Thanks a lot, Clifford Etienne.
It only took 49 seconds, less than a minute, for the man everyone calls “The Black Rhino” to fall flat on the canvas from one Mike Tyson punch last Saturday night in Memphis, Tenn.
Just when it seemed someone was going to emerge as a serious figure in the fading world of boxing, Etienne proved to be a bust when it came time to step in the ring with the big boys. He blew his big chance to make a name for himself in boxing and perhaps secure a fight with current Heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.
Maybe if the fight had gone a few rounds and the two boxers traded more than two punches, which are things that generally occur in a boxing match, the fallen boxer might still have some credibility. But Etienne, the heralded boxer from Lafayette, hit the ground so fast the audience barely had a chance to blink.
Those who paid $24.95 to see the fight on pay-per-view probably choked on their popcorn when Etienne took his mouthpiece out while lying on the mat, and no doubt many suspected Etienne threw the fight or just went down so he could take his $900,000 and leave without a scratch.
This is nothing new to a sport that has become dull and out of touch with the modern sports fan. In America we like our sporting events exciting and to last longer than a minute, but boxing doesn’t deliver the goods like other sports. If a NFL or NBA game lasted 49 seconds, players wouldn’t get million-dollar contracts, yet Tyson got paid $5 million to swing his arms a few times.
It’s a shame because Etienne worked so hard to turn his life around and get the opportunity to face Tyson. Etienne, a highly-talented high school football athlete in Louisiana in the late 1980s, was recruited by several top schools, including LSU.
But an armed robbery conviction ended any chance of college football and forced him to serve 10 years in the Dixon Correctional Center. There he learned to box and after his release in 1998, he turned professional and began mowing down opponents en route to a 24-1-2 record heading into Saturday’s fight.
As crappy as the contest ended, I should have expected no less from a Tyson fight, though. With the circus-like atmosphere surrounding the event — both fighters backing out, then deciding to fight in the week leading up to the bout — it was ironic the performance ended with little drama.
Tyson has made a career of knocking opponents out before he can even break a sweat, garnering nine knockouts in less than one minute. Of his 50 career wins, 44 have come from knockouts, including former Heavyweight champion Michael Spinks in 91 seconds.
His career has never been the same since he took a bite out of Evander Holyfield’s ear in their second fight in June 1997. After his loss to Lewis in June, many believed Tyson was past his prime. Although with the quickness he displayed in knocking down Etienne, maybe he’s not.
Etienne’s career is far from over, but whether he gets in the ring again with a serious opponent or climbs up the boxing ranks won’t be seen for months or years, but if he does, let’s hope he lasts longer than 49 seconds.