Mike Tyson vs. Lou Savarese, billed as ''Tyson's Back'', was a professional boxing match contested on June 24, 2000.

Background

Mike Tyson was three fights into his latest comeback, which started on January 16, 1999, with a fifth-round knockout victory over former

IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...

Heavyweight champion

Francois Botha Francois "Frans" Botha (born 28 September 1968) is a South African former professional boxer and kickboxer. He competed in boxing from 1990 to 2014, and is perhaps best known for winning the IBF heavyweight title against Axel Schulz in 1995, ...

. After a nine-month layoff due in large part to a four-month prison stint, Tyson met former WBA Cruiserweight champion Orlin Norris, but the bout ended in a no-contest after Tyson injured Norris with a punch that landed after the bell. Three months later, Tyson had his first-ever fight in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, easily defeating British journeyman Julius Francis by second-round knockout. It was then announced in February 2000 that Tyson would next meet fringe contender Lou Savarese. Initially, the fight was set to take place in

Milan, Italy Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

in May, ut the bout was postponed after Tyson decided that he needed more time to train. The fight was then moved to Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland, and rescheduled for June 24, 2000. Though the decision to allow Tyson to return to the United Kingdom was met with protests because of Tyson's rape conviction, the Glasgow city council voted 10–1 in favour of allowing Tyson to continue on with his match with Savarese.

The fight

The first punch that Tyson landed was a left hand that dropped Savarese to the canvas. Savarese was able to get back up but was met with a furious assault from Tyson. Referee John Coyle attempted to stop the fight at 26 seconds by getting in between the two, but Tyson continued to hammer away at Savarese, taking down Coyle in the process. Shortly after, Tyson's corner entered the ring, and Tyson calmed down. Tyson was awarded the technical knockout victory after only 38 seconds of action. It was the second quickest fight of his career, behind only his 30-second victory over

Marvis Frazier Marvis Frazier (born September 12, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who fought in the heavyweight division. Early life Marvis is the son of former heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer, Joe Frazier. Marvis was at ringside for all ...

in 1986. During his post-fight interview with Jim Gray of Showtime, Tyson called out Lennox Lewis, famously saying, "I want your heart, I want to eat your children. Praise be to Allah. "

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyson, Savarese 2000 in boxing Boxing in Scotland Sports competitions in Glasgow 2000 in Scottish sport Savarese 20th century in Glasgow June 2000 sports events in the United Kingdom 2000s in Glasgow