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Mike Tyson’s last professional opponent overcame his addiction and, after being upset, became a tree surgeon

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Kevin McBride pulled off one of the biggest upsets in fighting history when he defeated Mike Tyson, but he traded the excitement of boxing for the peace of mind that comes with tree surgery. The Irishman has also had to overcome some significant demons in the twenty years since he celebrated the biggest result of his career.

Tyson, who is scheduled to retire and face Jake Paul on November 15, was unable to appear in the seventh round of their 2005 fight and retired from the sport shortly thereafter. While one might assume that such a triumph would pave the way to sporting immortality, the man known as the “Clone Colossus” has now focused on more humble pursuits.

“I’m working with a tree surgeon now,” McBride revealed Daily mail (By Mirror) in 2020. “He tells me to knock down trees, shovel snow, shout “wood” and so on. That’s good. It keeps me busy. My job is to pick things up and put them down.”

The 51-year-old former heavyweight is now enjoying a simpler life after basking in the Sweet Science spotlight. Living with his family in Boston, McBride is a content person, although his journey to a humble life has involved some adversity.

He struggled with alcohol addiction after losing six in eight fights following Tyson’s upset, eventually hanging up the gloves in 2011. Discussing his battle with alcohol, McBride described it as a “bigger fight” than any other he has faced in the ring.

“It’s difficult to believe so much time has passed,” said the Co. Monaghan man, recalling the peak of his boxing days. “It’s coming up more and more at the moment because every time they talk about it [Tyson] when I come back they say I was the last one to defeat him.

“I like it. I don’t sit back and watch the fight again, but someone recently posted a clip on Facebook and I saw it – a dream come true, right?”

It’s difficult to argue with the logic of a man from a miniature town of less than 2,000 people. McBride rose to the top of boxing before falling precipitously, but his legacy remains intact.

Tyson is scheduled to return to fight “The Problem Child” Paul in Arlington, Texas later this month. Nearly 20 years after his last professional test, he aims to improve on an already illustrious legacy and, in a sense, take revenge for his surprise defeat to McBride by ending his boxing days on a happier note.

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UK Boxing

Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif is taking legal action over the ‘XY chromosome’ row.

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Imane Khelif, the boxer embroiled in a contentious gender qualification dispute, intends to approach the media through legal channels after her alleged medical documents appeared in the press, as confirmed by the International Olympic Committee.

This week, French media published reports alleging that the 25-year-old boasts XY (male) chromosomes.

The boxer won welterweight gold at the Paris Games amid cries of controversy when the International Boxing Association said Algerian-born Khelif had been excluded from last year’s World Championships for failing to meet eligibility requirements because of his gender.

In her first bout on Paris soil, Khelif defeated Italian opponent Angela Carini, who bowed out just 46 seconds into the match, expressing that she had “never felt a blow like that.”

In the wake of the violent backlash and online harassment during the Olympics, Khelif filed a formal complaint with French law enforcement, and on Wednesday the IOC revealed it is now opposing up-to-date allegations raised by recent French journalists.

Moreover, the IOC expressed deep concern about the spate of abuse against Khelif following her Olympic Games in Paris.

An IOC spokesman noted: “We understand that Imane Khelif has taken legal action against people who commented on her situation during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and is preparing a lawsuit in response to the latest reports.

“The IOC will not comment on legal proceedings or media reports of unverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmed.”

In a revealing statement, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stressed that boxer Khelif has been actively involved in women’s boxing “for many years”, taking part in events including: at the previous Tokyo Games and those sanctioned by the International Boxing Association (IBA).

The IBA was indeed stripped of Olympic recognition due to management failures last year. As a result, it was the IOC itself that oversaw and set admission standards for the Olympic boxing competitions in Paris.

The IOC further clarified: “All athletes who took part in the boxing tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games complied with the qualification and entry requirements for the competition, as well as all applicable medical regulations issued by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU).”

The organization explained that, as with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age classification was based on details contained in the athlete’s passport.

The IOC also noted that these rules were consistently applied throughout the qualifying stage.

Concluding the statement, they said: “The IOC is committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes who have participated in the Olympic Games, in accordance with the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics and the IOC Strategic Framework for Human Rights. The IOC is saddened by the abuse that Imane Khelif is currently suffering.”

After winning the gold medal, Khelif firmly stated: “I am fully qualified to compete in this competition. I am a woman.”

She confirmed: “I was born a woman, I lived as a woman and I competed as a woman. There is no doubt that there are enemies of success and this gives my success a special flavor because of these attacks.”

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UK Boxing

Mike Tyson lists his five favorite boxers

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Tyson is set to come out of retirement to face Paul on November 15 in Texas Photo Credit: Esther Lin/Most Valuable Promotions

Mike Tyson named five of his favorite current boxers to watch Photo: Amanda Westcott/Most Valuable Promotions
Mike Tyson named five of his favorite current boxers to watch Photo: Amanda Westcott/Most Valuable Promotions

Mike Tyson is deeply prepared for his shocking fight against Jake Paul on November 15.

However, when Tyson is not attending training camp, he regularly appears at boxing’s biggest events, supporting the next generation of fighters who want to emulate his extraordinary success.

“Iron Mike” was a huge supporter of current WBC interim lightweight heavyweight champion David Benavidez, whom he nicknamed “The Mexican Monster”, and was also a supporter of the WBA lightweight title, Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

Featured in one of the episodes Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru and HenryTyson named his top five fighters to watch.

“Benavidez, Tank,” the 58-year-old said.

Tyson is scheduled to come out of retirement and face Paul on November 15 in Texas. Photo: Esther Lin/Most Valuable Promotions
Tyson is scheduled to come out of retirement and face Paul on November 15 in Texas. Photo: Esther Lin/Most Valuable Promotions

“Shakura [Stevenson] when he has this guy like Tank fighting him, something like that.

“Who else? Of course [Terence] Bud Crawford.

“I like [Errol] Spence too. I think Spence can come back and get his title back, I really think so.

“I think Spence is an underrated fighter.”

Tyson is a huge fan of Spence. Photo: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
Tyson is a huge fan of Spence. Photo: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions

The former undisputed heavyweight champion will enter the professional ring for the first time since 2005, when Kevin McBride sent him into retirement.

Tyson was last seen in the ring in 2020, when he drew in an exhibition fight with Roy Jones Jr. in Los Angeles.

The Brooklyn resident is 31 years older than Paul and the “Problem Child,” who has won 10 of 11 professional contests, is the oddsmaker’s favorite heading into next Friday’s eight-round fight at AT&T Stadium.

Tyson insists he will not shy away from the Cleveland fighter and vowed to meet him in person.

“I will go straight through him,” he added.

– He won’t have to look for me.

McBride sent Tyson into retirement in 2005. Photo: AP
McBride sent Tyson into retirement in 2005. Photo: AP

“All the running I do will be aimed directly at him.

“He doesn’t have to worry about fighting me.”

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UK Boxing

Mike Tyson’s £385m demand ended potential exhibition classic against Tyson Fury

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Plans for a high-profile fight between Mike Tyson and Tyson Fury fell through when one side demanded an excessive fee. The ‘Gypsy King’ once revealed that discussions about an exhibition match between the two were very heated, but negotiations broke down when ‘Iron Mike’ demanded a staggering £385 million for his involvement.

Fury – who was named after the former unified heavyweight champion of the world – was at the peak of his career when he recently defeated Deontay Wilder for the first time when he revealed the news. The 36-year-old expressed his desire to face the legend of this sport.

“I got a call with a chance to fight Mike Tyson,” Fury told BT Sport in 2020. “I thought, ‘What?’ Yes, I got a call asking, “Would you like to fight Mike Tyson in an exhibition fight?” I thought, “Hell yes!”

Unfortunately, the match never took place, and “The Baddest Man on the Planet” faced fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. instead. on show in November 2020. Rapid forward to today and Tyson, 58, is poised to make a major comeback from retirement when he faces Jake Paul on November 15 in eight two-minute rounds.

In an interview with iFL TV in October this year, Fury detailed that the reason for breaking the deal was money: “It was talked about. His people contacted me. Mike and I had a phone conversation. Everything was real, but it never materialized.

“Whoever offered Mike money to come back was offering us peanuts. Mike was talking about figures of $500 million [half a billion]but what came back to us on paper was a joke. It was crazy. I had an offer from ESPN for $10 million (£7.5 million) to put the fight on the show, but I think everyone has moved on now.”

Despite the hype surrounding Tyson’s upcoming fight with Paul, a fight between the Tysons would be the hit of a lifetime. He faced heavyweight champions from different dynasties, and Fury was undefeated at the time. This clash could have been the showpiece fight for the ages.

Before the fight with Paul, Tyson may be contemplating his last dance in the professional ring. Talks suggest that after this fight with Paul, he may hang up his gloves once and for all.

Despite rumors of retirement, the legendary boxer has not closed the door on continuing his fighting career. However, the prospect of a fight between him and Fury may be gone for good.

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