Mike Tyson lost again tonight, for the third time in four fights, this time to an unknown Irish fighter named Kevin McBride. For those of us who have watched Tyson fight during his entire career, he appeared to end his career with the same level of class that he exuded during the rest of it. When his punches didn't intimidate his opponent, he resorted to deliberate fouling to sabotage the fight:

Mike Tyson's career apparently ended in yet another shocker Saturday night when he quit on the stool after taking a beating in a foul-filled sixth round against unheralded Kevin McBride. Tyson lost for the third time in his last four fights, and once again he faded badly as the rounds went on before deliberately head butting McBride in a desperate attempt to end the fight in the sixth round. ...

The 38-year-old Tyson was a huge favorite over McBride and won the early rounds. But as the fight went on, it was McBride landing the bigger punches as Tyson desperately tried to score a knockout.

Tyson was weary by the fifth round and, in the sixth round, he was penalized two points for deliberately head butting McBride and opening a cut over his left eye. The head butt came after Tyson appeared to try to break McBride's arm in a clinch like he once did against Francois Botha and after he hit him with several low blows.

Cortez warned Tyson after he grabbed McBride's arm, telling him "I don't want any more fighting with the arms, understand?"

When the action resumed, Tyson then head-butted McBride, forcing Cortez to stop the fight briefly to allow McBride to recover and to penalize Tyson.

The only move that Tyson skipped was the ear-chewing that disfigured Evander Holyfield. Tyson should have been disqualified for life after that fight, but boxing remains full of people who stand ready to rationalize anything if they can make a buck off of it. Despite his attempts to maim McBride, the Irish unknown started pounding the ex-champ in the final couple of rounds, with Tyson barely able to make it back to his corner after the sixth. He quit rather than go back out and try to fight honestly.

Tyson has always been a bully inside the ring. Fear was always his biggest weapon. Buster Douglas fought the first smart fight against Tyson, but it was Holyfield that showed the world what a coward Tyson actually was in the ring. Once Tyson realized that his opponent could not be frightened by his punches, he always resorted to biting, low blows, and manhandling, hoping to reinstill that same fear. It usually didn't work, and now it's just pathetic.

Let's hope this is Tyson's last fight. If not, perhaps it should be boxing's last fight instead.

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