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Alright, let’s hit this with some real punch! Mike Tyson’s retirement moment against Kevin McBride in 2005 wasn’t exactly what you’d call a “glorious exit.” Tyson wasn’t knocked out cold, and there was no dramatic knockout punch. It was more like he just gave up.
Now, McBride, a total underdog and not on anyone’s radar, had a plan: survive the first few rounds and then survive some more. Tyson came out swinging, like the legend he once was, but it was clear by Round 5 that the old “Iron Mike” wasn’t quite iron anymore. At 271 pounds, McBride kept leaning on Tyson (sometimes literally) and pushed him around the ring. Tyson’s big punches were slower, and his once-fearsome speed? Gone.
By Round 6, Tyson was visibly drained, a shadow of his former self. And that’s when it happened: McBride, who wasn’t even throwing that much heat, pushed Tyson, but Tyson hit the ropes, slid down, and stayed there—no effort to get up. … didn’t want to continue. After a quick chat with his trainer, Jeff Fenech, Tyson, looking defeated, made it official: “I don’t have the guts to be in this sport anymore.”
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