On June 11, Irishman Kevin McBride will square off against two-time World Champion Mike Tyson. The bout is set to take place at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. It will be a comeback fight for Tyson and a chance to redeem himself since his loss to the U.K.’s Danny Williams on July 30 last year. For McBride, it will have to be the fight of his life.
While McBride was born in Clones, County Monaghan (also the hometown of Barry McGuigan, 1985 WBA Featherweight Champion), he has spent most of his professional career in the States and now lives in Brockton, Massachusetts. At 31-years-old, he has 32 wins, four losses and one draw. A recent ranking of the world’s boxers has him at number 157. He is widely regarded as the underdog on the ticket despite the fact that Tyson is recovering from knee surgery. Now 38, Tyson has a record of 50 wins, five losses and two no decisions. While Iron Mike’s reputation and experience favor him, McBride has a nine-inch advantage.
In his last bout, McBride knocked out Kevin Montiy with a fifth-round stoppage and now holds a streak of six knockouts. He had previously been lined up to fight Tyson or Williams in 2004 but both sets of negotiations fell through. Now he is focused on beating Tyson and getting a chance at the world title. At the April 12 press conference to announce the bout, underdog McBride confidently announced, “After I beat Mike, I want to fight for the world title. I’m going to shock the world.” Iron Mike was equally confident about his own chances, predicting a “train wreck.”
No doubt all Irish eyes will be glued to the fight come June 11, rooting for “the Clones Colossus” and hoping he will somehow pull off a major upset. ♦
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