The ultimate win of Mike Tyson’s profession noticed a brand new face tattoo and loopy KO regardless of combating with a ‘damaged again’ towards Clifford Etienne who was later sentenced to 160 years in jail

Mike Tyson recorded the ultimate win of his illustrious profession 20 years in the past this month – and it was arguably his craziest knockout involving a recent face tattoo, a ‘spinal’ damage, each boxers making an attempt to drag out throughout struggle week and a brutal 49-second stoppage.

Clifford ‘The Black Rhino’ Etienne was the opponent and, like ‘Iron Mike’, was seen as a harmful puncher. Having realized to field whereas in jail for tried armed theft, Etienne had constructed a 24-1-1 professional report – scoring 17 KOs alongside the way in which, together with 11 within the first spherical.

He was chosen because the 36-year-old Tyson’s February 2003 comeback opponent after his defeat by Lennox Lewis as a result of Etienne had additionally suffered 10 knockdowns. The considering being that he wouldn’t be capable of deal with the previous undisputed heavyweight champion’s damaging energy – which proved true with a spectacular, if controversial, ending to the struggle.

Tyson’s new coach, Freddie Roach, really pleaded along with his fighter to postpone the occasion billed as ‘Again to Enterprise’ resulting from his poor conditioning. Tyson had gone by means of a messy divorce in January and has since admitted he’d been hanging out in drug dens, taking coke and weed, within the aftermath of his struggle with Lewis. Roach feared {that a} defeat to Etienne may finish Tyson’s profession.

The truth that Tyson acquired his Maori facial tattoo only a week earlier than the struggle additionally threw the occasion into doubt. Any tattoo near a struggle is ill-advised as it might bleed or turn into contaminated. But Tyson was decided, initially wanting a bunch of hearts on his face (“I used to be going to be the person of hearts, child”) till his tattoo artist satisfied him that Maori warrior ink was a greater look.

The struggle regarded on the point of being cancelled till Tyson belatedly confirmed up in host metropolis Memphis. The confusion round whether or not the competition was even occurring then triggered Etienne to drag out – earlier than he modified his thoughts 24 hours later, maybe realising there weren’t too many different $1million paydays on his horizon.

The struggle itself was shockingly transient. Somewhat than trying to field and testing Tyson’s by now suspect stamina, Etienne got here in to attempt to blast ‘Iron Mike’ out – with predictable outcomes. As the 2 swung wildly at each other, Etienne was caught clear with a few blows earlier than the pair clinched and wrestled each other to the canvas.

After the struggle resumed, Tyson missed with a left hook however then linked with a thunderous proper hand to the jaw that triggered Etienne to break down, his again leg buckling in spectacular vogue. There was no means he was getting again up. Etienne had landed just one left hook, failing to even take a look at the tattoo on the left aspect of Tyson’s face.

He added: “I had a motorbike accident and the medical doctors found it. I used to be doing my sit-ups, 2,500 a day with my 20lb weight, and someday I couldn’t transfer any extra. I requested the physician what was fallacious – and he stated: ‘Imagine it or not your again is damaged barely.’”

That’s actually quite a lot of sit-ups per-day (precisely what number of was Roach anticipating him to do to get into form?). Years later Tyson laughed concerning the interview and defined he really had a long-standing again damage after years of coaching.

However in 2003, discuss shortly turned to the potential of a money-spinning rematch with Lewis who was nonetheless the heavyweight champ. Tyson was eager on the struggle however wished additional tune-ups to shake off his ring rust.

“I’ve acquired points I’ve acquired to cope with,” he advised the media post-fight. “I’m in ache and I’ve acquired some severe demons I’m combating… To be trustworthy I’m not able to struggle him [Lewis] at the moment. I would like extra fights.”

For many boxers, a 49-second KO can be the quickest on report. However Tyson made a profession of pulverising foes who didn’t belong within the ring with him and the obliteration of Etienne was solely the sixth-fastest knockout of his profession.

It was Tyson’s fiftieth skilled win and his forty fourth KO (not counting the stoppage of Andrew Golota, which was modified to a no contest after Tyson failed the post-fight drug take a look at for marijuana). It was additionally the ultimate victory of his profession.

For all his discuss of being extra energetic and incomes a rematch with Lewis, Tyson’s private demons have been consuming him. He wouldn’t really enter the ring once more till July 2004, when the 38-year-old Tyson was upset by Britain’s Danny Williams, earlier than one final defeat by Kevin McBride in 2005. Two opponents who, with respect, would have been demolished by Tyson on the peak of his powers.

Nonetheless, Tyson was not less than capable of overcome his private {and professional} lows to ultimately emerge as a fitter, happier, extra well-adjusted model of himself. Etienne’s life sadly went down a unique path. After eight extra fights, he went on what was described as a ‘cocaine-fuelled crime spree’ in his native Louisiana.

In August 2005, Etienne robbed an area enterprise, tried to hijack two automobiles (one containing a lady and her baby), then pulled a gun on law enforcement officials. He reportedly tried to fireside the weapon just for it to jam. After being convicted of armed theft, kidnapping and the tried homicide of a police officer, Etienne was sentenced to 160 years in jail (later lowered to 105 years resulting from a technicality).

Etienne’s life tragically spun uncontrolled in a means many feared Tyson’s would after he completed combating. However not less than Etienne acquired to share the ring with one of the crucial feared and well-known heavyweights of any period – even when the entire occasion is especially remembered for simply how weird all of it was.