Mike Tyson’s comeback to the sport at 58 has been compared to the movie ‘Cheech and Chong – Up in Smoke’ movie after the legend failed to ignite.
The former undisputed heavyweight champion lost against influencer boxer Jake Paul on November 15 as 70,00o fans witnessed a shocking display in Texas. Tyson could hardly throw a punch as he was carried over the finish line in a warning to any Hall of Famers thinking of returning to the ring.
Bernd Boente, who guided the Klitschko brothers’ successful careers and is now a commentator, aired his views on the Tyson disaster.
“Tyson vs Paul reminded me of the title of an extremely funny film from my youth: “Up in Smoke” with Cheech and Chong was mainly about smoking weed. It is well known that Mike Tyson has spent more time smoking weed over the last twenty years than in the gym,” pointed out Boente.
“Some critics write that he destroyed his legacy yesterday and that it is a disgrace for boxing. Guys, what did you expect?
“I sat ringside as a commentator at many Tyson fights in his heyday, and his decline in performance was already visible to everyone in the 90s, mainly due to his extreme lifestyle in the fast lane. In the last fights before his retirement, he was only a shadow of the old Iron Mike.
“In the end, it’s up to each individual whether they want to take the health risk. But as Mike Tyson fans, let us be happy that he came out of the fight unscathed. He is now hopefully holding on to his million-dollar purse better than in his heyday,” he added.
Tyson suffered a seventh loss against arguably his weakest career opponent following losses against journeymen Danny Williams and Kevin McBride. However, those defeats against Williams and McBride came when Tyson was 38 rather than 58.
‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ was already a questionable entry into the top heavyweights of all time before he faced Paul. That debate is made all the more favorable to those against Tyson’s inclusion when discussing the best top-division operators in history.
He’ll always be ‘Iron’ Mike of the 1980s when talked about in a good light. But whether that five-year stint between 1985 and 1990 can outweigh the following train wreck will always be questioned.
