Mike Tyson vs Mitch Green - HBO 5-20-86 - video Dailymotion

SteckmetX

Undefeated Heavyweight Contender Mike Tyson faces Mitch "Blood" Green from MSG on HBO.

Transcript

00:00:00...the division's newest sensation, Mike Tyson.

00:00:06Cut out of the same brawling mold,

00:00:09Tyson knocked out a string of 19 challengers in just 12 months.

00:00:13With a display of awesome punching power,

00:00:15he's become the sport's rising superstar.

00:00:18But in his last outing against James Quiktilis,

00:00:21he went 10 tough rounds.

00:00:22Tonight, New York hosts Mike Tyson versus Mitch Green.

00:01:00...the Madison Square Garden in New York City,

00:01:02where HBO Sports presents the main event,

00:01:05a 10-round heavyweight fight between Mike Tyson and Mitch Green.

00:01:10So a rising star has made his way to an arena steeped in boxing tradition.

00:01:15Three heavyweight champions continue on in the unification series

00:01:18as Mike Tyson awaits his chance.

00:01:20Ironically, Michael Spinks, Tim Witherspoon, and Trevor Burbick

00:01:23have never even fought in this historic building.

00:01:26There was a time when Madison Square Garden was a showcase

00:01:29for names like Lewis, Marciano, Ali, and Frazier.

00:01:33And now, as we store those memorable nights away,

00:01:36a new force has emerged in the heavyweight division,

00:01:39reawakening a sleeping giant.

00:01:41Madison Square Garden has latched on to Mike Tyson

00:01:44as boxing returns to the main arena,

00:01:47a thread which ties boxing's glorious past

00:01:49to a promising future.

00:01:53Fight night in the Garden.

00:01:54They used to say it a lot in Madison Square Garden,

00:01:57but they haven't said it about heavyweights here in the big room

00:01:59since Ken Norton fought Jerry Cooney more than five years ago.

00:02:04Hello, everybody.

00:02:04I'm Barry Tompkins, along with Sugar Ray Leonard and Larry Merchant,

00:02:08and we've got what should be an interesting evening for you tonight.

00:02:11Ray, the legend of Mike Tyson,

00:02:14the man might have just become a little bit more mortal.

00:02:16He went ten rounds with James Quick Tillis.

00:02:18What's the pressure like on him?

00:02:20You went through pretty much the same thing.

00:02:21I tell you, Barry, I would prefer to fight an opponent

00:02:23than to deal with the pressure.

00:02:25It's really tough because, see, the fans' high expectations

00:02:28when they celebrate a fight like a Mike Tyson,

00:02:30it's every day because everyone pretends you in a different way.

00:02:34It happened to me when I first turned professional.

00:02:36Everyone expected me to be champion. I did become champion.

00:02:39For Mike Tyson, I'm impressed with the fact

00:02:41he's only 19 years old and very composed.

00:02:43Well, Mike Tyson is only half the fight.

00:02:45Larry Merchant, Mitch Bloodgreen is the other half.

00:02:48What does he bring to the dance?

00:02:50Well, if he doesn't pose a real threat to Tyson,

00:02:53he definitely poses a challenge.

00:02:55He's definitely the toughest character

00:02:58that Tyson has been put in with yet.

00:03:00And by that, I mean just a tough guy off the street.

00:03:04How tough?

00:03:06Well, he asked to fight Mike Tyson.

00:03:09The last time we had that, Trevor Burbick asked to fight Pinkman Thomas.

00:03:12We thought he was crazy, and he went on to pull up a 7-to-1 upset.

00:03:16So, who knows about Mitch Green.

00:03:19In fact, Mitch Green was the guy who fought Trevor Burbick

00:03:22just before he pulled off that upset and gave him a heck of a fight.

00:03:25So, Mitch Green, a tough kid from the streets of the Bronx in Harlem,

00:03:31Tyson from the streets of Brooklyn, were here in the garden.

00:03:34The old days, that's how they used to settle these neighborhood wars.

00:03:37Inter-borough battle is what we got here.

00:03:40And so, the selling of the, quote,

00:03:42next heavyweight champion continues.

00:03:44If you talk to Mike Tyson, he'll have to say

00:03:46he's going to bite the promotional bullet.

00:03:49He asks about his feelings,

00:03:50and, of course, people, he says, people consider him a commodity.

00:03:55Like many 19-year-olds, Mike Tyson is preparing for finals.

00:03:59But he is not your average student.

00:04:01He doesn't read his lessons.

00:04:02He watches them.

00:04:03He doesn't attend classes.

00:04:05He skips them.

00:04:06But, most importantly, he does not plan for his future.

00:04:09His future is being planned for him.

00:04:11In the 14 months since Mike Tyson made his pro debut,

00:04:15he's become one of today's most exciting and publicized fighters.

00:04:18The foundation was laid by the late Customato,

00:04:21the legendary trainer of champions Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres,

00:04:25who proclaimed his student of the 80s the next heavyweight champion.

00:04:28In the past year, there's been a building process taking place.

00:04:31The architects are Tyson's managers, Bill Caton and Jim Jacobs.

00:04:36As the owners of boxing's largest film library,

00:04:39they've utilized their knowledge, expertise, and contacts

00:04:42in the career development of boxing's latest sensation.

00:04:45Our chief responsibility has been, over the last year,

00:04:50to pick the opponents for Mike Tyson.

00:04:54Nothing is more important than the opponents you pick for a fighter.

00:04:58The strategy was to pick opponents he would not only beat,

00:05:01he would beat devastatingly.

00:05:03When someone sees a Mike Tyson fight,

00:05:05we want them to leave the arena saying,

00:05:07when can we go see him again?

00:05:09And that's where Bill and I are scrupulously careful

00:05:14in determining who he fights and the style of the fighter.

00:05:18But it would take more than pulverizing unknown opponents in obscure arenas

00:05:22to get the attention of the press and public.

00:05:24After his fifth fight, we decided the time was at hand for the marketing of Mike,

00:05:28with a technique that had never been used before,

00:05:31simply because video cassettes were never really available to a manager before.

00:05:35We prepared cassettes of all of Mike's fights

00:05:39and sent those cassettes with a covering letter

00:05:41to the top sports writers

00:05:43and top television personalities throughout the country.

00:05:46Waltus Matthews of Newsday, with a circulation of over a half million,

00:05:49was the recipient of a Mike Tyson marketing tape.

00:05:52It really brought Tyson to the attention of a lot of people

00:05:54who hadn't seen him, myself included.

00:05:56In addition to Caton and Jacobs, there was also a support group

00:05:59whose involvement increased the awareness and interest

00:06:02in this 19-year-old phenomenon.

00:06:04Boxing promoter Jeff Levine,

00:06:06whose company could provide national television exposure, was hired.

00:06:09The fact that a good part of the country was seeing the knockouts

00:06:12and the explosive power,

00:06:14I think that was what created that mystique to begin with.

00:06:19Other interest was generated by publicist Mike Cohen,

00:06:22whose television and newspaper contacts added more fuel to the fire.

00:06:26When we sat down in that meeting with Levine, Jacobs and Caton,

00:06:31the 100% A1 strategy was to go after the non-sports fan,

00:06:39to capture the fringe sports fan and certainly the fringe boxing fan.

00:06:44According to Cohen, this was achieved by selling Mike

00:06:46to the so-called newspapers of influence, such as the New York Times,

00:06:50the LA Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Wall Street Journal.

00:06:56It said the press can make you or break you,

00:06:58but if you're Mike Tyson, its value has been priceless.

00:07:01Michael Katz, one of boxing's most respected writers,

00:07:04can attest to the importance of the press.

00:07:06Press plays a very big part in the sense that,

00:07:09if a promoter or manager knows how to use the press,

00:07:16you get the amount of ink, the timing of the ink,

00:07:20in such a way that getting a title shot pays.

00:07:27Anybody can get a title shot if you want to pay for it.

00:07:31The idea is to get the title shot so it pays you.

00:07:35Based on the amount of exposure that Mike Tyson has received,

00:07:38it's fair to say that should he fight for the title,

00:07:40his dollar potential will have been maximized.

00:07:43The press's attention is really basic to the success of a fighter,

00:07:46in terms of the money that fighter could make.

00:07:49The bigger the press, the more prominent the fighter becomes,

00:07:52the greater curses he commands, the more interest he generates.

00:07:57Fourteen months ago, Tyson was earning under $1,000 of fight.

00:08:00Today, separate deals with ABC and HBO

00:08:03have brought in over $2 million for eight fights.

00:08:07I don't believe there's ever been a fighter

00:08:09who has reached this prominence this quickly in the history of boxing.

00:08:12It would therefore seem as if Mike would enjoy being in this position.

00:08:15Yet, like the pigeons he raises at his Catskills home,

00:08:19a feeling exists that sometimes it would be nice to just fly away.

00:08:23But can I tell you something? People wouldn't want to be in my shoes.

00:08:27They really think so because they say,

00:08:29wow, I can make money, I can get rich.

00:08:31But if they had to go through some of the things I had to go through,

00:08:33I think they would cry.

00:08:35Sometimes it's so depressing you got to go through.

00:08:37Everybody's always, they always want something.

00:08:39They want to find a way to get your money.

00:08:41It's always people just as hard as you work in a gym,

00:08:43it's people working that hard to separate you from your money.

00:08:47Despite the pressure, press, and notoriety, Mike Tyson does not regret where he is.

00:08:52He's just a 19-year-old whose only desire is to become heavyweight champion.

00:08:57Personally, I feel I'm doing my job 100%,

00:09:00and I expect them to do their job 100%.

00:09:02The result is a far-gone conclusion.

00:09:04There's no way we could fail. We must succeed.

00:09:07Thus far, the plan has succeeded,

00:09:09but what's yet to be proven is will it stand or will it crumble?

00:09:13Well, it didn't crumble the last time,

00:09:16but it did wobble ever so slightly.

00:09:18Tonight, the Garden is the stage for the Mike Tyson story, Chapter 21.

00:09:23Now, with more on the marketing of the hottest ticket in the heavyweight division,

00:09:27here's Larry Merchant.

00:09:29Mike Tyson is an awesome prospect,

00:09:32a prospect in the process of becoming a fighter, a challenger, a champion,

00:09:39all in the next week and a half when he's going to fight 10 times.

00:09:43Just kidding, folks.

00:09:45But it does seem that already, prematurely, he's being treated like some sort of human trash compactor,

00:09:52expected to go out there and just grind everyone into powder.

00:09:56And if he does anything less, it's failure.

00:09:59So let's just remember that even the best prize fighters left some opponents standing,

00:10:04and the critics clucking.

00:10:06And that he is just 19, and that he's been a professional only for 14 months.

00:10:12And he still has much to prove.

00:10:15That his punch will do as much damage to the better class of fighters as it did to the less better class of fighter.

00:10:21That he'll be able to take a punch.

00:10:23That he'll fight back when he's hurt.

00:10:25That he'll persist when he's frustrated.

00:10:27That he'll be able to go 10 hard rounds.

00:10:30And most importantly, that he'll be able to deal with stardom.

00:10:33Not let it suffocate him.

00:10:35Let it inspire him.

00:10:36So that he can shoulder the burden of other people's expectations.

00:10:42His expectation tonight is to beat Mitchell Green.

00:10:46But Mitchell Green, like him, is off the streets of New York.

00:10:50Not Mr. Rogers' neighborhood.

00:10:52It is...

00:10:54I'm not no boom!

00:10:57.

00:11:12.

00:11:17I got in trouble, and I said I got locked up a few times.

00:11:46And then I realized what I was doing until my mom started going to court with me.

00:11:52And then I catch her crying a lot, and she started complaining about the phone call.

00:11:59She was getting some phones at times, but they were going to say one of her kids got killed

00:12:03or was in jail or whatever.

00:12:05Charlene Green raised herself as she raised her family.

00:12:10Today, she is a commodity supervisor for a large firm in the World Trade Center.

00:12:15Well, boy, get on back to camp.

00:12:27That's all I heard.

00:12:30Mitch was always a fighter, always, as a little boy, as a big boy, and as a man.

00:12:39For some reason, he likes to fight.

00:12:41And I was very upset when he got the nickname of Blood.

00:12:46He likes that name.

00:12:47I don't.

00:12:48A lot of people like the idea that when I fought, like in the street, I mean, God, please,

00:12:52they start calling me.

00:12:53She called me Blood.

00:12:54She called me Blood.

00:12:55They never had no big names at the time.

00:12:57So every time I fought, I would stop until I did, God, please.

00:13:02You know what I'm saying?

00:13:03Those times I had fights, the guys would grab me.

00:13:06They tried to break it out.

00:13:07Let me go.

00:13:08Let me go.

00:13:09And I wouldn't be satisfied if I see a little scratch or a little blood here, a little blood there.

00:13:12But Mitch stayed very well for a little longer.

00:13:17He didn't really change until he came about.

00:13:20And that changed him.

00:13:22I guess this way he could let off some of his frustrations and anger.

00:13:27I don't know.

00:13:28He just had a mean streak.

00:13:30But yet he was good to people.

00:13:32He was open.

00:13:35And in the home, very respectful.

00:13:41Very obedient.

00:13:43You wouldn't believe the things he would do in the street because in the home, he was so different.

00:13:48If you play by the rules, you can hit people legally in the ring.

00:13:54He won four golden blocks titles.

00:13:56His style, however, as a performer, is punctuated by homages to his upbringing as a helper and a street fighter.

00:14:14A question to make them, but he can't discipline his talent.

00:14:18He is just a fan of the professional.

00:14:20A beautiful professional.

00:14:26A valuable box in less than green land in the streets.

00:14:29But sometimes you have to jump on down and shout out to the Dallas fight to get what you want.

00:14:35He had a scheduled visit to the Don King for his cars to demand what he felt he should get.

00:14:45I've got all the potential in the world to be a great fighter, okay?

00:14:48But I ain't got championship mentality.

00:14:51See what I'm saying?

00:14:52If I say, okay, do me as you wish, I get a title shot.

00:14:57I'll be broke.

00:14:57And if he had to fight Mike Tyson to get a shot, okay.

00:15:07Even if friends think that's going too far.

00:15:11Can't mess with Tyson, buddy.

00:15:13Huh?

00:15:13I don't think you can mess with Tyson.

00:15:15What are you going to do when somebody hit him?

00:15:17You hit a guy and the guy don't move.

00:15:19You can't mess with Mike Tyson, right?

00:15:21You can't do it.

00:15:23You can't do it.

00:15:23Yeah!

00:15:24Not guts, no glory.

00:15:29Mitchell Green has taken on Mike Tyson's on the streets all his life.

00:15:34Tyson, I ask for you, I'm going to break your neck.

00:15:39If you can't fool me, and look at me good, like I told you before, this is blood, Mitchell Green.

00:15:44You want all the fools we've done, and I haven't had a chance to fight.

00:15:48And I was losing my desire for this fight before the fight game until you stepped in my life.

00:15:52Well, Charlene Green, ringside, very nervous lady.

00:15:58We spoke with her yesterday.

00:15:59She, of course, as we mentioned, has really been very much of a stabilizing factor in the life of her son, Mitch Blood Green.

00:16:05She hates that nickname.

00:16:06She said so in that piece.

00:16:07And it's been a fight that Mitchell Green seems to have been fighting for the better part of this week.

00:16:12We talked in that piece a little bit earlier about his jumping up and down and shouting.

00:16:16Well, that's exactly what he had to do at a press conference, or rather at a weigh-in yesterday.

00:16:20Well, he said that he doesn't have a championship mentality, and here's another example of it.

00:16:28At the weigh-in, he raised the ruckus, trying to export more money.

00:16:32His manager, Carl King, he knew what he was supposed to get, but just thought he might get a little bit more if he raised a little heck.

00:16:40And Mitchell Green now making his way down the hallway.

00:16:44It's a very short walk up to the ring here.

00:16:46I should point out one other thing, too.

00:16:47There was a story released a little bit earlier today by the New York Post and spoken about on some of the local television newscasts here in New York as well

00:16:54that the New York Police Department would perhaps arrest Mitchell Green either before or after the fight.

00:17:02Well, the story is there is a minor warrant for harassment that was issued on May 13th for Mitchell Green.

00:17:08The official statement of the police department says it's a violation, it's not a crime, and after the fight,

00:17:14Green's agent will be informed of exactly what action the police department will take, and it could be an arrest, it could be a fine, nobody really knows,

00:17:20but that is the official word.

00:17:22In the meantime, Mitchell Green has some business to take care of.

00:17:26Here's a look at the record of Mitch Green, the one loss to Trevor Burbick, the draw early in his career, 10 knockouts.

00:17:32We saw him as far back as his amateur career.

00:17:39He was always a very spirited, very tough kid in the ring.

00:17:43Not a classic style, but he'd fight you.

00:17:48And he's made no bones about the fact he wants to get in there and go Dukes with Mike Tyson.

00:17:53Of course, the question is, can he do it?

00:17:54And Mike Tyson traditionally, no robe, no socks.

00:18:04He says it makes him feel like a warrior, makes him feel like a gladiator.

00:18:08Well, no matter how much money he makes, he'll never squander it on his wardrobe.

00:18:12I have to consider wearing socks.

00:18:16Go ahead, get out of here.

00:18:16Well, Ray, you were talking to him about that yesterday, and we were talking about the fact that really it seems like it would just be uncomfortable, if nothing else.

00:18:23He just loves it.

00:18:24He says it just makes him feel like a warrior.

00:18:27It makes him feel like he's ready to go to work, and in fact, he is.

00:18:30Hector Camacho takes a shower with more stuff on him than that.

00:18:33And he's a guy who, again, you know, we've used this before, but he's just a no-nonsense guy.

00:18:39He's here to do a job.

00:18:40He's a very low-key kind of guy.

00:18:42He comes into the ring now well warmed up, and that's another thing that you've talked about on numerous occasions.

00:18:47Oh, he's ready to go to work, perspiration on his body.

00:18:49Look at his facial expression.

00:18:51Very serious individual tonight.

00:18:53He doesn't look, like, to me, like he's going to get any roles on Dynasty.

00:18:57No, I don't think so.

00:18:58Or the love boat, for that matter.

00:19:0024-3 record as an amateur.

00:19:04He says he plans to have the title by age 20.

00:19:08Fighting twice a month, that's been pretty well documented,

00:19:11but should also point out that in his first 16 fights, he only fought 22 rounds.

00:19:19And here's a graphic that shows how many fights in the first years as pro as some former champions.

00:19:25As you can see, fighting a lot doesn't guarantee you'll be a champion,

00:19:29that is fighting a little.

00:19:31But it's not that unusual in the context of boxing history.

00:19:38And a tale of the tape, of course, a 10-year age difference.

00:19:41I'm not sure how much of a factor that will really be.

00:19:43The reach advantage for Mitchell Green, but the height advantage could be significant, Larry,

00:19:48if Mitchell Green decides to make it significant.

00:19:50Right, because it looks to me that Tyson is closer to 5'10 than 6 feet.

00:19:56So that may be a little exaggeration.

00:19:58And there you can see in our punch stat just how many punches these fighters throw.

00:20:07And that Tyson rations his aggressiveness.

00:20:10He just doesn't come out and throw punches from all over.

00:20:13But he throws hard punches and not a lot of jabs.

00:20:16Green, as you can see, is more active.

00:20:18And there you can see we're going to track the body punches tonight that Mike Tyson throws.

00:20:24Although, as you see, he threw as many as 20 in a round and as few as 9 in a round in his last fights.

00:20:30But that's—he's a devastating body puncher, much like Joe Frazier.

00:20:34And there's Mitch Green's jabs.

00:20:36Not a very high percentage that he's landed.

00:20:38Let's take a look at the rules, then.

00:20:41Scoring by rounds here in the state of New York.

00:20:43But there is a supplementary point system in case there is a draw in the terms of—in rounds.

00:20:48And it's a one-point system.

00:20:50If you win a round, you get one point.

00:20:51If you win it decisively, you get two.

00:20:53Three knockdown rule is in effect.

00:20:54And that's something you don't find in championship fights as a rule.

00:20:57No standing eight count.

00:20:58You can be saved by the bell only in the last round.

00:21:00That's pretty general.

00:21:01And the ring doctor unusually can't stop the fight here in the state of New York.

00:21:06Well, there's a look at Mike Tyson, and he really is a throwback.

00:21:13Right now, let's go up to the ring announcer and Darian Rather for the pre-fight introductions.

00:21:23From the beautiful Madison Square Garden here in the Big Apple of New York City,

00:21:29as well as the Empire State of New York,

00:21:33Dunn, King Productions, and Madison Square Garden proudly present

00:21:38New York is Busting Out.

00:21:41A scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout

00:21:44is approved and sanctioned by

00:21:46the New York State Athletic Commission,

00:21:50the former light heavyweight champion of the world,

00:21:53Jose Torres Chairman,

00:21:56Rose Tretman,

00:21:57and Jimmy Dupree Commissioners.

00:21:59The chief physician

00:22:01in attendance at ringside this evening

00:22:03is Dr. Frank S. Folk,

00:22:06along with his two fine colleagues,

00:22:08Dr. Billy Lathan

00:22:09and Dr. Richard Estrico.

00:22:11The judges,

00:22:13Pat Dolan,

00:22:14George D. Gabriel,

00:22:15and Georgie Colon.

00:22:17Counting for the knockdown seconds,

00:22:20alternate referee,

00:22:21Carl Duke Schroeder.

00:22:23The timekeeper, DeVille,

00:22:25is

00:22:25Cecilio Pedraja.

00:22:28In the ring at this time,

00:22:30the man in charge of the scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout,

00:22:34referee,

00:22:34Luis Rivera.

00:22:36And our boxing fans

00:22:38introducing their principles.

00:22:41First,

00:22:42in the red corner,

00:22:44wearing the white trunks

00:22:45with the black and red trim.

00:22:48He tipped in

00:22:49at an even

00:22:50225 pounds.

00:22:53This gentleman

00:22:54has 16 wins,

00:22:56one loss,

00:22:56one draw,

00:22:57with 10 knockouts.

00:22:59He is ranked number seven

00:23:01by the World Boxing Council

00:23:03from Queens, New York.

00:23:06Ladies and gentlemen,

00:23:07let's welcome

00:23:08Mitch Blood Green.

00:23:12Green.

00:23:15And his opponent

00:23:18in the blue corner,

00:23:19wearing the black trunks.

00:23:22He weighed in

00:23:23at 215

00:23:24and one-quarter pounds.

00:23:26This young man

00:23:28is undefeated

00:23:29in 20 professional bouts

00:23:31with 19 knockouts.

00:23:33From Catskill, New York,

00:23:36ladies and gentlemen,

00:23:37here is Mike Tyson.

00:23:41Tyson.

00:23:46Little question

00:23:47asked to the public choice.

00:23:48I want a clean fight.

00:23:50Protect yourself

00:23:51a whole time.

00:23:52Any knockdown,

00:23:53go to the public

00:23:54and stay there

00:23:55until I tell you

00:23:56to come out.

00:23:57Three knockdowns

00:23:58will end the fight

00:23:58automatically.

00:23:59Protect yourself

00:24:00all time

00:24:01and listen to my commands.

00:24:03Check your hands

00:24:03with the belts

00:24:04out when we're fighting

00:24:04going out.

00:24:05One of the things

00:24:06we're going to have

00:24:07to see here

00:24:07is whether the

00:24:08quick-tillits fight

00:24:09was a meaningful

00:24:10learning experience

00:24:11for Tyson

00:24:13or whether it

00:24:13exposed the weakness

00:24:14he's always going

00:24:15to have to fight

00:24:16to overcome.

00:24:17Let us also remind you

00:24:18that we have ringside

00:24:20our own unofficial judge,

00:24:21Harold Letterman,

00:24:22who is, of course,

00:24:22a judge in the state

00:24:24of Nevada

00:24:24and was so much

00:24:26a factor

00:24:26in the last fight

00:24:27that we showed you

00:24:28here on HBO

00:24:29that between Larry Holmes

00:24:30and Michael Spinks.

00:24:31Round one,

00:24:32Mike Tyson

00:24:33right on top

00:24:33of Mitch Green.

00:24:34Just as expected,

00:24:36Mike Tyson comes out

00:24:37like a locomotive

00:24:37going straight for

00:24:39Mitch Green.

00:24:40Green,

00:24:41what he's going to have

00:24:42to do

00:24:42to be successful

00:24:43is to box.

00:24:44Pretty much do

00:24:45the same thing

00:24:46a boxer should do

00:24:47to a puncher.

00:24:49Keep that jab

00:24:50in his face

00:24:50and not be intimidated

00:24:52by his punching card.

00:24:53Mike Tyson

00:24:54and his corner man

00:24:56Kevin Rooney,

00:24:56his trainer,

00:24:57were not real pleased

00:24:58with the Tillis fight

00:24:59because they said,

00:24:59both of them said,

00:25:01that he didn't double up.

00:25:03He just was a little bit lazy,

00:25:04especially in the later rounds.

00:25:05So we'll see

00:25:06what he does about that

00:25:07against Mitch Green.

00:25:08Well, Mike Tyson

00:25:09told me the fact

00:25:10he was somewhat

00:25:11a little reluctant

00:25:12to go full steam

00:25:13because he was going

00:25:1410 rounds.

00:25:15I had that same experience

00:25:17when I fought

00:25:17my first 10 round

00:25:18in Baltimore.

00:25:19It's Raphael

00:25:19Rodriguez, Barry.

00:25:21It's in your mind,

00:25:22you know,

00:25:22the fact that

00:25:23can you go

00:25:23additional two rounds?

00:25:25But being conditioned

00:25:25like Tyson,

00:25:27there is no major problem.

00:25:28Heavy-handed fighter.

00:25:29They say heavy-handed

00:25:30like George Foreman,

00:25:31but much faster

00:25:32than George Foreman.

00:25:33And just kind of

00:25:34getting over the butterflies

00:25:35of the first round.

00:25:36And he has them.

00:25:36He told us

00:25:37he definitely has a fear

00:25:38when he climbs

00:25:39into the ring.

00:25:40He says,

00:25:40I think any normal

00:25:41human being

00:25:42who says they're

00:25:42not afraid,

00:25:43not nervous

00:25:44when they get

00:25:44in a boxing ring

00:25:45is either crazy

00:25:46or lying.

00:25:47What is your journey?

00:25:48It's that anticipation

00:25:49of facing your opposition,

00:25:52knowing that he's capable,

00:25:53and the fact the crowd here

00:25:55will definitely

00:25:56pull off Mike Tyson.

00:25:57And he, of course,

00:25:58will be quick

00:25:59to credit Customato

00:26:00with his overcoming

00:26:02that fear

00:26:03and that nervousness.

00:26:04In fact,

00:26:05he credits Customato

00:26:05with his career period.

00:26:07It's a story

00:26:08that has been

00:26:09told many times

00:26:10and will develop it

00:26:11as this evening goes on.

00:26:12Well, Mitch Green

00:26:13has complained

00:26:13about the head

00:26:15of Mike Tyson.

00:26:16You see what's happening?

00:26:17Tyson is not allowing

00:26:18Mitch Green to punch.

00:26:20He's standing right

00:26:20in his chest.

00:26:21He's smothering his punches,

00:26:22staying close to his punch.

00:26:24He's staying close

00:26:24to his opponent.

00:26:26It's similar

00:26:26to Joe Frazier.

00:26:28Always aggressive,

00:26:29right in front of his man.

00:26:30Now we see some

00:26:31head movement

00:26:31from Mike Tyson.

00:26:34That was about

00:26:34a three-punch combination

00:26:36by Mitch Green, Ray.

00:26:37But once again,

00:26:38it looks like Green

00:26:39is off balance

00:26:40when he throws his punches.

00:26:41Well, the mistake

00:26:42that Mitch Green makes

00:26:43is the fact that

00:26:43he doesn't pull me

00:26:44his fist.

00:26:46He's slapping his punches.

00:26:47And you have to make

00:26:48a guy like Mike Tyson

00:26:49respect you.

00:26:51Have to get those punches

00:26:52in and get them in shop.

00:26:54That's the uppercut

00:26:55that was working

00:26:57for good tillers.

00:26:59Remember,

00:26:59this is only

00:26:59the first round.

00:27:00It's a very up-tempo

00:27:01first round.

00:27:02Good uppercut there

00:27:03by Tyson.

00:27:04Come on, let it go.

00:27:05And shots to the body.

00:27:11Come on, let it go.

00:27:12Let it go.

00:27:14Another thing

00:27:14that Mitch Green

00:27:16is doing

00:27:16is trying to tie up

00:27:17Mike Tyson.

00:27:18He's not doing

00:27:19too good of a job now.

00:27:21He can't allow

00:27:22Tyson to get inside

00:27:24and work his body.

00:27:24Let it go.

00:27:25Because in doing so,

00:27:26his body shot

00:27:26slows down

00:27:27when you're

00:27:27maneuverability.

00:27:33Stop it.

00:27:33Come on,

00:27:34Y frequencies,

00:27:34come on.

00:27:35Relax.

00:27:36Relax.

00:27:37Relax.

00:27:38Reefox.

00:27:38Then over caiðim,

00:27:39you'll see

00:27:39That punch did land after the bell.

00:27:42Re-tap them and forgave them.

00:27:44Come back punch line, how you feel?

00:27:46Great.

00:27:47A little water.

00:27:49That's it.

00:27:50Atta boy.

00:27:51There you go, spit it out, spit it out.

00:27:54Here you'll see, after the bell, right there,

00:28:00that last punch, a grazing punch.

00:28:04You understand?

00:28:06When he get inside, tie his arms up.

00:28:11Tie him up when he get inside.

00:28:13Like this.

00:28:14You understand?

00:28:15Double the jab, straight right hand.

00:28:17Keep that steady press.

00:28:23Tyson's late mentor, Customato,

00:28:25taught what has been called the peek-a-boo style,

00:28:28holding the gloves up close to the face

00:28:30while you're coming forward.

00:28:31He wanted his fighters to be entertaining and aggressive,

00:28:35but not to lead with their chins.

00:28:38And you'll see that that's what Tyson tries to do.

00:28:40The tactics that Mitch Green wanted to use

00:28:42was to tie his man up once he gets inside

00:28:45to stop him from punching and work to the body.

00:28:48He's not been successful, mainly because he's not

00:28:50tying his man up right.

00:28:52Got to grab those arms.

00:28:54You heard Mitch Green's corner tell him,

00:28:57tie him up in there.

00:29:01Incidentally, the peek-a-boo style of Mike Tyson

00:29:03is different than that of some of Customato's former pupils.

00:29:06I'm sure Larry Merchant will talk a little more about that,

00:29:08but his gloves are actually down around his chin

00:29:10rather than up on his cheeks.

00:29:12What I'm looking forward to seeing,

00:29:14whether or not this clinching by Mitch Green

00:29:17is going to frustrate Tyson

00:29:19because it has a tendency to really frustrate a fighter.

00:29:22Good left hand by Tyson.

00:29:27Green got a couple of punches in,

00:29:29but as far as how solid those punches are,

00:29:31there's no comparison.

00:29:32Now Green holding and hitting.

00:29:34In fact, he should get a warning here

00:29:39for Mitch Green from holding behind the head.

00:29:43See, and again, Ray, it just strikes me

00:29:45that Mitch Green throws an awful lot of punches

00:29:47off his back foot, which it seems

00:29:49would just take away all the sting.

00:29:51Well, also, Mitch Green has a bad habit

00:29:54of leaning back.

00:29:55Watch the left hook of Mike Tyson land

00:29:57every time Mitch Green moves backwards.

00:29:59He has to keep those hands high.

00:30:03He shouldn't be inside with a fight like Mike Tyson.

00:30:06Tyson's arms are shorter,

00:30:07so he's able to throw quicker shots.

00:30:10There's the left hook I was talking about.

00:30:13Those short shots are very effective.

00:30:17Another thing that strikes me, Ray,

00:30:18is that Mike Tyson just seems to be

00:30:20right on top of his man

00:30:21before his opponent even gets a chance

00:30:23to take a breath.

00:30:24Well, he stays right in his opponent's chest

00:30:26because what happens by him being so close,

00:30:28it compensates for his height, the disadvantage.

00:30:32You notice that there is no mouthpiece

00:30:34in Mitch Green's mouth.

00:30:36He was knocked out by a left hook.

00:30:38Green needs to keep that mouth shut.

00:30:41To Green's credit, he hasn't taken a backward step.

00:30:44Whether that's wise or not remains to be seen.

00:30:46You notice time and time again that left hook

00:30:48and those little short shots,

00:30:50very effective shots.

00:30:53This is not the type of fight

00:30:55that Mitch Green want to have.

00:30:59Hold on, Ray.

00:31:00Come on, Ray.

00:31:01Come back.

00:31:02I told you, stop holding him punch, man.

00:31:05And he did draw a warning from Luis Rivera,

00:31:07the referee, about holding.

00:31:08Green's in trouble.

00:31:09Those shots to the body is doing it,

00:31:11taking his toe.

00:31:12Really working.

00:31:13A lot of body, a lot of leverage.

00:31:15The body shots.

00:31:16Watch for the left hook.

00:31:17There it is again, Barry.

00:31:18As advertised, inside of 10 seconds.

00:31:21That hook is getting shorter,

00:31:23more powerful, and more effective.

00:31:25The uppercut's working beautiful

00:31:26for Mike Tyson also.

00:31:27That was a good round for Mike Tyson.

00:31:34A very impressive round.

00:31:36Getting all of his shoulders

00:31:38into every shot it seems.

00:31:39Get on the outside and tie the man up

00:31:41when you get inside.

00:31:42Fight for boxing.

00:31:43Tie the man up when you get inside.

00:31:45You ain't got to punch inside.

00:31:46Tie him up.

00:31:47You understand?

00:31:48Throw the one, two from the outside

00:31:49and tie him up.

00:31:50One, two.

00:31:51Tie him up.

00:31:52Don't fight him inside.

00:31:53You don't have to fight him inside.

00:31:54Tie him up.

00:31:55One, two.

00:31:56Jab and jab.

00:31:57Move this round.

00:31:58Move this round.

00:31:59When you get inside.

00:32:00Blood.

00:32:01Stop fighting this fight.

00:32:02Move this round.

00:32:03Throw the one, two.

00:32:04And tie him up.

00:32:05Alright.

00:32:06You understand?

00:32:07Blood.

00:32:08Get him on the outside.

00:32:10Hold him.

00:32:11When you get inside, tie him up.

00:32:12How you feel?

00:32:13How you feel?

00:32:14Okay, keep up.

00:32:15Keep the pressure on.

00:32:16Keep moving.

00:32:17Just keep moving like that.

00:32:18Stay right on.

00:32:19Keep punching on the inside.

00:32:20You're doing excellent, baby.

00:32:21Real good.

00:32:22Come on, Tim.

00:32:23When Blood Green was a gang leader,

00:32:25they say he had over 100 men in his gang.

00:32:28Right now, he needs some of them.

00:32:31And again, Mike Tyson bolting out of his corner right on top of Mitch Green.

00:32:36Let it go.

00:32:37Let it go, man.

00:32:38Tyson is so much physically stronger than Mitch Green, and he's using it to his advantage.

00:32:43Mitch Green is doing the wrong thing.

00:32:44He's fighting Mike Tyson's fight.

00:32:46Trying to fight him inside.

00:32:47Trying to exchange punch for punch.

00:32:49He can't do that.

00:32:50Tyson's far too strong for Mitch Green to fight that way.

00:32:54Mitch Green needs to get outside, work his jam, and attempt to outmaneuver Michael Tyson.

00:33:01That's exactly what Green's cornered.

00:33:03Green has been bleeding from inside the mouth, and I can't help but wonder if maybe he might

00:33:07have suffered some jaw problems when he lost his mouthpiece in that last round.

00:33:12Yeah.

00:33:13When his mouthpiece was knocked out his mouth, he kept his mouth open.

00:33:16Again, Barry, you have to watch these little short shots thrown by Mike Tyson.

00:33:20Very, very effective.

00:33:21Let it work.

00:33:22Let it work these guys.

00:33:23Don't break.

00:33:24I'm gonna step back.

00:33:25And inside, he can do a great deal of damage to the mouth.

00:33:29You know, the last fight that Tyson had against Tillis, and what a shot!

00:33:35That is an awesome shot.

00:33:37That was just a jam.

00:33:38You have to appreciate it.

00:33:39One death jam.

00:33:41And the mouthpiece is gone once again.

00:33:44I started to say Tyson and his people weren't happy about the fact that he had a hand free

00:33:49in a situation just like this against Tillis, and he didn't take advantage of it.

00:33:53But is he doing that tonight?

00:33:54Well, the problem he's making, he cannot keep Mike Tyson off of him.

00:34:00Those little inside shots are really busting up the mouth of Mitch Green.

00:34:04I'm sorry.

00:34:05Yeah, there was blood inside the mouth even between rounds, as we mentioned.

00:34:08It can't help, but he's breathing through his mouth.

00:34:10All right, watch the left hook.

00:34:11The left hook is doing a great deal of damage.

00:34:13Come on, step back.

00:34:14Come on, do your work.

00:34:15It's inside is short, less than six inches.

00:34:19Even the uppercut of Mike Tyson has been effective.

00:34:25There was a right hand at the top of the head, Green breathing through his mouth.

00:34:37Tyson keeps that chin tucked in, so it's difficult to hit him on the chin.

00:34:43Hands high.

00:34:44He works his way in.

00:34:45He works his way in.

00:34:46That was a right hook.

00:34:47The man possessed so, so much power, he has dynamite in both hands.

00:34:52It really is impressive.

00:34:53And whatever punch that he's able to land against Mitch, it has a tendency to shake Mitch up.

00:34:59You see the exposed area to the body.

00:35:06You have to think, Ray, that maybe the Tillis fight woke him up.

00:35:10Well, it reassured him that he is a conditioned athlete.

00:35:13He can go 10 rounds, so there's no need for him to slow down the momentum.

00:35:18Both hands.

00:35:32It's obvious that Mitch Green just doesn't use the body he has.

00:35:38He's tall, he's got a long reach, but he doesn't use it.

00:35:43He's holding a lot.

00:35:44I know he's holding.

00:35:45You keep the handouts free, you just keep holding it.

00:35:48Dig in, get mean.

00:35:49Keep the means in there.

00:35:50Keep the means in there.

00:35:51Now, here we see why the mouthpiece come out with that left jab.

00:35:57And, in fact, why it's so difficult for Green to move because Tyson looks quick in there

00:36:04and he looks like he surrounds him.

00:36:06And here's the card of our official unofficial judge, Harold Letterman.

00:36:11Larry, so far Mike Tyson is awesome.

00:36:13He swept the first three rounds with clean, hard, effective punches.

00:36:16He's staying right in Green's chest.

00:36:18He's just running away with it so far.

00:36:20Oh, yeah.

00:36:22Mike Tyson is anxious to get to work.

00:36:28I want to mention one other thing, too, and that is that it wasn't only the mouthpiece that Mitch Green lost.

00:36:32We have a production assistant over the other side of the ring said in addition to his mouthpiece, it was a bridge with a couple of teeth in it.

00:36:39Let's move very professional.

00:36:40Come on.

00:36:41That'll just give you an idea of how tough Mike Tyson is.

00:36:47Mike Tyson, in this ring, he's at home, and he fights with so much authority, so much confidence, so much determination.

00:37:00Come on, stop back.

00:37:01Let's have a break.

00:37:02Let's have a break.

00:37:03I know you've got fun fight for you if you keep on holding.

00:37:05The referee now is warning Mitch Green for holding.

00:37:08Second time he has worn Green.

00:37:10Now, Green scored with a right hand, and it didn't slow Tyson up a bit.

00:37:15Now, Tyson's doing what he didn't do against Quick Tills.

00:37:18He knows when he's tied up, he still works the free hand.

00:37:22He didn't do that against Quick Tills.

00:37:25Good left hook, solid left hook.

00:37:31Green cannot continue to take these type of shots.

00:37:37He's going to slow him down.

00:37:38He's going to take his toe.

00:37:41Working the body once again right tight with that free hand.

00:37:45The last time we saw Mitch Green in a preliminary fight on the Touch Witherspoon card, Ray,

00:37:50lost his mouthpiece nine times.

00:37:52Is that any sort of indicative of anything in particular?

00:37:55A lot of times it's fatigue, and also it's a way that fighters get a breather.

00:38:01Left hand, top of the head.

00:38:04A lot of times, because of the damage they've done to a person's nose,

00:38:08they have to breathe through the mouth so they can get rid of their mouthpiece.

00:38:11It's not a smart thing to do because their mouthpiece protects you from a broken jaw.

00:38:17Green now waving over to his coin to let him know that he's okay,

00:38:20but he's steady dropping that right hand,

00:38:22and the left hook of Mike Tyson is very, very effective.

00:38:26That was another big shot right there by Tyson.

00:38:28Ray, come on. Let it go. Let it go.

00:38:29Let it go. Let it go. Very good. Very good.

00:38:34You notice that Tyson walks in, keeps those hands high.

00:38:37He's a very unorthodox fighter who punches with both hands,

00:38:41which makes him quite a difficult target.

00:38:44Yeah, in fact, that's what he says when I asked him yesterday

00:38:47what his best weapon was, and he said, my elusiveness.

00:38:50He has said nothing about his punching power.

00:38:52He said, I'm elusive. That's what I do best.

00:38:54He's the best. And Barry, he's quick.

00:38:55I mean, his hands are faster than people expect or think.

00:39:01Now, see, this is how I got knocked down by Kevin Howe

00:39:04by moving around too much.

00:39:06You got to slow down a little bit.

00:39:09Give lateral movement.

00:39:10You don't need your excellent exactly one.

00:39:12Just move from side to side.

00:39:14And stick the jab, but snap it.

00:39:16You got to draw it back quick.

00:39:19Inside of 10 seconds.

00:39:24A free hand to the body.

00:39:26And that's something that he did not do against Quick Tillis.

00:39:29Yo, yo, yo, yo.

00:39:30Come on, come on, come on.

00:39:31Come on, Barry.

00:39:32Come on, come on.

00:39:34They don't have any bells on the street corners.

00:39:38Come on over for holding.

00:39:39Fox a little bit.

00:39:40Yeah, for holding, now listen.

00:39:41Fox a little bit.

00:39:42Snap the hard jab out.

00:39:43Snap out.

00:39:44You understand what I'm saying?

00:39:45Let me get around.

00:39:46You want to keep the pressure on?

00:39:48Okay?

00:39:51You still got to use your jab more coming in then.

00:39:53You understand?

00:39:54Yeah, take that.

00:39:55Take that.

00:39:56You got that mouth, please, right?

00:39:57Okay.

00:40:00How are you feeling so much?

00:40:01I meant this number of body punches,

00:40:04a fighter to the throne,

00:40:06and landed in just four rounds.

00:40:09Stay cool.

00:40:10You don't miss him with your jab.

00:40:12Every time you throw him,

00:40:13which is occasionally you don't miss him.

00:40:14Bounce on that.

00:40:15Use your jab.

00:40:16Get off first.

00:40:17One, two.

00:40:18Go back out.

00:40:19Move, blood.

00:40:20Move.

00:40:21There you see that Mitch Green really isn't taking advantage of his long a reach.

00:40:26His jab.

00:40:28Incidentally, although it's not that important since Tyson won the last round anyway,

00:40:34the referee took the round from Green for holding.

00:40:37Just a second ago, uh, Mitch Green got a little upset with the referee.

00:40:45I guess the referee was trying to warn him for holding,

00:40:48and Mitch Green indicated that he was boxing.

00:40:51Another big left hook.

00:40:52A running left hook by Mike Tyson.

00:40:54You see what's happening, Barry.

00:40:56When, uh, Green moves backwards,

00:40:59he's only giving momentum to the, to Tyson.

00:41:02Because Tyson's going straight ahead.

00:41:03He's coming straight ahead.

00:41:04He's coming straight ahead.

00:41:05He's coming straight ahead.

00:41:16Tyson's not, he's not breathing hard.

00:41:18So that tells you that he's not concerned about going the distance, going ten rounds.

00:41:22In fact, we talked to him about that.

00:41:24He's talking, Tyson's talking to Mitch now.

00:41:27In the Tillis fight, he fought hard for about five rounds,

00:41:30and then he seemed to coast a little bit.

00:41:32Look at what he's doing now, Barry.

00:41:34Uh, Tyson.

00:41:35He's starting to, uh, really become very loose with his head.

00:41:39Slip punches.

00:41:41Big right hand.

00:41:42Big.

00:41:43And that wobble, Mitch Green, for a second there.

00:41:47Come on, let it go, let it go, let it go.

00:41:49Right!

00:41:50Come back!

00:41:51The reason you tie a fighter up is to at least clean your head,

00:41:55or either to, uh, to throw off his tongue.

00:42:01Well, just how hard Mike Tyson hits can be learned in talking to some of the people he fought.

00:42:08Look at the, look at here, look at here.

00:42:09Just laughing at him.

00:42:15And Green seems to me ready to be doing all the wrong things.

00:42:18That's very good body movement by Mike Tyson.

00:42:22I'm impressed with that.

00:42:23And he's having fun.

00:42:27He's smiling now at Mitch Green.

00:42:29And see, those punches that were missed by Mitch Green makes your arm weird.

00:42:36My little break on my step back.

00:42:38And see, Mitch Green is not getting any type of respect from Mike Tyson, mainly because he's not making the fist, but he throws his punches.

00:42:47Good left hook.

00:42:48Another big left hook.

00:42:49Another big left hook.

00:42:50And even more impressive because it was, he doubled up on it.

00:42:52He missed with the first move.

00:42:55You notice the way that Tyson's walking in.

00:42:58Moving that hand.

00:42:59He's doing the right thing.

00:43:00Staying close to his hand.

00:43:01No breathing room.

00:43:03No punching room.

00:43:04No punching room.

00:43:08Beautiful uppercut.

00:43:10Left hook, right uppercut.

00:43:15I like this here.

00:43:16Inside.

00:43:17What Tyson is doing to Mitch Green.

00:43:19Started to say about some of his opponents and what they say.

00:43:22Caught a guy named Eddie Richardson.

00:43:24They asked him, have you ever been hit so hard?

00:43:26He said, yeah, about a year ago.

00:43:27I was hit by a truck.

00:43:28Very good.

00:43:29There's a lot of blood for Mitch Green's blood.

00:43:35You got to be first, man.

00:43:36This is sixth round.

00:43:37He getting tired.

00:43:38You got to throw punches.

00:43:39Bro, stay busy on him.

00:43:40That's how you keep him off.

00:43:41Throw combination blood.

00:43:42One, two, three.

00:43:43Punching combination.

00:43:44Come on, man.

00:43:45Punching combination blood.

00:43:46One, two.

00:43:47You hear me, blood?

00:43:48Stay busy on this guy.

00:43:49If you stay busy on him.

00:43:50Punching combination blood.

00:43:51Come on, man.

00:43:52Punching combination blood.

00:43:53Here's Mrs. Green.

00:43:54One, two, three.

00:43:55You understand?

00:43:56What a really nice woman.

00:43:57Be first.

00:43:58Don't wait on him.

00:43:59You understand what a really nice woman.

00:44:00Get it off.

00:44:01Be first.

00:44:02Don't get you sick of him.

00:44:03You got to fuck him out of there, man.

00:44:05You got to punch.

00:44:06Stay busy on him.

00:44:07Go off, man.

00:44:08Go off, man.

00:44:09Where's my feet?

00:44:10Keep your chin down on your hand.

00:44:11The man is it, but you got to come right back.

00:44:13You got to answer that.

00:44:14Don't let these judges let him steal the round.

00:44:16You understand?

00:44:17You weren't around.

00:44:18You weren't around.

00:44:19You weren't around.

00:44:20Keep punching.

00:44:21And Green lands those, I don't know, slaps on Tyson.

00:44:25It's almost like a washerwoman slapping some clothes on a rock.

00:44:30Just nothing happens.

00:44:32I'm gonna go one.

00:44:33He's gonna have to do more than just slap because he has to stop that momentum of Tyson.

00:44:39Come on, break.

00:44:40Come on, break.

00:44:41That's what Tyson said about his own style.

00:44:42He sounds like water on a rock, but if it drips long enough, it's going through the rock.

00:44:47Look.

00:44:48He knows the jab, the powerful jab of Tyson.

00:44:51It knocks the head back.

00:44:52Come on, break.

00:44:53Step back.

00:44:54Wishful thinking in Mitch Green's corner, too.

00:44:55They were telling him that Tyson's getting tired.

00:44:56I don't see that.

00:44:57I doubt that very seriously.

00:44:58Tyson's just as strong as he was in the very first round.

00:44:59He's maintained his pace.

00:45:00He's thrown a great deal of punches.

00:45:02Made it into the midsection.

00:45:03He's landed with a lot of good left hooks, solid left hooks.

00:45:04wishful thinking in mitch green's corner too they were telling him that tyson's getting tired

00:45:10i don't see that i doubt that very seriously tyson's just as strong as he was in the very

00:45:15first round he's maintained this pace he's thrown a great deal of punches made into the midsection

00:45:22he's landed with a lot of good left hooks solid left hooks one thing you have to give to mitch

00:45:29green he has a durable chin he's taking some tremendous shots body and head shots from mike

00:45:35tyson green is able to land one one jab and all of a sudden tyson's right there in his chest

00:45:46another big left hook

00:45:52just to conclude the thought that we started the last round about tyson's going

00:45:58ten rounds he said after he finished the tillis fight he did pace himself and what a right

00:46:03hand there is such frustration in the face of mitch green but every time he throws a punch

00:46:10and it misses it seems to me that uh he wants to just walk away to conclude that he said when

00:46:18it was over he felt he could go five more rounds he's conditioned all right you notice that when

00:46:24he goes to the body he doesn't throw one punch he throws two three four shots

00:46:28i like the fact that tyson use what he has i mean he has power he has speed has a good chin and a huge net

00:46:39i mean he is so tenacious he's not letting up keeping those hands high

00:46:47come on let it go let it go come on break come on step back come on step back

00:46:51having gone to ten rounds against tillis right you could see a different fighter here as we head

00:46:59into the last five rounds of this one it's only a reassurance that he's capable of going ten rounds

00:47:03at full speed looking here you can tell that he is not concerned about going the distance

00:47:09uh throwing those shots combination to the body

00:47:12and he is he's done this from the very first round

00:47:18and not breathing look at him he's not breathing at all

00:47:21and we want to remind you that coming up the making of a rivalry will it become fact or is it still wishful

00:47:40thinking we'll look at the potentiality of hagler versus uh uh uh give me a break barry

00:47:59and the car you've got a shutout going here absolutely larry quite good

00:48:08mike tyson is just awesome uh they took the fourth round away from miss green but it didn't mean anything

00:48:14tyson's all over him and he's thrown those tremendous left hooks he's all over green it's

00:48:18all tyson it will be interesting to see what he does from here on out

00:48:22because it was from this seventh round on against tillis that he sort of coasted

00:48:31and he finished with about a third of a tank of gas we're talking about tyson so let's see if he uses

00:48:38up that gas here

00:48:39this is round number seven

00:48:45i like the tactics of mike tyson he's uh not wasting any energy

00:48:51um he's moving forward staying aggressive get inside and you have to watch the beauty of those

00:48:59little short shots they've been working so effectively

00:49:02now we see a couple left jabs thrown by mike tyson

00:49:08what is what there there again mitch green is throwing his punches not doing any damage

00:49:17now they're almost just for effect the freehand again mike tyson normally goes to the body

00:49:23is this a good test you feel for tyson it's uh every fight for tyson's a good fight for a good test

00:49:30uh you got guys that uh especially like a miss green or quick to guys who because headways would be

00:49:36taller the average headways around six feet and he's able to cut the ring off and become more

00:49:42tactical in the ring

00:49:45chopping right hand did get in but again with absolutely no damage

00:49:49come on come on let it go no wrestling boxing

00:49:56i mean tyson there good uppercut what a beautiful just straighten mitch green right up

00:50:02if you look at tyson i mean as far as perspiration it seems though he's working effortlessly

00:50:06i mean he's taking his time and just having fun it's like chopping a tree down he's going to the body

00:50:14and uh we look at the foundation and then he comes to the head

00:50:21all that uh mitch has been doing mitch green has been doing was basically retreating

00:50:25he has to take the stand eventually another couple body shots

00:50:36come on let it go there the free hand for mike tyson

00:50:41now using that much more than he did in his last goal with tillis i mean tyson is actually

00:50:46concentrating he's looking for his opening and he's making that opening happen by working that body

00:50:51he's making that opening and he's making that opening up and he's making that opening up

00:50:58look at the uppercut and he set his he set mitch green up with uppercut he throws his left jab

00:51:04green goes down and up comes the right up a lot of blues from the fans mainly because that mitch

00:51:10green is doing a lot of holding and less fighting

00:51:14green is taking a pretty good beating

00:51:23taking a lot of punches and a lot of hard punches

00:51:31price is not that impressed with the screen

00:51:33we're not booing you

00:51:38you all right

00:51:38let me get that water

00:51:54every time you throw the jab you don't miss this guy you understand

00:51:57you don't listen

00:51:59just get around the conscious head on the jab bam box with him boxing

00:52:02get some of it yeah come on come on come on come out with three or four punches blood like you're doing

00:52:07on the bed bam bam bam you understand get the jab out then come on combination behind the jab

00:52:13you understand don't let him get inside and hit me with uppercut keep him outside you got to get

00:52:17the shot

00:52:24the crowd wants magic and i think tyson would like to give them some magic

00:52:30but his opponent isn't cooperating at the moment he's not acting like a girl who's letting him pull

00:52:36the rabbits out of his hat he's fighting with a lot of neighborhood pride and he wants to hang

00:52:41in there as long as he can break the most of his green toe point told him to throw two three jails

00:52:47like it like he uh does in a bag but the bag doesn't hit back tyson hits back

00:52:51he's not breathing hard this is the eighth round it's been up tempo for mike tyson right from the

00:53:05opening belt actually a little bit slower this round than he has been a little bit more leaning going on

00:53:11in this round he would throw tyson would go more punches if green didn't tie him up

00:53:23that was a good attempt with that right hand for tyson

00:53:29and now we see mitch green he lay with a good uppercut there green just trying to tie tyson up and a couple

00:53:36of good shots by mitch green his best rally of the fight right here look here he's caught tyson

00:53:43four or five times and tyson for the first time seems a little bit puzzled well he's smiling

00:53:48tyson is smiling but see green has those fast hands

00:54:00good body shot by mitch green now he's in a different mitch green

00:54:05but he has to be very careful exchanging punch for punch inside with tyson

00:54:09right there's a right hand a huge right hand by mike tyson

00:54:29it's just even sitting 30 feet away like we are makes you wince

00:54:35well you can you can you can feel the impact of his punch

00:54:40see also mitch green is not telling his manner properly he's holding behind the head

00:54:44which he allows those shots like that to land when you tie a man up you hold the grab around his arm

00:54:51that was another good shot to the ribs by tyson tyson said one time he said i understand anatomy

00:54:58here again oh what a left hand and this is going to happen all the time because again you see the way

00:55:05that mitch green has his hand behind the head of tyson watch tyson she goes to the body here

00:55:21you see the body shots go

00:55:26you see the body shots

00:55:39yeah but it's close a little close you gotta throw a little bit more

00:55:41a little bit more that's all more you understand a little bit more you let him have a big round

00:55:45you understand nothing left after that

00:55:50you don't miss him with any of you

00:55:53that was a first i don't want to give it to him you get out there

00:56:06kevin rooney is in there and just jabbering away 100 miles a minute

00:56:10mike tyson leaned over and just kissed him

00:56:26this is an awfully good fight for mike tyson it indicates that his management

00:56:32wants to get him tested they want to get him into a position not where he's merely going to be

00:56:38he maneuvering into a title fight to fight a title fight but that somewhere down the road he will

00:56:44have had the training to win a title fight tyson draws a warning for headbutt

00:56:53mitch green has to go hands up which if he moves to left or moves to the right mainly because tyson he

00:57:00throws a loop in right hand or left hook

00:57:02one would have the feeling that mitch green will not be out boogieing

00:57:10come on those body shots will stop you from doing the uh p.v herman

00:57:14stop it from doing the waltz

00:57:26right now let's go let's go let's go let's go let's go let's go let's go

00:57:32let's go

00:57:40let's go tyson's using you know what what i feel better he's using what he has i mean

00:57:45right he's not what you considered uh flashy and what have you and um he's just taking advantage of

00:57:51every opportunity he fights his man the way he is a point of that jump fighter inside which is a big

00:57:56mistake that mitch green is making tyson's arms are short so he has a tendency to loop his punches

00:58:05some are somewhat telegraph but because he has speed behind his punches he's able to get away with

00:58:09he's able to bang away at the body with a free hand

00:58:18that upper cover short miss green is not making this fight easy for tyson either because he's

00:58:24he's steady tying him up he's older

00:58:30let it go let it go

00:58:30i think the way you critique tyson's performance the fact that he he's remained composed normally

00:58:41this type of fight frustrates a fighter when the guy's holding you and complaining and what have you

00:58:49tyson's corner wanted to punch a little bit more he hasn't really punched a lot more in this ninth round

00:58:54uh well again it's difficult to punch a man who's tying you up and holding let's see here

00:59:02come on let me go let me go

00:59:06for mitch green it's it's pretty much survival

00:59:11i've seen a different mitch green

00:59:14he brought perso davis in atlanta and was a more determined and a more of a boxer

00:59:21come on come on come on here he's basically just trying to break man that seems to be something

00:59:27that runs through all of mike tyson's opponents that they all are in there to survive i'm not sure

00:59:33that could be said about i don't know if mike tyson is living up to your expectations but i'd remind you

00:59:40that joe lewis went the distance three times in his first 20 fights joe fraser a couple of times

00:59:47do that rocky marciano a couple of times in his first 21 fights some opponents just don't cooperate

00:59:55harold larry uh i just don't think that mitchell green's flurries are doing enough to offset tyson's

01:00:00power punching tyson's landing too many clean effective shots

01:00:05you might stop him blood go punch him go to punch him

01:00:09punch with both hands blood step to him don't wait on him step to him step to him

01:00:15and then he's gonna punch him

01:00:20curious here ray whether tyson will be satisfied to go out winning or does he want to go out closing

01:00:28the show in the sensational style well the way he's geared up now he wants to go out the style

01:00:35you want to see a very aggressive mike tyson is wrong

01:00:37come on let it go last move's ready to go louis rivera so shake hands before we get going

01:00:45this is the last round

01:00:51tyson wants to go to work but uh green here

01:00:55doesn't want to fight it appears to me

01:00:58green's corner telling him to step in to mike tyson

01:01:01this is a bad performance for miss free and um he has some briefs with don king about not

01:01:12getting the type of money that he wants but the fact is he has to screw himself here and the mouthpiece

01:01:17he has to prove he deserves the money

01:01:34not getting the line

01:01:41great trying to go to the body tyson leaning on him now a little bit

01:01:51what's gonna happen

01:01:53um as tyson gets further into his career he's gonna figure out a better way to approach fights like this

01:02:00Those shots, I love those body shots.

01:02:02They really do a number on a tall opponent.

01:02:05It slows them down and the punches went off,

01:02:07especially if you have the power.

01:02:09But as I was saying earlier, Barry,

01:02:10the fact that these type of fights is good for a Mike Tyson

01:02:14because he's going to learn how to approach tall opponents more tactically.

01:02:19You know how to cut the ring off

01:02:20and even score more effective punches.

01:02:28Moving that head very well, Tyson.

01:02:31Took a couple of shots, but still.

01:02:33Only problem I see with, excuse me, Barry,

01:02:35the only problem I see with Tyson is in fact he...

01:02:50Remember, he knocked out his first 19 opponents,

01:02:52went the distance with Tillis,

01:02:54and now likely will go the distance with Mitch Bloodgreen.

01:02:58The crowd not real thrilled with the goings-on here.

01:03:02Let it go, let it go, let it go, let it go.

01:03:04The crowd come in to see a fight, boxer puncher,

01:03:08and it's been pretty much of a dance for Mitch Green.

01:03:14I'm sure Mitch Green is going to be disappointed in this performance.

01:03:18And we've come to just about the end of it here.

01:03:24Another day in the classroom, big left hand to end things.

01:03:28So Mike Tyson has gone 10 rounds for the second time in less than a month.

01:03:49What do you say, my good friends?

01:03:51You know, it's very hot here in the center of the room.

01:03:55These two men really work.

01:03:57Now, come on, one more time.

01:03:59Mitch Bloodgreen perhaps not being quite as accommodating to Mike Tyson

01:04:03as Tyson and some of the fans here would have liked.

01:04:05Well, I think it was a good performance for Mike Tyson.

01:04:08I'm sure a lot of people would disagree,

01:04:10mainly because what you have to look at the fact that he went 10 good hard rounds

01:04:14with a fighter that was not cooperating.

01:04:19Take a look at the punch that, and as you can see,

01:04:21he was pretty effective with his punches,

01:04:22and there weren't a lot of jabs in there.

01:04:24He threw a great deal of punches, more so to the body.

01:04:28Tyson delivered a great deal of body shots to Mitch Green.

01:04:31Green didn't fight at all to me.

01:04:32Did a lot of holding on and not effective.

01:04:37Scoring with 6 out of 10 of his punches,

01:04:39and that's a pretty high percentage for a guy who really is a power puncher

01:04:42like Mike Tyson, I would think, Ray.

01:04:44Well, Tyson is a slugger.

01:04:45He's the puncher, and he worked in a very good way.

01:04:49He stayed close to Mitch Green.

01:04:50Green did not do anything but a couple of left jabs.

01:04:55Is it a detrimental feel to a fighter where the image of Mike Tyson

01:04:58is he's going to knock everybody out who he gets in there with?

01:05:01Now he's gone the distance on two successive fights.

01:05:04Is it a detriment just to kind of build that kind of expectancy in the public?

01:05:09Well, he just has to do what he does best, and that's work to buy like he did.

01:05:12People are going to be so opinionated anyway.

01:05:17Let's take a look then at Harold Letterman's card.

01:05:19And, Harold, you pitched a shutout here.

01:05:21Well, Barry, as I see it, you know, in the eyes of this judge,

01:05:24you can't get points for holding, for taking a good shot on a jaw,

01:05:28and that's basically what Mitchell Green did.

01:05:30He held.

01:05:30Louie Rivera took one round away, warned him 100 times,

01:05:34but Green held and held and held.

01:05:36The closest I thought Green got was the 10th round, but even that, Tyson won.

01:05:40You know, I mean, there's the old thing of styles make fights,

01:05:42and perhaps in this case styles unmade this fight, if you will.

01:05:46Mitch Green really wasn't willing to be the cooperative opponent that the crowd

01:05:49and Mike Tyson perhaps would have liked.

01:05:50Let's go up to the ring announcer now, Ed Darian, for the official decision.

01:05:53Ed?

01:05:56Ladies and gentlemen, from Madison Square Garden,

01:06:00we have a unanimous decision.

01:06:04And a scoring by rounds as follows.

01:06:08Judge George DeGabriel observed the fight 8-2.

01:06:12Judge Pat Dolan watched it at 9-1.

01:06:23And Judge Georgie Colon observed the fight 9-1.

01:06:28For the winner, for his 21st straight win in his many fights,

01:06:34Mike Tyson.

01:06:39Tyson.

01:06:40Well, to nobody's great surprise,

01:06:48Mike Tyson is the unanimous decision victor

01:06:51over Mitch Blood Green.

01:06:55And at a time like this, oftentimes, we say an opponent was dead game.

01:06:58I'm not real sure we could say that about Mitch Green tonight.

01:07:01He did manage to take Mike Tyson's best punches,

01:07:03but I think really that's about all you could say about the opponent.

01:07:05Well, Mitch Green was not a fighter tonight.

01:07:08All he did was try to survive, bro.

01:07:10And I was quite disappointed in Mitch Green's performance.

01:07:13He did nothing.

01:07:14Right now, Larry Merchant is with the winner, Mike Tyson.

01:07:17Let's get up to the ring and Larry and Mike.

01:07:19Larry.

01:07:19Mike, this is your first fight here in the big room at the Garden.

01:07:25Were you satisfied with it?

01:07:26Oh, most definitely.

01:07:27I didn't want to sound rudish or anything.

01:07:30I didn't want to knock him out or anything.

01:07:32I wanted to put a lot of pressure on him and make him decide himself.

01:07:36He wouldn't get knocked out.

01:07:38If he gets hit on the chin, he can't see the punch.

01:07:40And he will say, oh, I didn't see the punch.

01:07:42I got knocked out.

01:07:42So I left it up to himself.

01:07:44And as I must say, I'm going to take my head off.

01:07:45He's a very tough individual.

01:07:47That's a little bit odd.

01:07:49You're saying you didn't want to knock him out

01:07:51because you hit him some awfully tough punches

01:07:52for a guy who didn't want to knock the other guy out.

01:07:55Well, they were tough punches, but they weren't devastating punches.

01:07:57They were rugged punches.

01:07:58Boom.

01:07:59Because I knew he was a professional.

01:08:00And if he went down from the punches,

01:08:02that would have been the fact that he gave it up.

01:08:05That's his problem.

01:08:06Isn't your goal just to win it as quickly

01:08:09and as devastating as you can?

01:08:11Most definitely.

01:08:11But I wanted to give a 10-round good performance,

01:08:13which everybody likes.

01:08:15How would you rate this performance

01:08:17as against the quick tillers' performance?

01:08:19And what did that mean to you, having gone 10 rounds,

01:08:22perhaps not as satisfactorily as you would have hoped the last time?

01:08:25Oh, well, those things happen.

01:08:27As you said, I had a seven-week layoff.

01:08:29And going 10 rounds, I'm telling you, it's fun.

01:08:31I'm having a good time in there.

01:08:32I saw something I never saw before in a fight tonight.

01:08:37While your trainer was jabbering away there between rounds,

01:08:41you just sort of leaned over and kissed him

01:08:42like you were having a good time.

01:08:44Because we knew he was going to win this fight.

01:08:45So he's in the paper.

01:08:46Everybody, he's going to knock me out.

01:08:47But we knew deep inside that I was going to win this fight so easy

01:08:50because of his style.

01:08:51He's a gang-tough opponent,

01:08:53and he took some fairly decent shots.

01:08:55But as you know, I won comfortably,

01:08:58and I didn't try for the knockout,

01:08:59and I used a great deal of discipline in there,

01:09:01not knocking him out.

01:09:03Customato, your old mentor,

01:09:05wanted you, as all of his fighters,

01:09:07to be an entertainer, to excite the crowd.

01:09:10They were excited today.

01:09:11Did he?

01:09:12In the last few rounds, there was a little booing.

01:09:14Do you think it was for you or because he wouldn't fight you?

01:09:17When the decision was up, who do you think they cheered for?

01:09:20There was no boos.

01:09:20You know, they booed because he was pushing and bugged.

01:09:22And he bumped my head.

01:09:23He bumped my head with me.

01:09:24Are you on track to the heavyweight title?

01:09:28What's your schedule for the heavyweight championship?

01:09:30In this predicament, you have to talk to the charming gentleman on my list.

01:09:34Okay, we'll do that another time.

01:09:37He's talking about Jimmy Jacobs, his manager, which reminds me of something.

01:09:43Jimmy Jacobs is the only guy I ever knew who had three greatest in front of his name.

01:09:48He's the greatest handball player who ever lived.

01:09:51He's regarded as the Babe Ruth of his sport.

01:09:54He has the greatest collection of fight films in the world,

01:09:56some 98% of all the fight films ever made, 26,000 of them.

01:10:01And he has the greatest collection of comic books in the world.

01:10:04Every comic book, every publisher in America has gone to a warehouse in Los Angeles.

01:10:10And now he wants a fourth greatest, to have the greatest fighter in the world.

01:10:15Does he?

01:10:16Well, there's still a way to go.

01:10:18There are still questions to be asked and answers to be questioned about Mike Tyson.

01:10:24He hasn't yet proved that he's the second coming of Marciano and Fraser.

01:10:29But he does seem to be getting there, slowly but surely.

01:10:34Now back to ringside.

01:10:36Okay, thanks, Larry Merchant.

01:10:37A couple of quick notes from our punch stat numbers.

01:10:40Mike Tyson connected on 69% of his body shots.

01:10:43The other side of that coin, he connected on only five jabs per round.

01:10:48That's a low number.

01:10:49And it may just be that there was a lot of holding going on and that he was on top of his man all night long.

01:10:55He couldn't get the distance to try to jab.

01:10:57So there are some rather interesting numbers, I think.

01:10:59Let's now switch gears from the heavyweights.

01:11:02A couple of weeks ago, the man next to me, Sugar Ray Leonard, made an announcement catching everyone off guard.

01:11:06You'll see the potential now of a Hagler-Leonard fight, and it's been one of promise and disappointment for years.

01:11:14The fight has been five years in the making.

01:11:16On numerous occasions, we've chronicled the confrontation outside the ring.

01:11:20The public's aware, there's no secret, that before my injury, you and I was pretty much on a collision course.

01:11:29But be honest, do you still want to fight me?

01:11:31I did, because I'll tell you why.

01:11:33You feel as though that when you train so hard and you're the best in the world, you want to keep growing, Ray.

01:11:39And for you, that was another step, and there was another way of growing.

01:11:42The people want to see it, Leonard.

01:11:44We don't want you to retire yet until you come with the marvelous one.

01:11:46Okay, Bob.

01:11:47It's got to be the big one, right?

01:11:48I must start off by saying to Dr. Ronald Michaels, thank you.

01:11:55You know why?

01:11:58Because very few people get a second chance.

01:12:02It was so easy, because, um, to say, well, I'll prove I'm different.

01:12:05I'll walk away from the ring.

01:12:07But in doing so, I was not satisfied myself.

01:12:11And I really feel that I have to satisfy Ray Leonard before I satisfy my fans or family or friends.

01:12:18Well, Ray Leonard, let me ask you your impressions of marvelous Marvin Hagler.

01:12:21Coming into the fight, they say he hasn't really fought anybody very tough.

01:12:23Well, he fought somebody tough tonight.

01:12:25Well, I think, uh, Hagler's display tonight, it only made me believe, it made the public believe.

01:12:30While Ray sat ringside as a commentator, Hagler destroyed the division.

01:12:35The fight is simply saying he doesn't want him anymore.

01:12:37He doesn't want to jeopardize him anymore.

01:12:39Especially by him being handicapped in the condition of Rodin.

01:12:43There was a right hand, and one Domingo Rodin goes down.

01:12:48It's not a comeback, I'm back.

01:12:51Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome, for the first time in the ring since February 15th, 1982, Sugar Ray Leonard.

01:12:59For Sugar Ray Leonard, it was to be a one-night stand.

01:13:03There's a swelling out of the left eye now of Kevin Howard.

01:13:09I think, I really believe that Sugar Ray Leonard right now thinks he can take them at any time.

01:13:14And a right hand from Kevin Howard puts Sugar Ray Leonard right on the seat of his pants.

01:13:19Ray, Marvin, hey.

01:13:21Ray went on to retire with Marvelous Marvin as an interested and disappointed observer that night.

01:13:28Ray returned to the microphone and watched Marvin crush an old foe.

01:13:33And again, it's a matter of accumulation of a bunch of Nova Hagler, which is probably way coming down.

01:13:37I'm sure Marvin feels that he has gotten to hurry things up here, because that cut is not going to get any better.

01:13:42There's no question about it.

01:13:43Right hand.

01:13:44He says, no, he doesn't know where he is.

01:13:46Hagler goes in for the kill now.

01:13:48He's going, he's going.

01:13:49One year later, this startling announcement from Sugar Ray Leonard.

01:13:59This is something that I want to do.

01:14:01Marvin wants it also.

01:14:03But I'm not making an announcement.

01:14:05I'm just saying I would fight him.

01:14:06I'm not coming back to fight, to have a career.

01:14:09I've had a career.

01:14:10I want something that's going to give me what I want.

01:14:13That's Marvin.

01:14:13I would fight him.

01:14:15Public reaction has been one of wonderment, doubt, and bewilderment.

01:14:19Hagler's made only rare public appearances since Sugar Ray's challenge.

01:14:25And now there's talk that you might not fight him.

01:14:30Is that true?

01:14:31Well, you know right now, it's really hitting a lot of press.

01:14:33I think basically just has an ego.

01:14:34He's on an ego trip or something.

01:14:36Maybe a little jealous.

01:14:37He's missing the limelight a little bit.

01:14:39But the way that I feel about it, I'm just going to sit back and I'm just going to lick

01:14:42my chops.

01:14:44And just wait.

01:14:46But John, what I'm going to do is next month, we're going to hold a press conference.

01:14:51And then I'm going to answer Leonard's challenge.

01:14:54And I might say yeah.

01:14:56He is the undisputed middleweight champion of the world, introducing marvelous Marvin Hedler.

01:15:07Fighting out a plumber partner.

01:15:11Introducing Sugar Ray Leonard.

01:15:14And so the spotlight once again shines on commentator slash boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard.

01:15:28Ray, let me ask you the question, the way it's been asked by my friends to me who know

01:15:32I know you.

01:15:33Are you crazy?

01:15:34Are you nuts?

01:15:34Are you out of your mind?

01:15:35And most important, are you serious?

01:15:37Well, the fact is everyone is so opinionated and they deserve to be that way.

01:15:41Everyone has a right to make their own judgment of people, although sometimes they don't rationalize.

01:15:47I'm doing what I want to do.

01:15:48I'm very serious.

01:15:49I offered an invitation for Marvin and he claimed that I was egotistical and that I missed the

01:15:55limelight.

01:15:56Those things are not true.

01:15:57I mean, it has nothing to do with me.

01:15:59The fact that I'm ready to challenge him.

01:16:01I mean, he has a good fight, an easy fight.

01:16:03He should consider the fact that I've been at the ring for two years.

01:16:06But I know Hedler.

01:16:07I think he's going to go for Hearns, which is a relatively easy fight, which is proven.

01:16:11Some time ago.

01:16:12And I'm sure that's what he has on his mind now.

01:16:15Sounds really like you're trying to bait Marvin.

01:16:17And I don't think you're serious about that, as you say.

01:16:20But I have a couple of questions to ask you.

01:16:23Question number one.

01:16:24After you fought Kevin Howard, who is just a journeyman.

01:16:29And it was a good test for you coming off two years.

01:16:31But he is a journeyman.

01:16:33You said you hurt every time he punched you.

01:16:35You forgot how it hurts to get hit.

01:16:37Do you want to now go in the ring and get hit by Marvin Hagler?

01:16:42Yes, I do.

01:16:42As a matter of fact, when I fought Kevin Howard, I was too premature.

01:16:46I'd be the first to say that I jumped too prematurely into the ring without conditioning myself first.

01:16:52I feel this way.

01:16:53I learned how to study my trade.

01:16:56I've been there in the gym now for three, four months, and I'm preparing myself to take a punch.

01:17:01One lady asked me some time ago.

01:17:03She asked, do you have to get your face in shape to take a punch?

01:17:06I laughed.

01:17:06I thought it was crazy.

01:17:08But it's true.

01:17:08You're used to being hit again.

01:17:10The next question.

01:17:11There have been two famous comebacks in the recent history of boxing.

01:17:15Sugar Ray Robinson took off well over a year to try an entertainment career.

01:17:19It didn't work out, but when he came back, he took some meaningful tune-ups before he challenged for the title.

01:17:25Same thing with Muhammad Ali when he was in exile for three years.

01:17:28He took two tough fights before he challenged Joe Frazier.

01:17:31He wanted to see where he was so that he can get in shape for the best guy out there.

01:17:35So I don't understand how you can just go out there, no matter how much gym work you've had,

01:17:40without testing yourself against an opponent.

01:17:44I can't because it's me, Larry.

01:17:45I feel this way.

01:17:47I know what I'm capable of doing.

01:17:48I know I can be marvelous Marvin Hagelin.

01:17:50The shock is the fact that not because I want to fight him, it's the fact I want to do it right away.

01:17:55I don't want a career like I stated earlier.

01:17:56I don't want to go in the ring and fight a series of fights because I know exactly I'm capable of beating Marvin Hagelin.

01:18:01I think the other side of that coin, too, is, and it's really a bottom-line question, what's in it for Ray Leonard?

01:18:07You're financially sound.

01:18:08You have the spotlight.

01:18:09You have a good career.

01:18:11You have almost anything that anyone could possibly want for.

01:18:14What's in it for you?

01:18:15Marvin Hagelin.

01:18:16That's why I'm going to beat him because it's not for financial needs like history has proven.

01:18:22Fighters come back for financial reasons.

01:18:24It's not for the ego, the pride.

01:18:25I'm here on HBO.

01:18:26I love it.

01:18:27I want to fight Hagelin.

01:18:28Hagelin always wanted to fight me.

01:18:29He may deny it now and claim he wants to lick his chops or whatever, whatever, but the fact is this is something I always wanted.

01:18:35But this is not the same fight as it would have been three or four years ago when you were on top of your game and the boxing game, and when he was the number two guy.

01:18:45No matter what happens in the fight, it's not as if the great Sugar Ray Leonard fought the great Marvin Hagelin.

01:18:53It's a Sugar Ray Leonard who's fought just one little old fight in four years, so it's not quite the same thing.

01:18:58That's true, but I've been wrestling for two years.

01:19:00He's been beat around for two years, okay?

01:19:02It's a big difference.

01:19:03You've got yourself convinced of nobody else.

01:19:07But there's also the old adage, and we said it about Larry Holmes, that you don't get better when you get older.

01:19:12Well, once you reach a peak, you don't go high.

01:19:14You go down.

01:19:15The fact that I'm 30, and I admit that.

01:19:18Hagelin's 31, 32, 33, give or take a year.

01:19:20And it's an easy fight for him.

01:19:23He should take it.

01:19:25Well, that sort of took my next question, actually.

01:19:27I was going to ask you about the fact that Marvin Hagelin really doesn't seem to have anything to gain from this fight either.

01:19:32If he beats you, people are going to say, well, you beat a guy who hasn't fought for four years.

01:19:36And if you beat him, then all of a sudden he loses all the notoriety and all the public acceptance that he's been striving for for so long.

01:19:43But he has something to obtain by beating me.

01:19:46He wants it better.

01:19:47I mean, we both stated.

01:19:48We were at my restaurant, Jameson's.

01:19:50And he said, Ray, it would have been a big fight if we're at four.

01:19:53It can happen now.

01:19:54It can't happen two years down the road.

01:19:57It's understandable that you feel you have unfinished business.

01:20:00And, of course, every time Marvin Hagelin goes out there, he's got something to lose, but he doesn't have $10 million to gain as he might against Ray.

01:20:07But the question has to be asked because people are going to ask it.

01:20:10The risk to the eye.

01:20:12How do you feel about that?

01:20:13Well, you know, everyone has been stating that, Ray, I advise you're not going to the ring.

01:20:17But these people have no knowledge whatsoever in ophthalmology.

01:20:20I have an ophthalmologist who's given me the clean bill of health and learned another thing.

01:20:25In fact, I had extensive examinations.

01:20:27I'm 20-20.

01:20:28People still bring it up as an issue.

01:20:30It was misinterpreted that I said that Marvin Hagelin wouldn't go for my eye.

01:20:34That's the least thing on his mind.

01:20:35If he doesn't think he's concerned about my left chair.

01:20:37I was just going to say, what now, if anything, is the status of the negotiations?

01:20:45Where does the fight stand?

01:20:46Is there any talk?

01:20:47Is there any rumblings at all other than just what we read in the newspapers about a fight?

01:20:51There is major interest, I know, from a Hagelin standpoint, from a Petronelli standpoint.

01:20:56For all the people that's not involved in the promotion, quite naturally, they don't want it to happen.

01:21:01But so far, everything is up in the air.

01:21:05You've answered all of my questions, Ray.

01:21:07Well, all right, I'll ask you one more thing, too.

01:21:10What happens if you do beat Marvin Hagelin?

01:21:11Where do you go that's up?

01:21:12Can you just sort of turn your back from it and say, okay, I've done it and I'm out of it?

01:21:16I'm glad you asked that question because normally, because I've made two come, well, one come back, really.

01:21:21And I say I'm retired and I come back.

01:21:23And people, you know, it's like the boy cry wolf.

01:21:25I become, I contradict myself, they say.

01:21:28But I say one fight with Hagelin.

01:21:30Hagelin will retire after this fight and I will retire after this fight.

01:21:32Does it bother you that the nation's press has not been real kind to all of this?

01:21:37How does that make you feel?

01:21:38I know you pretty well and I know you're a sensitive guy.

01:21:40I'm a sensitive guy, but also I look at the source.

01:21:44We're all just terribly sensitive guys here.

01:21:48We're talking about a lot of bucks.

01:21:50And we're talking about a guy that feels that he once did something as well as anybody that I've seen has done it.

01:21:59And there's this unfinished business to attend to.

01:22:01Thank you, Larry.

01:22:03Well, that's the way it is.

01:22:04We will likely then, I think it's fair to say, see a Sugar Ray Leonard, marvelous Marvin Hagler fight.

01:22:10Tonight, we saw perhaps the next heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson, as he won a unanimous decision over Mitch Blood Green.

01:22:18And we want to remind you to join us for our next presentation of World Championship Boxing.

01:22:22WBC lightweight champion Hector Macho Camacho defending his title against former champion Edwin Rosario right here in Madison Square Garden.

01:22:29That's Friday, June 13th, 10 o'clock Eastern, 7 Pacific.

01:22:32I'll see you next time.

Mike Tyson vs Mitch Green - HBO 5-20-86

Category

Transcript

Recommended