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Monday, August 13, 2012

Mike Tyson talks Broadway show Twitter threats Spike Lee critiques Hollywood blockbuster culture

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Ramirez Carrazana, Lomachenko, Sapiyev, Mekhontcev and Joshua crowned Olympic Champions

Five sensational bouts brought the London 2012 Olympic Games to a close at the packed ExCel Arena with the very best putting on a spectacular show in a fitting end to an unforgettable sixteen days of top-class action.

The first final was the Flyweight (52kg) showdown between the Cuban rising star Robeisy Ramirez Carrazana and 2009 AIBA World Championships silver medallist Tugstsogt Nyambayar of Mongolia. As expected, the first round began at a frenetic pace with the supremely talented Ramirez Carrazana looking to make his speed and agility count in the opening exchanges Even though the 30-year-old Mongol was throwing some good straights and jabbing well, it was the teenage Cuban southpaw who took the first round 6:5. The scenario was repeated in round two as Nyambayar tried to dictate and use his power, but found himself expertly countered by the electric Cuban time and time again. A big right though ensured the Mongol drew the round 4:4. A sensational final round saw both boxers throw a huge number of quality shots, both taking turns being the aggressor. It was the 18-year-old Ramirez Carrazana though who scored heavily with some sublime hooks in the closing stages to triumph 17:14. There was absolute elation from the Cuban as he was declared the winner.

"It was a difficult fight. I am extremely happy. My opening was very aggressive. I am 18 years old and I am already an Olympic champion. I am becoming part of my country's history along with past Cuban champions". On his future, he said, "I am going to carry on training hard. But for now I am looking forward to seeing my family again after being away from Cuba for so long".

Also up on the podium to collect their bronze medals were Russian AIBA World Champion Misha Aloian and Ireland's fledgling talent Michael Conlan.

It was pound for pound king Vasyl Lomachenko versus South Korea's Soonchul Han in the Lightweight (60kg) final. A left straight by the 24-year-old Ukrainian set the tone early on as the 2008 Olympic Featherweight (57kg) Champion stamped his authority on proceedings, harrying his opponent all around the ring in the first, throwing some good body shots, with two hooks ensuring he went into the second 7:2 up. The powerful southpaw was giving nothing away to Han, oozing confidence as he glided effortlessly on the canvas to pick his rival apart with a sumptuous array of combination punches. The South Korean orthodox fighter was in damage limitation mode and used his jab well to only lose the second by a point, 4:3. Lomachenko was getting into his stride, alternating between body and head shots with some quality hooks finding their intended targets as he took the third and the contest in style 19:9.

Lomachenko told the press afterwards, "I would like to dedicate this win to my family and all the friends who have supported me along. A special thanks goes out to my father, trainer and idol".

Cuba's Yasniel Toledo Lopez and Evaldas Petrauskas of Lithuania were presented with their bronze medals after joining the two finalists on the podium.

European Champion Fred Evans of Great Britain battled Serik Sapiyev of Kazakhstan for the Welterweight (69kg) title. The experience Kazak southpaw was throwing a huge amount of jabs in the first with the Brit having to bide his time before looking to land with the straight one-two combination. Good tight defences by the 21-year-old Evans allowed him to soak up some of the early pressure but Sapiyev was in all-action mode, continually throwing a lot of punches to take the first 4:2. It was the exact same scenario in the second, with Sapiyev the aggressor, constantly unloading and not giving his rival a moment to find any kind of rhythm. The young Brit was being outthought and outclassed by the two-time AIBA World Champion from Kazakhstan, who took the second 6:3. Evans had to go for broke in the third but his rival was moving better, faster and simply showed more determination. The British southpaw was devoid of ideas as 28-year-old Sapiyev dominated the final round to claim the gold medal with a resounding 17:9 victory.

The Kazak was overjoyed afterwards, declaring, "I am very glad to be here and this victory is for the whole of Kazakhstan. I have been waiting for this moment for so long. In Beijing I lost in the quarter-finals but was resolute as my attention immediately turned to these next Olympics".

Joining the finalists on the podium were Ukraine's Taras Shelestyuk and Andrey Zamkovoy from Russia, who each collected bronze medals after making it to the semi-finals.

The penultimate contested pitted Russia's Egor Mekhontcev against the savvy operator from Kazakhstan Adilbek Niyazymbetov. Very evenly matched in the first, the two southpaws were simply getting a feel for each other, the tall 27-year-old European Champion from Russia tried to take the initiative with the jab but each time he went forward he was on the receiving end of some slick counter-punching, Niyazymbetov confidently taking the first 4:3. In the second, 2009 AIBA World Champion Mekhontcev was getting through, landing some powerful shots, a huge right hand and a big left hook connected as he clawed his way back to parity going into the final round. It was a fitting finale as the two went for it, the Russian seemingly connecting with some cleaner shots, the jab and the left hook continuing to produce results. In a frenetic final few moments, the two went toe-to-toe in search of the win, trading blows in the centre of the ring. The scores were level at 15:15 after three rounds and also after count-back so it went to the judges' choice, who in the end favoured Egor Mekhontcev. The Russian claiming his country's only boxing Olympic gold this year.

Esquiva Falcao Florentino of Brazil and Ukraine's Oleksandr Gvozdyk were there to get their hands on the bronze medals they had earned by making it to the last four.

The noise levels at the ExCeL went through the roof as the announcer called out Great Britain'sAnthony Joshua and reigning Olympic Champion and two-time AIBA World ChampionRoberto Cammarelle of Italy for the Super Heavyweight (91+kg) final. Making that jab do the work in the early exchanges, 22-year-old Joshua was looking comfortable, connecting with a cute left hook in the process. The Italian southpaw, ten years Joshua's senior, was mindful of the power of the local fighter and after walking onto another left hook, Cammarelle cornered his rival and unloaded some hard combinations to take the high scoring first 6:5. Joshua was showing a lot of respect to the 2008 Beijing Games gold medallist in the second, but the round bursted into life when he landed a big left hook and Cammarelle sprung into life again to unleash a flurry of punching to go into the third with a three point cushion. The Italian had a swagger about him and was landing some sly shots but Joshua was coming back with the big right hand as the crowd went wild at the spectacle. The closing stages saw the two go toe-to-toe in a fitting finale. Joshua's succession of hard rights ensuring he clawed back his deficit to win 18:18 on count-back.

The bronze medals went to Ivan Dychko of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan's reigning AIBA World Champion Magomedrasul Medzhidov.

There will be huge anticipation now as the focus switches to the Rio 2012 Olympic Games in four years time.

R.I.P. - Michael Dokes‏

AP PhotoHeavyweight boxer John Gardner of England begins to fall to the canvas following knockout punch by Michael Dokes of Akron, Ohio, in the fourth round of their scheduled 15-round bout at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena, June 12, 1981. Dokes died Saturday night.

Michael Dokes always packed a punch. Nicknamed "Dynamite," the heavyweight fighter came out of Akron in the 1970s and made an immediate name for himself in the boxing ring.

He also set off on a life of excess when it came to drugs, alco

hol and women.

Dokes, who turned 54 on Friday died in Akron on Saturday night after battling liver cancer for several years.

"It's hard to know what to say," said longtime friend Stanley Jackson of Cleveland. "I met him when he first turned pro. He was like a young son to me. I just know I loved him."

With his fast and powerful fists, Dokes was on the national boxing stage at age 15 when he made it to the finals of the national Golden Gloves tournament. He won the national AAU heavyweight championship in 1975 and the Golden Gloves title the following year.

"I remember some classic Golden Glove bouts between Michael and Cleveland's Freddie Bambino," said Clytee Dunn, veteran amateur official with USA Boxing's Lake Erie Association. "They were something."

Dokes turned professional and stopped Al Byrd in his first bout on Oct. 15, 1976 in Hollywood, Fla.

He was 25-0-1, with 14 knockouts, when he won the World Boxing Association heavyweight title with a first-round technical knockout of Mike Weaver at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 10, 1982. In a rematch five months later, the bout was judged a majority draw and Dokes retained the title.

However, Dokes disappointed his hometown fans when he lost the title to Gerrie Coetzee on a 10th-round stoppage at The Coliseum in Richfield on Sept. 23, 1983.

Dokes admitted his drug use cost him the title. In an article in Sports Illustrated years later, Dokes said he trained for the fight "on cocaine and Jack Daniels."

"That fight should never have happened," Dokes told the Akron Beacon Journal in August 2010. "It's a fight I didn't live up to. I should never have brought it home."

Promoter Don King put on that fight in Richfield.

"Michael was a great fighter," said King. "He fought the good fight. It's unfortunate."

While Dokes remained a contender, he was unable to regain the championship. He lost pivotal bouts to Evander Holyfield in March 1989 and to Donovan Ruddock in April 1990.

In that latter bout, he was knocked unconscious for several minutes in the fourth round at Madison Square Garden. It was felt by some that Dokes' career should have been put to rest at that point.

He was given one more opportunity to reach the top. But that ended just as badly, with the fighter already showing the signs of decline both in and out of the ring.

Before his 1993 Madison Square Garden title bout against champion Riddick Bowe, Dokes enjoyed the New York limelight as he dined with followers and reporters. Weighing 244 pounds, Dokes did not back off from a plate of pasta as it would not hamper his training for the big fight.

"The past is history, the future isn't here yet, and the present is linguine and clam sauce," he told The Plain Dealer.

Dokes was stopped in the first round by Bowe. He earned $750,000.

He fought five more times after that, losing his final two bouts. He was stopped in the second round by Paul Phillips in his final bout on Oct. 11, 1997 in Erlanger, Ky., to finish with a career record of 53-6, with 34 knockouts.

In 1998, Dokes was arrested in Nevada on charges that he assaulted his girlfriend and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He had pleaded guilty to attempted murder, second-degree kidnapping and intent to commit sexual assault.

He was paroled in 2008.

He lived in Las Vegas before returning to Akron to live with relatives in 2010.

Serik Sapiyev receives Best Men's Boxer Trophy‏

Impressive and dominant from start to finish, Kazak Serik Sapiyev not only claimed the Olympic Welterweight (69kg) title, but has also been awarded the coveted Best Men's Boxer at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Val Barker Trophy) by the accredited media.

The southpaw, also a two-time AIBA World Champion (2005 and 2007), beat Great Britain Anthony Joshua to the award by a single vote (11 to 10). The Super Heavyweight Olympic Champion was then preceded by Ukrainian Lightweight (60kg) Vasyl Lomachenko (seven), Flyweight (52kg) gold medallist Robeisy Ramirez Carrazana of Cuba and Ukrainian Heavyweight (91kg) Oleksandr Usyk (both five), Cuban Light Welterweight (64kg) Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo (three).

When he was told the news, the Kazak was overcome by emotion.

Sapiyev battled European Champion Freddie Evans of Great Britain for the Welterweight (69kg) title. The experienced Kazak threw a huge amount of jabs in the first with the Brit having to bide his time before looking to land with the straight one-two combination.

Good tight defences by the 21-year-old Evans allowed him to soak up some of the early pressure but Sapiyev was in all-action mode, continually throwing a lot of punches to take the first 4:2.

It was the same scenario in the second, with Sapiyev the aggressor, constantly unloading and not giving his rival a moment to find any kind of rhythm.

The young Brit was being outthought and outclassed by the soon-to-be APB boxer, who took the second 6:3. Evans had to go for broke in the third but his rival was moving better, faster and simply showed more determination. The British southpaw was devoid of ideas as 28-year-old Sapiyev dominated the final round to claim the gold medal with a resounding 17:9 victory.

After the bout he said: "I am very glad to be here and this victory is for the whole of Kazakhstan. I have been waiting for this moment for so long. In Beijing I lost in the quarter-finals but was resolute as my attention immediately turned to these next Olympics."

Friday, August 10, 2012

Claressa Shields; August issue of ESSENCE!

We're so proud of 17-year-old boxer Claressa Shields. She won the first middleweight gold medal in women's Olympic boxing! Read about her journey in the August issue of ESSENCE!

Team USA’s Claressa Shields Takes Gold in Boxing

The London 2012 Olympiad has officially been a showcase for the women of Team USA in the field of combat sports as 17 year old Clarissa Shields took gold at the inaugural women’s 75 kg tournament. Shields’ victory earlier today has marked an unusual trend: of the five combat sports held in the Olympics, Team USA has only taken home medals in the women’s divisions.

Tyson's Punches Sometimes Hit Their Mark, Critics Say

Not a TKO, but an interesting, and certainly odd, night at the theater.

That’s the consensus among critics, who say former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson delivers an awkward, yet once-in-awhile charming spectacle in his one-man show “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth,” directed by Spike Lee and at the Longacre Theatre through Aug. 12.

Writing about the “lazily structured biographical tour” in The New York Times, critic Neil Genzlinger said Tyson “makes you momentarily forget how ham-handed and manipulative the show is.”

“Sure, we should save our accolades for the many people who have transcended difficult beginnings without abusing drugs, racking up a rape conviction and biting off a piece of another guy’s ear. But by the end of ‘Undisputed Truth’ you may at least be willing to grant that it would be swell if Mr. Tyson has finally found a nondestructive way to exist in the world.”

In the Toronto Star, high-minded theater critic Richard Ouzounian said “Truth” was another example of how theater uses boxing as metaphor to examine the relationship between black men and power.

“From Sammy Davis Jr. in Golden Boy to James Earl Jones in The Great White Hope... you can find a gallery of black men who are groomed to win, until it becomes more expeditious to bring about their downfall,” he wrote.

One of the oddest things about the show, Ouzounian also noted, is that it was written by Tyson’s current wife, Kiki, “and tries to make a man who is a convicted rapist come across as a charming guy.”

The New York Post’s Elizabeth Vincentelli said the show’s first hour was “funny, cheeky and fast."

Wrote Vincentelli: “Tyson also talks about his... demons, starting with Robin Givens, whom he married in 1988 and split from a year later. During their divorce proceedings, he spotted her in a car with Brad Pitt, whom she had dated before. Tyson quips that they look ‘like Robert Redford and Pearl Bailey.’”

Playbill’s opening night photos can be found here.

Floyd’s Back

Boxing Champion Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. has been released from prison.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. was released from Clark County Detention Center after serving two months of a three-month sentence on a misdemeanor charge (Domestic Battery)

He look like he have been staying fit while incarcerated although he was complaining about the food and shit months ago, stating that the low-quality food and water have threatened his health.

Child boo Mayweather, looks like the food wasn’t that bad after all because you look damn good boo. Your teeth still pearly and white.

AND HE LOOKS CUTE WITH HAIR….

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Team USA’s Claressa Shields Wins Historic Middleweight Gold at the 2012 Olympic Games‏

Claressa Shields of the USA celebrates defeating Nadezda Torlopova of Russia to win gold (AFP, Alberto Pizzoli)

Seventeen-year-old Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.) marked her place in the historic books with the first-ever Olympic gold medal in the women’s middleweight division. Shields concluded her run to gold with a 19-12 victory over Russia’s Nadezda Torlopova in the middleweight gold medal bout on Thursday at the ExCel Centre in London. The gold medal is the first for the United States since Andre Ward in 2004 and the first-ever in women’s action.

Shields, whose entertaining style has won many fans at the 2012 Olympic Games, fulfilled her Olympic dream with a third strong performance in London. The teenager came out disciplined in the opening round, feeling out her Russian opponent nearly double Shields’ age, and the bout was tied at three after two minutes of boxing. That was as close as Torlopova would get in the four round bout. Shields began utilizing her strong edge in hand speed to impose her will in the second and claimed a 10-7 advantage at the halfway mark. She continued to catch the Russian with strong shots and combinations in the third round on her way to a 15-10 lead with one round remaining. Shields extended her advantage to seven in the final two minutes en route to a 19-12 final decision and the middleweight gold medal.

This is something that I’ve wanted for a long time and when I felt that boxing wasn’t going right and my life wasn’t going right, I always wanted a gold medal,” she said. “I just kept working toward it and people were saying that I couldn’t do it, that I was too young, that I’ll never do it. There were going to be girls that would beat me, that had more experience and I proved them all wrong.”

The Flint native dedicated her medal to her hometown and joins Flint boxers Andre Dirrell and Chris Byrd in winning Olympic hardware. Between the three of them, they own every color of medal with Shields completing the trifecta with her gold.

“It’s always dedicated to Flint, that’s where I’m from. It’s dedicated to my coach; he deserves it. He deserves it. He trains a lot of men at our gym but none of them want to dedicate themselves. I feel that USA needed it,” Shields said. “I’m just glad that someone got a gold medal because we were all in the gym together, we all sweat together, we all trained together, we all worked hard together so we all want to see each other succeed.”

The teenager qualified won the Olympic Trials at only 16, claiming both a gold medal and the Outstanding Boxer title at the February event. The Flint Northwestern High School student will return to school for her senior year with her own piece of history to share. Trained by Jason Crutchfield, out of FWC Berston, Shields has been boxing since the age of 11 and quickly took to the sweet science under Crutchfield’s tutelage. She is the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team at only 17.

Flyweight Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) received her bronze medal on Thursday as well, giving Team USA two medals in the three women’s weight divisions.

Shields’ championship bout concludes Olympic boxing action for Team USA.

U.S. Result

165 lbs: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich./USA dec. Nadezda Torlopova, RUS, 19-12

Claressa Shields quotes

“I think I’m still numb. It feels great and unbelievable, I don’t even know if this is real right now. It feels unbelievable, I can’t believe this happening right now. I’m surprised I didn’t cry though.”

“I was thinking God knows my heart (while on the medal stand).”

“At the end of the day, when I got back from the fight, they always wished me the best. I represent myself and my teammates because if I had to count on one of them to represent me, I would hope that they would do good. I don’t think that anybody feels bad about me representing them, I did a pretty good job.”

“My game plan was to move to the right, and stay away from her right hand.”

“I haven’t been able to think past August 9, today. So having to think past that day right now, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m going to go wherever the wind blows me.”

“My life already changed because I’ve been leaving the country. I haven’t really been home a lot. I know I’m about to have a lot of publicity. I’m going in the history books, people are going to look at me as inspiration. I might have 10,000 followers on twitter when I get back. There’s a lot of stuff that’s going to change, I’m going to be able to help me family out. I have a gold medal that I can wear everyday by my choice, it’s mine.”

“My trainers, Jason Crutchfield and Ed Kendall are here. They came to every fight.”

“I didn’t want to underestimate her, I wanted to make sure that I got settled in so with the score being 3-3, I was like alright. I already knew that I was faster than her before the fight. I know that with this being the Olympics, I knew that she was going to step up. It seems like she kind of stepped up in the first round. Then after that, I think she felt that she was stronger than me so she was just going to walk in. When she saw that I had a little bit of power, she kind of stepped back a little bit. Her right hand was her bread and butter.”

“I wasn’t able to call my dad before I fought today. I called him an hour before I fought yesterday but I wasn’t able to today. He watched, he already knows. I’m just going to call him, he’s probably going to be crying or something like that. I just can’t believe this right now.”

“I don’t know, I really can’t say whether I will be back in four years. I like traveling for free, I like going to training camp. I like being able to do what I want to do. I really do love boxing. I want to be the best in boxing. If I can be a two-time gold medalist, my coach and I just have to talk about it.”

“I really wanted to represent the women well and I think I did a great job. I can always do better, I think I showed the best display of women’s boxing. I don’t think that there’s going to be anyone watching the Olympics saying that women can’t box because they saw me get down. I think I did a good job, I think more women will come in to the sport. I think the women who weren’t able to get into the Olympics are proud of me.”

“I will probably wear the medal everyday for the first year. There might be some days where I say I don’t want it to disappear from me, I earned it. This is my medal. I worked too hard, I worked really hard for this medal. I can’t even explain what I went through, all the people I had to deal with and just life period. There were people who were telling me that I couldn’t do this and when someone doubts me, it makes me push harder. So the haters kind of helped.”

“I kept looking at the medal, I tried not to look at it but I was like, there it go. It just made me laugh because I couldn’t believe that this medal was in front of me right now. When he put it on me, I was like aaaah. I started going crazy. I thought I was going to have a seizure or pass out.”

“There’s no good or bad draw. I came prepared to fight the best. If I had Savannah Marshall (reigning world champion), first, I really didn’t care because she beat me. I was in the gym steadily, constantly planning on fighting her. That’s why I beat the Kazakhstan girl so bad because she beat Savannah. I came prepared to fight the best. Girls 6-2, 6-3, girls who are strong, I came prepared. I didn’t care who I had first, second or last, I came prepared to do well. I was going to try my best to win every match.”

“My coach Jason, it’s so deep, that every summer I live with him. I stay with him and his family and whenever he sees me getting a little off track, he’s on me like white on rice. He’s not super strict, but he didn’t’ let me date. Made sure I was at the gym everyday. Sometimes when he couldn’t pick me up, he made me run to the gym. There were a lot of things that I had to sacrifice my own. I had to get up at six a.m. and run, and that was just to show how hungry I was to win. My coach did a lot, he sacrificed a lot of time with me. He used to call and come get me every morning to go run. When I learned how to do it myself, my coach and I were like half and half and we fit right together.”

“During training camp, one of the things that we were working on was patience. People used to hit me and I’d want to get it right back as soon as it happened. As you can see, in my first fight, I did a lot of thinking. The girl was tall and I knew that she didn’t want to fight me so I had to make my own plan to get in there but they told me to stay calm. She might get one point off you but you might be able to get three off in the next 10 seconds so make sure that you think. They were on me everyday to stay on my jab and make sure that I keep my hands up. They added on some tools that I felt like I needed.”

Review: Mike Tyson's one-man show packs no punch

There is apparently a threat by someone on Twitter to execute a shooting rampage at the Broadway theater that's playing "Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth." This has added something sadly lacking in Tyson's one-man show: any sense of drama.

The former champion boxer and convicted rapist promises at the beginning of his odd and pathetic show, which mercifully ends its run Sunday at the Longacre Theatre, that he'll offer the unvarnished truth of his tortured life. What actually comes out sounds more like a press release written by someone else.

"I know many of you are probably wondering, 'What the hell is Mike Tyson going to do up here onstage tonight?'" he asks. "Well, frankly, I'm wondering the same thing, too."

The two-hour show, directed in a paint-by-numbers style by Spike Lee, doesn't really come to an answer about that. Nothing new or very interesting is revealed, and the stage hasn't been turned into a place for deep thinking. Maybe that's because it was written not by Tyson, but by his wife, Kiki, who got him sober and apparently convinced him that this embarrassment of a show would work.

"Really can't complain these days. I'm really grateful things have come full circle for me," he says, somewhat unconsciously mournful. "I'm pretty domesticated now."

The show traces Iron Mike's rise from violent street hood in Brooklyn to a fearsome athlete. Then comes the fall — prison inmate, tabloid target, cocaine and Evander Holyfield's delicious ear. (He admits he wanted to title the performance "Boxing, Bitches and Lawsuits.")

First wife Robin Givens and ex-manager Don King are excoriated. Kiki Tyson, not surprisingly, comes off angelic. As does trainer Cus D'Amato, a father figure as much as an adviser, who fed him with the thirst for success. The account of the accidental death of his 4-year-old daughter, Exodus, is heartbreaking. But unlike shows by masters of the genre — John Leguizamo, for instance — this is a string of anecdotes leading nowhere.

When the audience arrives, the Longacre has been turned into a dance club, with DJ Clark Kent spinning mostly Jay-Z from a box. The inside of the theater has been lazily decorated by Tim Mackabee with what looks like homemade banners from Brooklyn neighborhoods. (Carroll Gardens? Really?)

Projections of photos and videos accompany Tyson's soliloquies without adding much. Lee didn't feel it necessary to find much archive footage. So when Tyson is talking about his tough childhood home, the screen is filled with a nice-looking complex — it's the new one built over the slum. (Lee shakes his camera to make it look ominous, but it's futile.)

The stocky boxer opens the show seated in the dark as Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" plays, presumably to highlight the lyrics, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn/Is just to love and be loved in return."

"I promise if you listen and you really trust me, you'll leave here with both ears tonight," Tyson vows. The theater is half-empty and it soon gets emptier. Not everyone wants an earful of drivel. (Plus, there's more interesting things outside, like a police car in case the Twitter threat turns real.)

There's a funny story about Brad Pitt, who showed up one day as Givens' date while Tyson was still sleeping with her. The actor apparently looked pretty freaked out to see the muscular boxer. There's another rambling tale about Tyson fighting fellow boxer Mitch Green while his rival was on angel dust (he never stayed down).

Tyson denies raping 18-year-old Rhode Island beauty queen Desiree Washington. "I deserved to be punished for all the pain and humiliation I caused plenty of women. But I didn't deserve the punishment I got from this women," he says. That inexplicably leads to a funny story about Florence Henderson visiting him in prison.

It's clear that Tyson is not a natural stage presence. He actually seems like a changed man and a sweet one, too, but his high voice and mumbling make it hard to hear even — if you wanted to. He stumbles over words like "scrotum" and "abstinence" and blames Lee for salting the show with words to make him look smart.

But the fact that it's not in his own words just makes him look like a puppet with others pulling the strings — the very thing he complains about throughout his hard-knock life.

It's no contest: Tyson beaten by Broadway in a quick TKO.

Adams, Taylor and Shields win first ever women's boxing gold medals‏

Olympic history was re-written at the ExCeL with the first ever Women's boxing gold medals presented to Nicolas Adams of Great Britain, Ireland's Katie Taylor and Claressa Shields of the United States.

The first of the Women's Finals, the Flyweights (51kg), saw Great Britain's Nicola Adams faced her nemesis in the last two AIBA World Boxing Championships, the boxer who defeated her both times in the final and the dominant force in this weight category, China's 26-year-old Cancan Ren.

It began at a frantic pace with Adams seemingly landing the cleaner shots with a couple of big right hands finding their target. It was fast and furious with the Brit taking the first round 4:2. Unrelenting in the second, Adams continued to unload on Ren, and midway through the round, she threw a huge right that floored the Chinese southpaw, with Ren having to take a standing eight count. The partisan crowd were singing in unison, "Nicola, Nicola", as she stormed into a five point lead after claiming the second 5:2. Ren sprung into action in the third but the British orthodox fighter, clearly buoyed by the support, was counter-punching expertly and scored heavily to win that round by a clear four points. At ease and moving well, the 29-year-old Adams used her jab well to close out the fight and win in style 16:7, becoming in the process the first woman in the history of the Olympic Games to claim a boxing gold medal.

There was a bronze medal for Marlen Esparza from the United States, who had fought valiantly against Ren in the semi-finals but was ultimately defeated by the three-time AIBA World Champion. There was huge cheer for Chungneijang Mery Kom Hmangte, also known as Mery Kom, the diminutive Indian who moved up two weight classes in order to qualify and compete at these Olympic Games, as she also collected her bronze. The 29-year-old from India had shown true grit and determination to defeat bigger and stronger opponents to make it onto the podium.

It was a sea of green at the ExCeL arena, with Irish fans out in force to see Katie Taylor take to the ring against the tough Russian southpaw Sofya Ochigava in the Lightweight (60kg) final. The quadruple AIBA World Champion from Ireland began the contest as the overwhelming favourite and with vociferous support; the pressure on the 26-year-old was huge. It was tentative by both boxers in the early exchanges of the opening round and with the two evenly matched, the points were shared, 2:2. Ochigava was boxing exceptionally well, throwing some good punches on the counter as she edged the second round 2:1. A couple of good right hooks by Taylor saw her regain the initiative and in the third she landed two sublime straight right hands to go two points clear going into the final round. It was a tense finale but Katie Taylor confirmed her legendary status with a hard-fought 10:8 victory as the ExCeL exploded into delirium.

Joining the finalists on the podium to collect their bronze medals, were Tajikistan's 19-year-old Mavzuna Chorieva, one of the success stories of these Olympic Games and at print the only medallist from her country, and the experienced Brazilian orthodox Adriana Araujo, who had come through two tough contests to make it to the semi-final stages.

American teenage sensation Claressa Shields battled 33-year-old two-time European Champion and 2010 World Champion from Russia, second seed Nadezda Torlpova in the Middleweight (75kg) final. The 17-year-old US star had been in scintillating form coming into this contest and started in confident mood, looking to connect with the jab and that big one-two combination. The experienced Russian's height however allowed her to thwart Shields' attacks to land a few good shots of her own as the first round was tied 3:3. The fledgling young talent initially struggled to get on the inside of her opponent but as she slowly wore her down she connected with a series of hard combinations to open a gap of three points after taking the second 7:4. The speed of Shields and her sheer determination saw her land some huge hits with a couple of good overheads landing flush on her rival's chin as she powered into a five point lead going into the fourth round. The American starlet seemed simply unstoppable as she calimed the gold medal with an impressive 19:12 victory.

Bronze medals in this category went to Maria Volnova of Kazakhstan, who defeated the top seeded favourite Savannah Marshall of Great Britain in the quarter-finals, and China's 22-year-old Jinzi Li, who had come through two gruelling fights of her own to claim that medal.

Friday is semi-finals day for all ten Men's weight categories, it promises to be a day to remember.

Katie Taylor adds best boxer trophy to Olympic gold medal‏

It has always been tradition for the best boxer across all of the Men's weight categories to be rewarded for his efforts with a trophy, but with Women making their debut at the Olympic Games this year, it was decided that the same honour should be bestowed upon them.

The choice would be decided by the experts, by the journalists, those who covered every single minute of competition, analysed and dissected every bout to give their expert opinions.

After triumphing in the Lightweight (60kg) final, Ireland's Katie Taylor was the overwhelming choice to take the 'Best Women's Boxer of the London 2012 Olympic Games' trophy. Her technique, her poise and her all-round excellence had the pundits acclaiming her exploits in unison as she took sixty percent of the vote.

A pioneer, 25-year-old Katie Taylor has taking the sport to new heights with her level of skills and dedication to the sport. She is a worthy winner of the first ever women's best boxer trophy. The decision was not decided on sentiment; the experts agreed that her performances at the ExCeL in both the quarters and semi-finals made her the perfect choice to be rewarded with the trophy. The Irish legend was in scintillating form in her previous two bouts, eliminating the rising star from Tajikistan Mavzuna Chorieva in the semi-finals and before that overcoming the tough challenge of Natasha Jonas of Great Britain in arguably the best contest of the whole competition, including the men.

We are proud at AIBA that Katie Taylor has graced the sport of boxing and we sincerely hope that she will be there in Rio 2016 to defend her title and once again showcase women's boxing in all its splendour.

Errol Spence Drops Quarterfinal Bout to Russian Foe at the 2012 Olympic Games‏

The final American male boxer, welterweight Errol Spence (Desoto, Texas), fell in quarterfinal action on Tuesday at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Spence faced 2009 World Championships silver medalist Andrey Zamkovoy of Russia for a spot on the medal stand, and it was the Russian advancing to the semifinal round with a 16-11 victory.

Spence claimed a spot on the quarterfinal round following a successful protest of his bout against India’s Krishan Vikas in the second round. The 22-year-old hoped to use the momentum in his bout with Zamkovoy, which was a rematch from a March bout. Spence won the earlier match-up but he didn’t have the same success in London.

The American boxer got off to a somewhat slow start in a tactical first round for both boxers as Spence looked to solve his Russian opponent. Zamkovoy held a 4-3 lead after the first but Spence became more aggressive in the second round, pressing the action against the Russian. Yet it was Zamkovoy holding a 9-7 advantage with one round remaining. Spence came out quickly in the final round while Zamkovoy looked to tie him up and hold throughout the final three minutes. He tried to fight out of the Russian’s lock and land shots in the final round but he wasn’t able to score enough to overcome his deficit and Zamkovoy won a 16-11 final decision. The loss eliminates Spence, the final male American boxer in contention at the 2012 Olympic Games, from the tournament.

“I started a little bit slow, I could have started a little bit faster then what I did. Overall, he’s a good fighter. He was just the better man today,” Spence said. “I took me a little while to feel him out. Usually in my fights, I start real slow and feel my opponents out, but today it kind of hurt me.”

U.S. Result

152 lbs: Andrey Zamkovoy, RUS, dec. Errol Spence, Desoto, Texas/USA, 16-11

Errol Spence Quotes

“I’m using to fighting southpaws. The Indian guy (Spence’s last opponent) was a southpaw and I’m used to fighting southpaws at home. You’d always rather fight orthodox guys.”

“It doesn’t make it difficult (losing after getting a second chance with the protest). I thought I won the fight (against the Indian boxer) anyway so it wasn’t difficult. I was really disappointed that I left the tournament the way I did when I fought the Indian boxer. But having a guy be better than me tonight is not a disappointment. He was just the better man and I’d rather go out like that then the way I did against the Indian boxer.”

“There was a little bit of pressure there, but it didn’t affect me in the ring. I didn’t think about it once I was in the ring.”

“I plan to come back and help the amateur program in 2016. I’m kind of disappointed that I’m out of the tournament. I’m just glad it was a better guy beating me rather than the way it happened before.”

“Fighting international fighters is always unusual because of the awkward style that they have and that made me start out late but I don’t take anything from him. He fought a good fight and he was the better man today.”

“My corner told me that I needed to throw more punches and stop waiting for him to throw and then I’d throw. Initiate the action.”

“I felt more comfortable, I’ve been more aggressive this tournament. I have an aggressive style, that’s just the way I fight. I wanted to come forward and I was trying to figure him out in the first round but I should have picked up the pace and when I did, it was too late.”

“Everybody here is tough, everybody here is the best in the world. I didn’t feel the pressure, I had a little bit of confidence because I beat him in March so I had a little bit more confidence but he stepped it up a little bit.”

“It’s a big eye opener but it’s kind of too late because I’m turning pro. I got a lot of experience and I’m happy I did because the experience was great. I met a lot of people and I think I gained a lot of fans and hopefully they will follow me.”

“I was happy (after the decision was overturned) that I got to fight again and I got a second chance because I didn’t want to be known for that loss.”

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