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00:00And the crowd was unbelievable.
00:0280,000 seats and 1.8 million dollars at the gate.
00:06That was unheard of in 1921.
00:08This is the first radio broadcast of a world title fight.
00:11And that shows how much interest people had in this fight.
00:14But who was there?
00:15It's the first time boxing actually became a social event.
00:18And the appeal of the fight was the two great champions meeting each other.
00:22We had the light heavyweight champion against the heavyweight champion.
00:25And there were two very, very popular athletes.
00:27He just took Dempsey four rounds to the shoulder of the Frenchman.
00:31The first of many million dollar gates in boxing.
00:34Jack Dempsey was involved with five million dollar gates.
00:37The second one with Louis Perko of Argentina.
00:40The third one with Gene Tunney, the American.
00:42Jack Sharky the fourth and Gene Tunney with the rematch the fifth.
00:47He retired with approximately a ten million dollar tax free.
00:50Jack Dempsey, unbelievable.
00:53I guess I had too much to win for tonight and I tried to knock him out.
00:57Otherwise, I don't want anything here.
00:59After the first Lewis and Conn match, the public demanded a rematch.
01:03Believing that Billy Conn successfully changed his style, he would be the heavyweight champion of the world in the rematch.
01:09But Joe Lewis had different plans in mind.
01:12Right up to the left hook.
01:13Oh, man.
01:15That man was great.
01:17Unbelievable.
01:17This is 1910, Reno, Nevada.
01:22Jack Johnson defends his heavyweight championship of the world successfully against the former champion brawler maker Jim Jeffries and his 15th round knockout.
01:30The reason why Jeffries and Johnson were such a big Chicago ganza is because of the fact that Jim Jeffries was the great white hope.
01:37And the fight grossed $270,000.
01:40And remember, folks, this is 1910 where that kind of money was unheard of.
01:45And here we are in 1982, the same situation.
01:49The great white hope, Jerry Cooney, challenged the heavyweight champion of the world, Larry Holmes.
01:54And the whole world watched this fight just like Johnson and Jeffries.
01:58The outcome was the great champion defender's title with a 13th round knockout.
02:02Sugar Ray Robinson gaining the middleweight championship of the world from Randy Turpin of England in a 10th round spectacular knockout.
02:09I had a little misfortune to get my eye cut when I saw that blood.
02:13Well, $61,000 paid $767,000.
02:19And that was in 1951.
02:21This was the biggest middleweight championship fight until the great Haglade fight.
02:27Larry Holmes versus Muhammad Ali for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world.
02:32Ali trying to accomplish being the only heavyweight ever to win the heavyweight championship four times in a row.
02:37But it was a sad comeback because Muhammad Ali couldn't answer the bell for the 11th round.
02:42And Larry Holmes successfully defended his title.
02:45In the early days, the fighters made their money from film rights, while today it's television.
02:51Who's the next million dollar cake going to be?
02:54Mike Tyson.
02:55See you again at ringside.
02:56HBO Sports travels to the far side of the world, to the uncommon beauty and the proud heritage of Japan.
03:08Today, the land of the rising sun offers its scrutiny to a sport of timeless realities, world championship boxing.
03:15The Japanese people have adopted a new sports hero.
03:30Brooklyn-born boxing ring grab Mike Tyson hovers over his new audience, like Mount Fuji.
03:36His month-long fame as a band has been a three-ring media circus,
03:40as the Japanese wanted to see this giant of a visitor up close.
03:43But even kabuki theater requires a dramatic foil.
03:53So Tony Tubbs has likewise journeyed around the world.
03:56And though he is in no way capturing Japanese hearts like the champion,
04:00he is nevertheless in Tokyo with a purpose.
04:03Too often, Tubbs' body has borrowed from his name.
04:06But if this is the trimmer version of the former WBA champion,
04:09Tony Tubbs could be a respectable challenger.
04:12So we bring you live now to one of the most vibrant and intriguing cities on the planet.
04:17Tokyo, Japan.
04:19A city whose people have maintained a jump on the future,
04:22along with the customs of centuries past.
04:24A magnificent setting for a world heavyweight championship,
04:28as Mike Tyson defends against Tony Tubbs.
04:31He's so cool if you've got married.
04:50In the middle of this vast city sits a five-day-old 65,000-seat domed stadium,
05:08which the Japanese refer to as the Big Egg.
05:12And now we are live in Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo, Japan,
05:16as HBO Sports presents World Championship Boxing.
05:20Undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson defends his crown against former champion Tony Tubbs
05:26and about scheduled for 12 rounds.
05:28This first major international event in this new stadium follows in a series of appearances
05:34which have and will be made here by Western superstars.
05:37Both Madonna and Michael Jackson recently began world tours in Tokyo.
05:41Mick Jagger will be in here tomorrow night, today,
05:44and we should point out that it is noon Monday here.
05:47The Japanese spotlight calls on the heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
05:53Hello, I'm Jim Lafley, and I will be commenting on this boxing match
05:57along with HBO's two boxing experts, Ray Leonard and Larry Merchant.
06:01Ray, let's talk first about the growing stardom and celebrity of Mike Tyson.
06:06How do you see it affecting him at age 21?
06:09Well, Jim, I think it depends on the personalities.
06:10For me, I enjoy the adulations and the accolades from the fans and supporters.
06:16From the way I perceive Mike Tyson, he's a guy that doesn't particularly care for the attention.
06:21It won't get to him because he's a young man, very determined young man,
06:24that is able to shut the world out because when he fights, he's always on a mission.
06:28Indeed, he told a press conference and us here a few days ago that
06:31wherever he fights is his home, he is here only to do a job.
06:35And Larry Merchant, precisely how difficult is Tony Tubbs likely to make that job for him?
06:40Jim, I'd like to say that he has a slim chance of winning, but that would be anatomically inaccurate.
06:46It's a fat chance that he might win.
06:49But let's keep in mind that the Japanese promoters hand-picked him as the opponent
06:54because they felt, of all the contenders out there, that he had the best chance
06:57to extend the fight with the champion.
07:01And they don't want to be embarrassed as they were 15 years ago
07:04when George Foreman ended it in two minutes.
07:07Tony Tubbs indeed does have boxing skills.
07:10His problem is that at age 30, his attitude is much like it was at age 13
07:15when he was wandering around the neighborhood in Cincinnati
07:18with gloves slung over his shoulder, challenging guys.
07:22You fight him for $5 or $10.
07:24They look at this pudgy kid and say, sure, and then he whipped their butt.
07:28But I don't think that that will work against Mike Tyson.
07:31What will probably work would be if Tubbs could manage to be very busy during the fight,
07:35but this has already been a very busy period of time for Mike Tyson,
07:39who got married on February 7th, and then very shortly after that
07:44departed the United States and came here to Tokyo
07:46to fulfill a promise he made to the Japanese people back in 1986.
07:56When I become the heavyweight champ,
07:58I would love to come to Japan and defend my title.
08:01And I look forward very much to being there
08:03and meeting all the great people in Japan.
08:05Bye.
08:06And two years later, the journey has begun.
08:14Not since George Foreman KO'd Joe Roman in 1973
08:27has a world heavyweight championship fight
08:29taken place in Tokyo.
08:35Within two hours of the champion's arrival here,
08:38Tyson mania was in full cross.
08:40So I really would like, thank you graciously to invite me to your country,
08:49and I look forward to giving you a good show.
08:52Immediately, the realization that the experiences of this fight
08:55would be like none other before it.
09:00No one speaks English.
09:02In the days that followed, millions of Japanese
09:05seemed totally mesmerized by the American champs.
09:08It was as if Godzilla, the movie monster of the 1950s
09:12had returned to Tokyo.
09:14No one speaks about it.
09:33Let's watch the 3rd of the world champion Mike Tyson,
09:35Mike Tyson.
09:37here the heavyweight champions every move has been watched and followed even at four o'clock
09:45in the morning photographers waited for the chase for one more picture opportunity
09:49it's scary i don't i don't i don't i don't mind being the champ of the world and getting attention
09:56i get in america but you know this is a whole different dimensions once you leave your country
09:59and you're a bigger star in other countries than you are in your own country i mean that's kind
10:04it's frightening to me it is you know what i mean because i never i didn't know one to be a super
10:08superstar i just wanted to be a champion in the world in the beginning most japanese knew little
10:13about mike tyson but as each day passed here he became exactly the center of attention he claimed
10:19he didn't want to be oh yeah well i don't know how do you think i think you may see you are
10:25through the gap day mike tyson is sexy that giant he is a symbol of the united states
10:32できればとっても素晴らしい mike tyson to一度デートしてみたいです
10:36めっちゃ強い時間かなとにかく今世界の中で一番強いと思うけど
10:43even the children found a way to get into the action
10:49so on the first day tickets went on sale 80 percent of them were sold
10:54whether an autograph a photograph or just a brief touch everyone wanted a piece of the champion
11:06destroyer from the west i don't feel bad i feel like i left earth to went to another planet i never
11:13experienced anything like that before in my life around a bunch of people just surrounded around me
11:19and i'm so excited to just be around me it was an experience i don't know if i will experience
11:24again i feel everyone should know who the world champion is and in my mind before i ever traveled
11:30to another country to the to fight in a world championship contest i thought yeah everyone
11:35should know the champion of the world but god man i i would have took second thoughts if i knew it
11:40would have been like this and this was just the beginning the new bride's arrival only added more fuel
11:46to what was already the hottest story in town but the biggest story was the day mike tyson met one of
11:55japan's greatest sumo wrestlers konishiki outweighed by 300 pounds tyson was hardly the heavyweight in this ring
12:09nor could he imagine how he might become heavier from the sumo's customary meal
12:14it doesn't feel bad how can you get big on this i eat stuff like this training i eat things like this
12:19on my diet yeah in a matter of days mike tyson captured the hearts of millions as celebrity to
12:26some as temporary inspiration to others his journey had just begun
12:33in every champion's range some part in his particular career he goes through that stage is when
12:39all all all attention in the world is focused on him and i think this is my time
12:48here on this national holiday vernal equinox day in tokyo a large crowd is still arriving they have
12:55paid up to 800 tops to see this world heavyweight championship fight between mike tyson and challenger
13:03tony tubbs and we're bringing it to you live on hbo sports now standing by with the newest and most
13:10special member of this heavyweight champion's relatively small entourage is larry merchant
13:18i'm with robin gibbons who was attending our first mike tyson fight as mrs champion
13:25robin inquiring minds want to know how does a woman who went to sarah lawrence and harvard
13:31medical school wind up falling in love with a guy who's a graduate of the school of hard knocks
13:36god i want to know too there's something we have a lot of in common uh tradition traditional families
13:42and and we just sort of love each other we sort of love at first sight it was hard in the beginning but
13:47we got through it and we ended up married conventional wisdom in boxing would be that
13:54marriage will somehow soften up the champion and make him vulnerable for a challenge i've been hearing a
14:00lot about that i'm getting blamed for everything i don't know michael was talking the other day and
14:04he was saying a middle class person couldn't be a fighter a person a fighter has to have known
14:08struggle you know enable him to have learned the art of boxing michael knows the art of boxing hopefully
14:15i'll give him some sort of peace of mind and that'll enable him to perfect this art and i'll love him
14:21to death i'll do the best i can thank you so much robin i'm the odds makers say you will enjoy the fight
14:28just one historical social note heavyweight champions jack johnson jack dempsey muhammad ali joe lewis all
14:36married early and often and it never hurt their careers now let's roll out the challenger the man
14:42who wants to end this honeymoon he does have more ice cream than fire in his belly but he also really
14:49has the stomach for fighting in america a well-conditioned body is one of the most eagerly
14:59sought aesthetic ideals of the 1980s everywhere we look we are reminded of it experts tell us how to
15:05lose weight how to tone up how to exercise what to eat most of us suspect we're only a book away from
15:11looking marvelous sports television channels jump on the exercise bandwagon with numerous aerobics
15:17programs still there are a few who contend that bigger is still better what would christmas be
15:24without a roly-poly santa claus even in sports there are exceptions like the sumo wrestlers of japan
15:30who haven't missed a meal in years and that kid from the windy city the american sumo what's his name
15:35again but in professional boxing it's generally seen as a fighter's responsibility to enter the
15:41ring in the best state possible not being in shape has been a criticism that has haunted one tony tnt
15:47tubs throughout his career back in 1985 tubs won the wva heavyweight title with a decision over greg page
15:57but for reasons which remain obscure tubs neglected to take advantage of his golden opportunity gaining 15
16:03pounds while supposedly training for his first title defense against tim witherspoon tubs playing
16:08the weight game was the product of injuries and problems with promoter don king regardless of its
16:13origin when tubs stepped into the ring that evening many believe he cheated boxing fans and cheated himself
16:19as well basically i never really been in top condition for any fight 244 was overweight but that
16:27occurred with injuries my problem now is that i don't want to come in the ring because people
16:34want me to come in the ring at 220 you know or 215 i got to come in the ring because i feel good about
16:42my weight and i feel good to work at 28 30 i'm strong and i'm fast mike tyson got to deal with that
16:49tony tubs concentrates more on his training now he wants to avoid the mistake of again failing to
16:54realize just how much is at stake in this business if fighters aren't motivated to get into shape by
16:59pride the rest of us would like to believe they should be motivated by the chance to make millions
17:05seven years ago when tubs turned professional he weighed in at 212 pounds but by his 15th fight he
17:10was already up to 224 and four fights later he tipped the scales at 239 one more win four more pounds
17:19then for his next two fights he got himself into the best shape of his career
17:23against bone crusher smith he weighed in at 228 and then against page 229 which he considers his
17:29best fighting weight then lightning struck again when he defended his title he ballooned to 244 and
17:35lost the championship belt but tubs received a second chance when witherspoon was ruled to have run afoul
17:41of a drug test and a rematch was ordered controversy followed again when tubs less than a week in advance
17:47of the fight requested it be postponed due to a shoulder problem the injury was confirmed by independent
17:52examination though skepticism lingered now tony tubbs is back in training with a new purpose
17:58even before this bout with the gym began he was working on shedding weight with the help of former
18:03bodybuilding champ lou ferrigno and most recently he's been given even more incentive by the alleged
18:08fifty thousand dollar bonus to come in under 235 pounds i know physically i'm in shape
18:16230 is my weight 229 220 is a plus but i'll be 230 and hard physically you'll be seeing the new tony
18:27tubs when i step in the ring everyone say wow look at that cat you know and the thing about it once i
18:34start putting the moves down on mike tyson i won't change you know what this fight might not be hard as
18:40y'all think it's gonna be because mike tyson is is is is only good for what he can hit for tony tubs
18:47a chance for redemption is near but there are new stakes if he fails to enter the ring with his mind
18:52and body 100 prepared for mike tyson this time it could be hazardous to his health i know right now that
18:59i am one of the best heavyweight series in the world i can box better than any of them and i ain't
19:05taking no back seats to none of them i'm not even taking a back seat to mike tyson through the perilous
19:13flight or the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting
19:30in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
19:50or the land of the free and the home of the brave
20:07and that as almost all of you surely know was the famous welterweight andy williams despite what tony
20:13tubs told us about coming in at a hard 230 yesterday he made a liar of himself at the weigh-in
20:19at a rather blubbery 238 not what the japanese had in mind larry and when they agreed to tubs
20:25as the first opponent for what is being called the tyson world tour that's right and here's a man who's
20:31really begun it in modern times muhammad ali this event is a reminder that one of his many achievements
20:37was truly making the heavyweight championship a world championship between jack johnson and ali
20:44no american world heavyweight champion fought for the title overseas
20:54so now tyson begins the world tour in tokyo and in moments we expect the challenger tony tubs will exit
21:02his dressing room and begin to make his way toward the ring he weighed 228 and 229 in his title fights
21:10against page and witherspoon 238 and a quarter yesterday very quickly now ray leonard's inside tips
21:18on what each fighter must do to win the fight it's no big secret jim that tony tubs would definitely have
21:24to jab and move in order to keep tyson off balance i think weight becomes a factor here because it somewhat
21:30stabilizes him because the ss weight he becomes a stationary target he mentioned to me yesterday
21:35that he's willing to exchange punches which could be a big mistake hand speed exceptionally quick hands
21:40for a heavyweight and i think that could frustrate uh mike tyson if he should do that but he has a
21:46tendency to become stationary and doing so we're talking problems here mike tyson a notorious body puncher
21:53works his uh upon his body slows him down and he started to use his jab block board which gets him inside
21:59and he's able to deliver punches he has a mistake that he needs to correct and that's launching in
22:03with punches because what happens jim a lot of times a guy is able to count his shots but mike tyson hurt
22:10you no question about it he's in there to finish you off one man he would like to finish off today
22:17tony tubs and there is tony tubs standing behind his trainer odell hadley hadley is the man
22:25to the left of your screen tubs's management situation and his training situation has changed
22:31constantly from year to year and in recent months and ray leonard we must ask what should we think of
22:38a man who does not have the responsibility to himself or to fight fans to enter the ring for a heavyweight
22:45championship fight in the best possible condition well not just using the ring in the ring mike tyson
22:51doesn't make sense to me you have to be in the best shape possible to compete or contend with mike
22:55tyson and for some reason i don't understand tubs conditioning yeah but the the other side of it
23:01is that if tony tubs came into the ring in shape he'd be some other fighter he wouldn't be tony tubs he'd
23:07probably be a nervous wreck trying to get down to weight that's just not who he is
23:12as we look at the tail of the tape you will see that tubs weighs 238 and a quarter and enjoys the
23:22reach and height advantages over tyson that virtually every heavyweight whoever faces mike tyson will
23:28enjoy tyson weighed in at a relatively trim 216 and a quarter he is always almost always ray in immaculate
23:36condition and once again here that appears to be the case you can expect the first round there is no
23:41such thing as feeling our process to mike tyson he jumps right on his opponents and trying to take
23:45their heart we have to see whether that's going to happen today and millions of boxing fans watching
23:51around the world welcome to the fabulous stadium and here is our punch stat profile of the fighters
24:00how many punches they throw they throw roughly the same amount of punches the difference is that tyson
24:06throws many more hard punches and lands a very high percentage of them and the jabs you see that mike
24:14tyson does throw a decent amount of jabs tubs can throw a lot of jabs although he has told us that you
24:20cannot hold mike tyson off with a jab don't look for too many of them in this fight he says rules have been
24:27worked out between the wba and the wbc for technical reasons which will explain in a moment the ibf is
24:35not involved in rules discussion here the three knockdown rule has been waived for this fight
24:40scoring will be done by three judges on the 10-point must system a fighter can be saved by the bell in the
24:47last round only and now tony tubbs who now lives in santa monica california was raised in cincinnati ohio
24:58begins to enter the ring recently turned 30 years old tubs has won 25 of 26 fights in an eight-year
25:05professional career the only loss the title loss decision against tim witherspoon when he weighed 244
25:13pounds he has twice been as far as 15 rounds anyways 238 and a quarter today after claiming to us two
25:23days ago that he would step on the scales at 232. well he's talk to talk and now it's time to walk the walk
25:34incidentally he's getting about one tenth of the purse of mike tyson he's getting nine million dollars
25:42about a half million dollars will go to tubs after all of his expenses i figure out that that's about
25:49a hundred thousand quarts of ice cream
25:53or a shrimp salad in japan
25:59tony tnt tubs one-time wba heavyweight champion of the world
26:04and now a challenger and the first challenger
26:10for mike tyson on what is being billed as the tyson world tour
26:20there is a syndrome evolving here in japan which is described by a new term in the japanese language
26:26it is called gaipari it refers to foreign celebrities who are brought here by the overwhelming economic
26:34power of the yen currency as opposed to other world currencies now joining madonna michael jackson and mick
26:42jagger as gaipari is mike tyson and the interesting thing here is we were led to believe
26:48that the japanese fans would view this more as a show uh but and that they don't they sit on their
26:56hands a lot but they are truly as excited as as people led us to believe they were underneath their
27:04impassive masks of course if you have seen tyson before you are aware of what is called the gladiator
27:11look no robe no towels no socks just the black trunks the boots and the 10 ounce everlast glove
27:21mike tyson is 21 and a half years old unbeaten in 33 fights with 29 knockouts he went 12 rounds to
27:30a decision twice this is his sixth title defense as heavyweight champ the third defense as holder of
27:37the championship in the eyes of all three governing bodies because of a conflict between local
27:42promoters and the international boxing federation only the wba and wbc title belts are being billed in
27:48japan in connection with the fight but in reality and in the eyes of boxing fans it is the unified title
27:55which is at stake and right now let's go up to our ring announcer michael buffer whom the japanese
28:08promoters have flown over from philadelphia in the united states michael buffer will deliver the pre-fight
28:14introductions this of course is the japanese ring announcer who is providing initial instructions for japanese
28:31fans here as to the principles in the ring and now michael buffer takes over the mic
28:36and now ladies and gentlemen konichiwa good afternoon this championship belt is a presentation of
28:49taking boxing promotions president akiko honda it is sanctioned by the japan boxing commission commissioner
28:56makoto hosaka and the world boxing council president hosse sulaiman the world boxing association is
29:03represented by championship committee chairman dr elias m cordova jr the ringside supervisor is gabriel
29:10peña garykano he's the wbc general council the three judges are larry rosa dia of the united states
29:18masa kutsu yuchida of japan and ken marita of japan and working for the 78th time in a world title
29:26about is the referee arthur marcanti of the united states
29:35and now ladies and gentlemen to all the millions and millions of boxing fans watching around the world
29:41welcome to the tokyo dome the big egg right here in one of the greatest cities in the world tokyo japan
29:50i would like to introduce this in the ring at this time a man known as one of the premier promoters in
30:01the world of boxing mr don king and now ladies and gentlemen let's get ready to rumble 12 rounds for the
30:13heavyweight championship of the world introducing first fighting out of the blue corner he's wearing
30:23his boxing trunks and weighing 238 and one quarter pounds with a professional record of 24 victories
30:3015 by knockout and only one defeat from cincinnati ohio he is the second ranked heavyweight in the world
30:38and a former heavyweight champion ladies and gentlemen the challenger tony tnt
30:55and fighting out of the red corner wearing the solid black trunks and weighing 216 and one quarter
31:01pounds from catskill new york which is the hometown of the late great trainer of champions custom auto
31:08he brings a professional record of 33 victories without a loss 29 ko's including 25 ko's and five rounds or less
31:18and 15 in the first round alone ladies and gentlemen presenting the undisputed the undefeated heavyweight
31:28champion of the world iron mike kaisa
31:42premier
31:53michael
31:54mike and tony you both received instructions early in the day and therefore you know the rules
32:00i wish you both enough luck now returning your corners to await the starting bell good luck
32:05that's arthur mccanty doing his sixth heavyweight championship fight his 78th world championship
32:13fight tub says he knows how to fight
32:20the champion everyone says it it's a little bit more difficult to pull it off let's see if he
32:26really wants to rumble as he says he does i see mike tyson iron the belly the midsection of tony
32:31tub so look for him to jump right on in the first round okay we're all set all set go mercanty says
32:41they're all set and there's the bell for round one tub throws the jab and tyson responds in kind
32:47a lot of fighters find it difficult to uh set mike tyson up because mike now gives a lot of uh head
32:59movement all right break break one of the big questions has been whether tubs would clinch
33:09and grab and simply try to survive with tyson as did bone crusher smith and mitch green
33:15but now it does not look that way well tough stated that he would just exchange punches with
33:23tyson because the best way he felt to beat him was to be inside throw short punches combinations
33:29and here he's selected to do that i don't necessarily agree with that jim because what happened tyson with
33:34the shorter arms and upper body strength is able to uh do a great deal of damage to the midsection of his
33:41opponent watch for the left hook by mike tyson i'm trying to go downstairs to tyson's body
33:54you see this left jab of mike tyson start using more consistently now
33:59he found he found out that it gets a man into punching range
34:02and you can begin to see the startling hand quickness that tubbs brings startling partially
34:12because of the shape of his body well here with tubs the uppercut i also know the uppercut of mike tyson
34:20he's able to throw it through the same punch twice unannone
34:23tyson missed with the left hook earlier he had landed a wicked right to the killer kidney look for a
34:32looping right hand by mike tyson because that's the punch i see that uh tubs is vulnerable to
34:37he keeps dropping that left hand one minute to go in round one tubs landed a left and ducked away
34:44and that's what's happening to him and that's what's happening tyson's starting to set up you need to
34:59break that rhythm with a jab
35:14tubs throwing the uppercut a lot of people think he will have to be effective with that
35:18punch because tyson comes in constantly well tyson also lunged him with the overhand right there
35:24and that's one of the mistakes he makes
35:2910 seconds to go in round one
35:31one punch after the bell and now mike tyson returns to his corner i thought tubs fought a
35:49very effective round i gave him the round he landed some hooks and he went to the body as promised
35:54remember he told us that nobody has gone to mike tyson's body so far
36:08again if you want to take it's going to make a move
36:10you want to take your back
36:17okay
36:23good
36:25The talking in Tubbs' corner was done by trainer Odell Hadley.
36:44So now Hadley and Rooney have had their minute, and round two begins.
36:48Tubbs keeping that right hand up because of the left hook of Mike Tyson.
36:52But also, you notice now you see a much more relaxed Tony Tubbs.
36:57So now his punches have been more fluid.
36:59Look at Tyson with the rapid-fire three jabs in a row.
37:02Something new within the past year.
37:04Well, Tyson is starting to improve each time he steps into the ring.
37:07But what I see here at Tubbs, Tubbs is pretty much trying to get range so he can drop his right hand
37:13because in this corner they told him to drop the right hand.
37:16The left hook lands, but he needs to come back with the right hand.
37:22There's the right hand, Jim, I had spoken earlier about that.
37:31You must give Tyson angles.
37:33You can't remain stationary.
37:36Hands must stay up and stay out of the corners.
37:39But indeed, Tony acknowledged in talking with us, Ray, that you couldn't finesse Tyson completely.
37:46You have to be willing, as he said, to fight him.
37:48Well, you saw that double punch with one hand.
37:51Sort of a bolo-type punch.
37:53And those type of punches do a great deal of damage because the body shot, then the uppercut.
37:58Raises the chin up, and then the left hook comes into play.
38:00Good uppercut by Tubbs inside.
38:02Snap Tyson back a little.
38:04Step up, stay out.
38:12Get down, stay out.
38:13Step up.
38:14Step up.
38:17Tubbs has to be very careful.
38:18You'll notice he put both feet together, and that's easy to be knocked down or knocked off balance.
38:23Watch out.
38:24He's trying to use his additional weight.
38:26Coming up on a minute to go in round two.
38:30Tony Tubbs so far appears in no way intimidated by Tyson's fury, as have so many of his opponents.
38:37Good combination by Tubbs.
38:44You know, Tubbs is just trying to gain respect, and I think he's done that.
38:55Good left by Tyson.
38:56Those hands must be kept up higher, and again, like I stated earlier, Jim, I don't think it's a good idea to change punches with Tyson.
39:07Good body shot, but it can be combinations then.
39:1130 seconds left in the round.
39:16Both fighters have had their say here.
39:18I couldn't tell whether another punch hurt Tubbs is hurt.
39:22Tubbs is hurt badly.
39:25It was a left hook.
39:26And it's over.
39:29Odell Hadley has jumped in the ring.
39:32The fight is over.
39:33With stunning swiftness.
39:41And the fans are enjoying.
39:44They show their appreciation here.
39:46Remarkable.
39:58The tide of this fight changed within 15 or 20 seconds.
40:03Well, that's what a great puncher can do.
40:04Well, that's what a great puncher can do.
40:06The boxer is thinking all the time, and the puncher is punching all the time.
40:09The only thing I can say now is that if you thought that whale hunting was outlawed in Japan, we just saw that Mike Tyson hadn't heard about it.
40:21And Ray Leonard, let's take a look back at the left hands, which did the damage.
40:30Well, Tyson now starting to find his rank.
40:32The left hook there pretty much spoke for itself.
40:35It's self-explanatory because it was a short and powerful left hook that put Tony Tubbs down.
40:40And here Mike's still showing that he is a good finisher.
40:44Tubbs had already been reeling a bit before that point as the result of a short right against the ropes.
40:49What was happening, actually, was that Tyson was wearing down Tubbs.
40:53Because Tubbs tried to stay inside and fight Mike Tyson's fight, which I thought was a mistake.
41:00Once again, that's short left hook.
41:04And for those that say Mike is not really one-punch knocker outer, I think they need to look at some films again.
41:09Mike has enormous strength and great upper body power.
41:19Early now in round two.
41:22That was the punch against the ropes that really started things off.
41:27I said a right, it was in fact a left right on the forehead.
41:30But you can appreciate the power of Mike Tyson because that punch hit on the temple.
41:35And it wasn't really a six-inch punch, it was shorter than that.
41:38So Tony Tubbs becomes the latest in the string of victims.
41:44Tyson's 30th knockout in 34 times in the ring.
41:48And the Japanese, who were so disappointed 15 years ago by George Foreman's one-round knockout of Joe Roman,
41:56got about two and a half minutes more this time.
42:00But Jim, you also have to commend the corner of Tony Tubbs because they was in there for the welfare of his safety
42:06because they saw the power of Mike Tyson and they saw that that man was hurt and was indeed down.
42:12Interestingly, Ray, one of the things that Tubbs had seemed to demonstrate throughout his 26th fight career up to that point was a pretty good chin.
42:20Well, he has a very good durable chin, but again, that's Mike Tyson there.
42:24And right now let's go up to ring announcer Michael Buffer for the official statistics on this one.
42:32Ladies and gentlemen, here's the official time, two minutes, 54 seconds of the second round, the winner by knockout victory.
42:42Now 34 consecutive victories, still the undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Iron Mike Tyson!
43:12Well, Ray Leonard, Tony Tubbs himself, as it turns out, said it best in a press conference a few days ago when in sarcasm he said to the audience,
43:21I'm the tune-up, the big fight is in June. As it turns out, he was exactly right. He was the tune-up, the big fight is in June.
43:27What did Michael Spinks see today that he will have to worry about on June 27?
43:31Well, I'm sure that Michael Spinks saw the power of Mike Tyson and that Mike Tyson is indeed getting better and better, more patient and more destructive in a sense.
43:41And right now that young man is with Larry Merchant, so let's go straight up to the ring.
43:46Alright, Mike Tyson, it seemed that Tony Tubbs went right at you and tested you and you were a little bit too strong for him, but he was effective until you heard him.
43:56Well, he was effective because I planned that way. I was looking for the opening because I planned for him to run.
44:02And then when I saw he became such an easy target to hit, I was just planning and planning.
44:07And he had his hands up very high and I was surprised that he had his hands up so high.
44:10And so I started hitting to the body and bringing it up in the middle.
44:13And then as soon as he put his hands down, I saw his eyes and I aimed right for his eyes.
44:17He said that nobody had ever gone to your body before and he wanted to try you there.
44:22He did hit you a few blows there. Did he hurt you at all? Distract you even?
44:26Not at all. Not at all. My mission is to go and destroy and not to let anything get involved.
44:31You get punched, you get hurt. I refuse to be hurt, knocked down and knocked out. I can't lose. I refuse to lose.
44:37What was your response to the audience here, which is kind of quiet compared to the crowds in America?
44:44Did you hear anything? Not at all. Not at all.
44:47I knew there were people scratching me when I was coming through, but I had such an intense tunnel vision.
44:52My objective was just to get in there and get my hands on my opponent.
44:55Okay.
44:56When he didn't come out moving and jabbing and doing those kind of things, what was your first thought about that?
45:01Well, I said, well, this is going to be a complicated fight. It's going to be a fight. He came to fight.
45:05For the last moment, I prepared for him to come out swinging because Kevin said he was going to come out and try to rough you.
45:12Did he at all try to rough you up?
45:14Absolutely. I felt the tip of his glove around my eye. I don't know if it was the thumb, but in fighting, you're in a hurt business. You can't complain.
45:23And he was there to complain. Is it just a question, do you feel that no matter what anybody's plan is, that your power will negate any plan?
45:33My plan is better.
45:34Our plan, we just, the objective is to win. We don't fight by book technology or anything. We come to fight the authentic way.
45:42When you see a man come out and he's obviously that out of shape and heavy, does that lull you in any way in the first round?
45:48Not at all. Not at all. That was his prerogative to come out the way he did. My job is to finish him off.
45:54You see, if he would have went ten rounds, six rounds, seven rounds, then someone could say something critical towards my performance.
46:01But he came out, he came in, he came out, a tough performance. He didn't come like a guy that just came to pick up a payday.
46:06He got hit with a solid shot. It looked like it was above the eye, but I tried hitting exactly in the eye.
46:11And he took a great shot and he went down. But if he were the last six or seven rounds and he was out of shape,
46:17then you could criticize me. But he came to fight, and if anybody could criticize that he was out of shape,
46:23I did what's supposed to have been done to a person that was out of shape. I got rid of him quick.
46:27This is your first fight as a newlywed. Were you thinking about that at all?
46:33Did you want to put on a special performance in any way?
46:35Not at all, because when I'm in the ring, I'm objective, tunnel vision, and it's just, this is my world in here.
46:41I have to ask you one last question, Mike, in an article in Sports Illustrator that's on the stands now back in the States.
46:47It was said that sometimes after a fight, because you have so much adulation now and everybody's around you,
46:53you feel you have to go back, put a mask on, beg for quarters, go back to your old neighborhood.
46:59Is that true?
47:00No, I don't do that. I said me and my friend do it once in all for a joke, because he makes a joke.
47:05People always say, Mike Tyson, you have a lot of money, you do this and that.
47:08So one day, me and my friend, we put on bags and baggy clothes and bunny clothes,
47:11and we went on the street begging for money. Just as a personal joke for myself.
47:15So we won't have to throw any charity for you?
47:17No, not at all.
47:18Thank you very much, Mike Tyson. And now back to ringside with Jim.
47:24All right, Larry, thank you very much. And one brief personal note you saw behind Mike's shoulder there,
47:28his co-manager, Bill Caton. For the first time since Mike's been fighting as a professional,
47:32the other co-manager, Jim Jacobs, has not been able to make this trip.
47:36He's back in a hospital room in New York, recovering from an illness,
47:39and we would all like to offer our personal best wishes to Jim and wish him a speedy recovery
47:44and look forward to seeing him in Atlantic City on June 27.
47:47Ray, we heard the essence of Mike Tyson's ring intelligence there.
47:50This is a fight. You make no excuses. You come to destroy your opponent.
47:54Right now, we'll look back at round two, and you tell us exactly how he did it.
47:57Well, there's no question about it, Jim, that Mike Tyson is always on a mission when he's in the ring.
48:01And I think it's difficult for fighters to deal with him because he doesn't have a feeling out process.
48:07In other words, he doesn't see whether or not he can land a jab, a right hand.
48:10He goes right at you, and he goes in there for the kill.
48:13And we're going to take a look back now at the entire second round, Ray, from the handheld camera angle,
48:19which will give you a feel of what it looked like to us from ringside.
48:23Remember that Larry Merchant himself commented that he thought Tubbs fought a very effective first round,
48:28and, in fact, scored the first round for Tubbs.
48:31I thought it was pretty close to even, but certainly I thought Tubbs had given an impressive account of himself in round one.
48:37The first round, that's the way you fight Mike Tyson, or compete with Mike Tyson rather,
48:42because you have to give him angles, jab, you see the jab, how effective it is, movement, never a stationary target,
48:48because what happens here when he becomes stationary, Mike Tyson works your body,
48:53he brings your hands down, and then he goes for the kill.
48:56I thought the first round was a pretty good round for Tubbs,
48:59although I would have preferred to see a lot more movement, a lot more left jab thrown.
49:05Do you think that fatigue was becoming a factor this early in the fight for Tony?
49:14That's rather premature to say, because normally body shots weigh you down in the later rounds,
49:18but then there's always an exception to the rule because Mike Tyson's body attack is so devastating.
49:23Here he's going right to the midsection, and I'm sure Tubbs felt those shots.
49:29Tubbs, again, made the mistake of trying to exchange punch for punch from Mike Tyson,
49:34and in doing so, he took away what got him to the championship.
49:38That's the jab, the movement, and it's boxing style.
49:45There you saw Tubbs doing as he claimed he would try to do, delivering body shots to Tyson.
49:52But what you have to understand, Jim, inside, Mike Tyson has the greater upper body strength,
49:58and he has the shorter punches, he throws more combinations inside, and they're short,
50:03because his hands are very fast, too, for heavyweight.
50:11There was a good short left inside by Tubbs.
50:14But you also see the power of Mike Tyson, because always after Tubbs delivers his combination, Tyson retaliates.
50:21And indeed, that's the problem of bringing the strategy that Tony said he would bring.
50:27You've got to fight with Mike Tyson, but then you give him a chance to do his thing.
50:31Look at the short shots that Mike hits his opponent with. Good short left hook to the head, right hooks to the head,
50:36and then he delivers that crunch and body shots. Not a lot of movement from Tubbs, although Tubbs now is trying to get some respect from Mike Tyson.
50:45I love that combination there with the same hand. The right to the body and an uppercut, right uppercut.
50:51Here, I see that Tubbs is wobbling. He's ready to go here.
50:56So Tubbs winds up as a bug, a fat bug on the windshield of Mike Tyson's career.
51:07And indeed, Larry, as time goes on, we are likely to have opportunity after opportunity to continue to place Tyson in historical perspective
51:15and into proper perspective in the modern boxing scene. Your thoughts on what you saw him do with Tony Tubbs today?
51:22Well, I think it just basically it confirms the fact that while he may not yet be classified as a great heavyweight champion,
51:30that he's certainly the most precocious young heavyweight that there ever was in boxing.
51:36He's still younger than any other person has ever become the heavyweight champion, and yet he's not yet 22 years old.
51:45I imagine he's going to be awfully good for the balance of payments in America as he travels around the world,
51:55because people around the world do want to see this American phenomenon.
52:01And of course, all of that, Larry, presumes that he can get by Michael Spinks on June 27.
52:07Did you see anything here which alters your perspective on the Spinks bout?
52:11Well, the only thing I've seen here that would affect the Spinks fight would be that Michael Spinks knows,
52:18if he ever had any idea of staying inside with this guy, that he's got to just stay away from him and hope to frustrate him
52:27and make him a little wild and crazy and tentative, and then jump in as he has wont to do.
52:33I have great respect for Michael Spinks as a fighter.
52:36But again, somebody who is as young and strong and especially as fast with his hands, with his feet, and even with his mind.
52:44He adjusts with his mind. Not many 21-year-old fighters can do that.
52:49I don't see any hope for Michael Spinks or anybody else out there that we know of at this point.
52:58That's a pretty strong statement.
52:59Larry has just said that he sees no hope for Michael Spinks, who is an undefeated fighter,
53:05who once held a legitimate heavyweight championship of the world in the eyes of one of the three governing bodies,
53:11who is still seen by some as a people's champion because he twice defeated Larry Holmes.
53:16Where do you stand on the Spinks vs. Tyson question at this moment, Ray?
53:20Well, I think that Michael Spinks will have to be innovative in order to defeat Mike Tyson.
53:25Naturally, watching his performance tonight reassures him that it's not a good idea to stand inside with Mike Tyson.
53:32Michael Spinks, his style is so unorthodox, and his movement will pretty much help him out a great deal
53:37because if he selects to stay inside, Jim, he's asked for problems because Michael Spinks is indeed a very intelligent boxer.
53:44All right, just to sum up, and with thanks to Ray and Larry, what you have seen today was 21-and-a-half-year-old heavyweight champion Mike Tyson
53:53earning about nine or ten million dollars for just under six minutes worth of work in the ring,
54:00the product of the continuing development process which was begun by a great fight trainer named Cus D'Amato,
54:06which continues now under Kevin Rooney, under the management of two men named Bill Caton and Jim Jacobs,
54:13and the prospect continues to exist that we will watch this heavyweight champion fight all around the world against all kinds of opponents.
54:21Stay tuned immediately following this world championship boxing telecast for a special presentation of the Hitchhiker,
54:28special ingredient, followed by a Nightmare on Elm Street 3 Dream Warrior.
54:32Those are on the east coast and in the central regions.
54:34Jumpin' Jack Flash on the west coast and in the mountain areas.
54:38All of those shows will be seen in their entirety.
54:41Be sure to join us for our next world championship boxing telecast when WBA welterweight champion Marlon Starling takes on Mark Breeland in a bitter rematch.
54:50And WBA lightweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez defends his title against Rodolfo Aguilar.
54:56An exciting doubleheader on Saturday, April 16, right here on HBO.
55:00So for Larry Merchant and Sugar Ray Leonard, I'm Jim Lampley saying so long now from Tokyo, Japan.
55:07The executive producer of HBO Sports and producer of tonight's telecast is Ross Greenberg.
55:16This fight was directed by Mark Payton.
55:18The feature producers were Rick Bernstein and Michael J. Whalen.
55:22The associate producers were Dave Harmon and Steve Salvatore.
55:25The assistant to the producer, Brian McDonald.
55:28The production manager, Russell Gabay.
55:30And the technical supervisor, George Wenzel.
55:37named Steven Salvatore.
55:42He has worked on with a Judge Sundanza at a hospital meaning,
55:46the benefits of the
55:49director of the
55:59ADCRARE
56:34This has been a presentation of HBO Sports, the Network of Champions.