- Title: USA: MIKE TYSON DEFEATS ANDREW GOLOTA IN SECOND ROUND OF TEN ROUND FIGHT
- Date: 20th October 2000
- Summary: AUBURN HILLS, MICHIGAN, USA (OCTOBER 20, 2000) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (STILLS) (MUTE) 1. POLISH BOXER ANDREW GOLATA DEFLECTING A PUNCH BY FORMER WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION MIKE TYSON 2. TYSON PUNCH TO GOLATA 3. TYSON AND GOLATA TRADING PUNCHES 4. GOLATA WITH REFEREEE 5. REFEREE CALLING END TO FIGHT 6. TYSON Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 4th November 2000 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: AUBURN HILLS, MICHIGAN, USA
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVAXWXPWFWMNQA9QM2BZWOCFSZK
- Story Text: Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson defeated
Andrew Golota when the Polish fighter inexplicably quit after
the second round of their scheduled 10-round bout.
Before the third round was to start at Auburn Hills,
Michigan on Friday (October 21), Golota clenched his teeth
shut, refusing to let trainer Al Certo put in his mouthpiece.
He then walked over toward referee Frank Garza and pushed him
away.
"I told him 'you have to go back to your corner'" as the
one-minute rest break was not over, said Garza. "He said,
'Why? I quit.'"
Certa followed Golota hollering, "What are you doing? What
are you doing?"
Garza said he heard the bell ring for the third round and
Golota said again emphatically, throwing his hands down, "'I
quit.'"
Tyson was then declared the winner.
The 34-year-old Tyson, whose purse was $10 million (US)
dollars, improved to 49-3. Golota, 32, dropped to 36-5 and
pocketed $2.2 million.
Certo said Golota wanted to quit after the first round.
"I said, 'no you're going to win this fight.' But he
wanted to stop it."
Golota was knocked down in the first round by a short
right cross to the head but got up immediately and did not
appear to be seriously injured.
Golota looked very slow against the fast Tyson but the
Pole appeared to be weathering Tyson's attack in the second
round as they slugged it out toe to toe.
Tyson, who on Thursday (October 18) said after the
weigh-in he planned to retire after this fight, landed the
hardest punches as Golota was mostly swatting at Tyson.
As Golota left the ring, fans booed and threw containers
of popcorn and beer at him. He stormed through the aisles and
past his wife, who looked mortified. The bout drew a crowd of
more than 16,000.
"I am sorry to all of my fans who counted on me," Golota
told a television interviewer.
Golota was late entering the ring and there was
speculation that an earlier dispute over which brand of boxing
gloves he would wear may have delayed him.
"First of all, it wasn't my day. I was head-butted and the
referee didn't respond to it," Golota said. "Nobody took care
of it."
Golota was taken to a local hospital to get his cut
stitched, said Donald Tremblay of Main Events, Golota's
promoter.
Asked whether he would fight again, Golota said: "I'll
give myself a heavy talk tonight."
Tyson did not appear in the post-fight news conference.
Tyson's trainer, Tommy Brooks, said: "I never would have
expected that from a fighter (Golota). I think he suffers from
anxiety attacks. I truly believe Andrew is not a coward."
Tyson's advisor, Shelly Finkel, said of his fighter: "This
leaves him unfulfilled. He will probably take a couple of
weeks off and reassess.
"If he doesn't want to fight again, I wish him well,"
added Finkel.
The fight proved very little about Tyson, who appeared off
his timing and overpowered in the clinches by Golota, who has
a history of erratic behaviour in the ring.
Golota was disqualified twice within five months for low
blows against Riddick Bowe, and has head-butted opponents and
also bit one in the ring.
The Pole froze in front of Lennox Lewis in 1997 and was
stopped in the first round of their title fight. Golota also
inexplicably quit in the 10th round against Michael Grant last
November when he was leading on all three judges' scorecards.
Golota had been knocked down in the 10th round and says he
thought he was losing so he quit.
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