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On February
22, 2003, Tyson beat fringe contender
Clifford Etienne
49 seconds into round one, once again in Memphis.
The pre-fight was marred by rumors of Tyson's lack
of fitness and that he took time out from training
to party in Las Vegas and get a new facial
tattoo.
This would be Tyson's final professional victory in
the ring. In August
2003, after years of financial struggles, Tyson
finally filed for
bankruptcy.
In 2003, amid all his economic troubles, he was
named by
Ring Magazine
at number 16, right behind
Sonny Liston,
among the 100 greatest punchers of all time.
On July 30, 2004, Tyson
faced the British boxer
Danny Williams
in another comeback fight, this time staged in
Louisville, Kentucky.
Tyson dominated the opening two rounds. The third
round was even, with Williams getting in some clean
blows and also a few illegal ones, for which he was
penalized. In the fourth round, Tyson was
unexpectedly knocked out. After the fight, it was
revealed that Tyson was trying to fight on one leg,
having torn a
ligament
in his other knee in the first round. This was
Tyson's fifth career defeat.
He underwent surgery for the ligament four days
after the fight. His manager, Shelly Finkel, claimed
that Tyson was unable to throw meaningful right-hand
punches after the knee injury.
On June 11, 2005, Tyson
stunned the boxing world by quitting before the
start of the seventh round in a close bout against
journeyman
Kevin McBride.
After losing the third of his last four fights,
Tyson said he would quit boxing because he no longer
had "the fighting guts or the heart anymore." |
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