to get Sanders out of there. It was clear he wanted to give the fans a show, but not hurt his opponent. When all was said and done, Mike Tyson won every second of every round, but there was no decision rendered, and while crowd seemed disappointed with the main event, they still gave Mike a strong round of applause upon hearing his name announced for the final time.

The bout with Sanders was supposed to be the start of the world tour, but it was really the end, as it seemed fan interest died off and Mike’s outside the ring issues prevented him from ever getting back into the game. History remembers Tyson in a lot of ways, but when looking back on how his career ended, I don’t see it happening in the Kevin McBride fight, I see it ending here against Corey Sanders.

For me, the final image of Mike Tyson in the ring was not that of a boxer reaching up to the referee looking for help, but that of a person who no longer had the same ferocity to finish an opponent, to the point where he actually went out of his way to help one. The end did not come with him quitting on his stool, it came in an exhibition match in which he clearly proved he still had enough skills to box, but also showed that he lacked the fire he once had to truly succeed with it.

When you think of Mike Tyson today it’s amazing to see the second act he has had and the person he has become. He has gone from being an unpredictable, angry person to one of the mostly likable people in the sport. He has transformed from a furious fighter to the fun loving guy from The Hangover movies and his one man show “Undisputed truth.” Mike Tyson is now 53 years old and while he has battled both personal and substance issues in the past, he has made it to a healthy point in his life, one that might even include a third act, a comeback.

“Iron Mike” recently gained the attention of the sports world after releasing some short video clips of himself hitting the boxing mitts and flashing glimpses of the speed and power that made him one of the most devastating punchers in the sport. Whether or not Mike Tyson makes some sort of a return remains to be seen, but it’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 14 years since Tyson last appeared in a boxing ring. Even though he has been long retired from the sport, the fact a just few clips of Mike throwing punches can still excite people and make headlines shows the impact he had on the sport. With all the things that have transpired in his life and career it’s great that Mike did not “fade off to Bolivia,” as he once said, and has found his place in the world. He is happy not being “The baddest man on the planet” anymore, and just being himself.