Saturday, July 31, 2004
The former heavyweight champion wasn't the same after getting hurt.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Mike Tyson tore a ligament in his left knee in the first round of his shocking knockout loss to Danny Williams, his manager said Saturday.
Shelly Finkel said an MRI showed a complex tear of the lateral meniscus, and that Tyson couldn't even walk on the leg Saturday. He said Tyson's ex-wife Monica, who is a doctor, read the results.
"That's why he couldn't throw the right hand the rest of the fight," Finkel said. "I was screaming at him to throw it, but he couldn't."
Tyson was dominating the first round, rocking Williams with shots to the head, but late in the round motioned toward his knee and grimaced. Finkel said Tyson refused to make an excuse and wanted to continue fighting.
Williams ended up knocking Tyson out with a series of punches in the fourth round that left Tyson sprawled on the canvas. Tyson appeared as if he could get up and continue, but made little attempt to get up.
"In retrospect I wish he had said something and said he couldn't continue," Finkel said.
Hampered by injury
After the fight, Tyson's trainer, Freddie Roach credited Williams with fighting a good fight, but said Tyson was hampered by the injury.
"It's kind of hard to pivot and throw some shots without your left knee," Roach said. "But Danny Williams surprised a lot of us."
Finkel said Tyson was downcast after the fight, and that it would take some time to decide when -- or whether -- to resume his career. The fight with Williams was to be the first in a series of comeback fights to help Tyson pay off $38 million in debt.
Tyson earned some $8 million Friday night, but would keep only $2 million of that if a bankruptcy reorganization plan is approved. That plan, however, was contingent on Tyson fighting seven times in the next three years, which now appears unlikely.
No deal
Promoter Bob Arum, who had planned to offer Tyson a four-fight deal worth some $100 million if he looked good, said that deal was now off the table.
For Tyson to continue, Arum said, he would have to fight for a few hundred thousand dollars a fight to build his record back up before becoming a contender again.
"Certainly it's a different Mike Tyson than there was in our estimation last night," Arum said. "If he's going to continue in the ring it's got to be done on a completely different basis. He's got to fight C and D fighters and build his confidence. You can't put him in with legitimate heavyweights."
Tyson's fight drew a crowd of 17,253 to Freedom Hall, most thinking they would see an early knockout of Williams, whose biggest claim to fame was that he was the former British heavyweight champion.
But, after a shaky first round, Williams fought back and turned the tide late in the third round as Tyson appeared to tire. The fight was a free-for-all, but Williams was stronger and fresher and landed a series of unanswered punches in the fourth round before Tyson went down and the fight was stopped at 2:51 of the round.
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