I’m going to post this to GQ instead of Great Debates; hopefully we won’t have to move it.
There has been some speculation since the aborted Mike Tyson-Orlin Norris fight that Iron Mikey deliberately knocked Norris down after the 1st round bell had rung.
Now, I was under the impression that after-bell punches were a fairly common occurrence, especially for very, ummm, competitive (stupid) people like Tyson. The adrenaline gets going, it’s easy not to hear the bell for a moment or two.
The ref penalized Tyson two points and was prepared to continue the fight as normal until Norris pulled out. Sounds like no big deal, but there are an awful lot of people using the issue to continue to demonize Tyson.
Question1: Are after-bell punches in fact common in pro boxing?
Question2: I didn’t see the fight; did Tyson appear to deliberately knock the guy down?
Question3: (Here’s where we might stray into GD territory.) Should Tyson lose part of the purse for the hit?
Disclaimer: IMO, Mike Tyson is a disgusting human being, a seething pustule on the rectum of humanity.
After the bell punches that result in knockdowns/knockouts are not so common.
I haven’t seen the fight, but I thought it was stopped because the other fighter injured his knee. I don’t know whether that injury from the knockdown or not. So, I can’t respond to Q#2 yet. (I do have it taped, but I just haven’t seen it yet.)
Also, not having seen the fight (I might change my mind once I see it), I don’t think he should have been penalized the two points just for that reason–that stuff does happen after the bell sometimes.
If that had ben ANY other fighter than Tyson, I don’t think that action would have been taken.
Q#3–I don’t think he should have to forfeit his purse. He wasn’t disqualified. The other fighter was unable to continue.
The bell rang FIVE TIMES, the ref. was between them demanding that they break, and there was still a significant gap in between the last bell and psycho lashing out again.
Of course, he blamed his victim, as he always does.
I saw the fight. The round was uneventful. At the end of the round they clinched. The bell rang five times. Norris dropped his hands, the ref stepped in, yelled “Break” and started to separate the fighters. Tyson let fly a left hook and down went Norris.
Slo-mo showed that Norris did twist his knee on the way down.
Yes, punching on the break and after the bell happen frequently in boxing. The vast majority of the time the punch is launched just a split second before or after the bell and usually results in a warning.
This, however, was a blatant foul, which is why the ref deducted two points from Tyson.
Norris heard the bell and the ref’s instruction to break, and relaxed. That’s why he got tagged. Tyson must have heard it, too.
The people that are enamored with the “Tyson mystique” don’t know a damn thing about boxing.
Is Tyson brain damaged? Seriously, if he is, how serious is it? If he suffered some kind of injury that ended his boxing career, would he be able to hold down a job, or would he end up panhandling on a streetcorner?
“I had a feeling that in Hell there would be mushrooms.” -The Secret of Monkey Island
Tyson never had a job in his life. He’s been getting in trouble with the law since he was 8 years old. Purse snatching, muggings, smash and grab theft and so on. Cus D’Amato took him in and turned him into a punching machine.
I don’t know if Tyson is brain damaged, but he certainly has mental problems. Being well below average in intelligence doesn’t help, either.
I don’t think we’ll be seeing Tyson in the big money fights much longer. The air of invincibility is gone, the controversies remain, and the yahoos who were his fans are crawling back into the woodwork.
He’ll be reduced to opponent status and eventually fade away. Good riddance.
However, his antics outside the ring are far from over. Stay tuned.