Mike Tyson vs. Andrew Golota

"Showdown in Motown"

Date	October 20, 2000
Location	The Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan
Title(s) on the line	None
Mike Tyson vs.  Andrew Golota
"Iron Mike"		"The Powerful Pole"
Tale of the tape
Catskill, New York, US	From	Warsaw, Poland
48–3	Pre-fight record	36–4
	Recognition	WBC No. 9 Ranked Heavyweight

Mike Tyson vs. Andrew Golota, billed as Showdown in Motown, was a professional boxing match contested on October 20, 2000.

Background

After serving a 15 month ban because of his actions during his 1997 match with Evander Holyfield, Tyson returned in January 1999 with a fifth round knockout win over heavyweight contender, Francois Botha. After Botha, Tyson had little trouble with his next three opponents. He fought a no-contest with Orlin Norris. Norris was injured and could not continue after the first round. A second round knockout against journeyman fighter, Julius Francis followed by a 34 second knockout versus fringe contender Lou Savarese followed. On August 30, 2000, the announcement came that Tyson's next fight would be against former heavyweight title challenger Andrew Golota.^[1] Both men came into the fight with reputations as dirty fighters which led some to doubt whether the two could have a clean fight.^[2] Golotas' two most notable fights were against Riddick Bowe, where both times, Golota was disqualified for hitting Bowe below the waist. Meanwhile, Tyson was notoriously disqualified in his rematch with Holyfield for biting both of Holyfields' ears and had a history of hitting after the bell, repeated in his fights against Botha, Norris and Savarese. Golota publicly stated that he planned to fight cleanly. Tyson stated that he hoped he would obtain a quick knockout victory over Golota.^[3]

The Fight

As usual, Tyson started the fight aggressively by landing several power punches on Golota within the first 30 seconds of round one. Golota was able to withstand Tyson's early assault and effectively used his left jab and height advantage for the next two minutes to remain in the fight. During the final 30 seconds, Tyson became more aggressive and threw two big right hooks at Golota, one of which connected. Golota was forced to clinch Tyson in an effort to slow him down. After the referee separated the two, Tyson connected with a powerful right hook that dropped Golota to the canvas. Golota was able to get back up just before the round came to an end, but he was now bleeding from a cut above his left eye. Hoping to secure the knockout victory, Tyson continued his aggressive assault in the second round, prompting Golota to clinch Tyson several times to try to slow down Tyson's furious rally and reduce the effectiveness of Tyson's power punches. Though Golota attempted to fight back, Tyson was able to easily win the round on all three judges' scorecards. In between rounds two and three, Golota informed his corner that he would not continue. Despite pleas from his trainer, Golota refused to continue the fight giving the win to Tyson by technical knockout.^[4]

Aftermath

Golota's decision to quit angered Tyson, who felt that he was robbed of a traditional knockout victory. Tyson had to be restrained by his corner in order to prevent him from attacking Golota. The fans who attended the fight were angry and pelted Golota with garbage as he retreated to the dressing room. It was eventually discovered that Golota was suffering multiple injuries that influenced his decision to not continue. At the hospital, it was discovered that Golota had suffered a concussion, a fractured left cheekbone and a herniated disc during the fight.^[5] Golota left boxing for almost three years before returning on August 14, 2003.

Early in 2001, the Michigan Athletic Board of Control issued a three month suspension to Tyson based on his refusal to submit to a pre-fight urine test, opting instead to take one after the fight.^[6] Days after his suspension was announced, it was discovered that Tyson had tested positive for marijuana after the fight.^[7] Because of this, his victory over Golota was overturned and changed to a no-contest. After almost a year-long layoff, Tyson returned in October 2001 to defeat Brian Nielsen by technical knockout in Nielsen's native Denmark.

References