12/21/24
February 01, 2002
Being Mike Tyson.: Michael Wilbon, the better half of PTI, writes, "It doesn't matter whether Tyson fights again because he's not really interested in being a professional prize fighter anymore.... It's not that his skills are rusty; he has no skills remaining." According to Wilbon, Tyson wanted to get the bout with Lewis canceled to "deflect attention from the fact that he's washed up." Jason Whitlock, while not condoning his actions, feels sorry for Tyson, claiming that he's the only man "who doesn't appear to have one single friend." (links via Slate, I know it's MSN sponsored but so is your browser)
See now, if Kedrick Brown hadn't hurt his leg, I'd be excited. The kid's gotten about 15 minutes of time this whole year, yet he's doing something in practice: the whole Celtics team was excited to have him go.
posted by yerfatma at 09:19 AM on February 01, 2002
Whoops. Wrong thread. Never done that before.
posted by yerfatma at 09:19 AM on February 01, 2002
Does anyone know if the uncensored audio of Tyson's press conference has made it to the Web?
posted by rcade at 10:12 AM on February 01, 2002
I would like to see Kedrick Brown fight Mike Tyson :) PTI is a great show. I don't dislike Kornheiser; I just prefer Wilbon. Both are entertaining.
posted by jacknose at 10:15 AM on February 01, 2002
If Mike Tyson wasn't so prone to cussing, grabbing his crotch and threatening reporters, he might have had a friend hand to keep him from "melt(ing) down in a lewd, verbal tirade that might cost him $20 million." Regardless of his past performance, he's since proven himself to be a poor boxer and a poor sportsman. Not to mention his penchant for raping women. I certainly don't feel sorry for him one bit. (PS: I love both the PTI guys equally, but in different ways.)
posted by jennyb at 12:04 PM on February 01, 2002
Mike Tyson is the biggest waste of talent I've ever seen. Sure, his skills have eroded, but if he could actually be sane for a little while and train for, oh say, more than a week, he could still have a chance at the title. But it's not gonna happen.
posted by justgary at 02:22 PM on February 01, 2002
Concidering that the only time you can see the man fight (outside of a news conference) costs upwards of $26 pay-per-view, i can't give much of an opinion about his skills anymore. the last time i saw him was the holyfield fight, and man, was he getting his ass kicked. of course he might have just been tired and hungry; he needed a little ear jerky to perk him up. Tyson is pathetic and ghoulish, a cartoonish combination of Dennis Rodman and Hannibal Lecter. Our fascination with him, even if it was once justifiable, needs to end. That quote from the top article is priceless because of its sheer irony. Even as we say goodbye and good riddance to the sideshow freak we're still fascinated with him. Maybe Don King should put all discussions of Tyson on pay-per-view as well? Slightly off topic, and not attempting a highjack here, I do question the role of high ticket exposure and Tyson's decline. When all of us could watch the man on reglar' TV, without paying through the nose for it, he seemed cognizant of his audience, and respectful of them as well. His recent behavior shows a Tyson who thinks that any damn fool will pay top dollor for the privalage of witnessing his awesomeness. I think there's a stinky relationship between pay-per-view insulation and Tyson's nosedive from sanity.
posted by Wulfgar! at 04:11 PM on February 01, 2002
Wilbon? Better half of PTI? Must resist urge to strangle. The two of them are the major pundits for the 'Skins in the Post, but Wilbon is a poseur Bears fan who never liked anything the 'Skins did. Grumble. Grumble. Korneheiser is king. But I love PTI. "Mail Time!"
posted by owillis at 04:40 PM on February 01, 2002
Ah, you've found me out. I'm also a poseur Bears fan.
posted by jacknose at 03:13 PM on February 03, 2002
The better half? I like them both equally. PTI is a great show though. On topic though, I tend to agree with him. I don't think Tyson can fight at the heavyweight level anymore. He's a menace to society that just happens to be a large draw on hbo and showtime because you don't know what the hell he's going to do. It's like people watching racing to see car crashes. Boxing should ban him forever and let him get on with all the rape trials he has to attend.