Notebook: ABC to unveil two-part, four-hour documentary on Mike Tyson
Verdejo denied bail; Parker edges Chisora; Sugar Ray Robinson show & tell
Mike Tyson is coming to ABC.
The network announced on Monday that it will debut a four-hour, two-part documentary on the former undisputed heavyweight champion — “Mike Tyson: The Knockout” — beginning later this month.
The documentary will air May 25 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET with second part airing at the same time on June 1. It will also be available the next day on demand and on Hulu.
According to ABC, whose news division produced the documentary, with Tyson as an interview subject, it will look at his life and “chronicle the former champion’s climb, crash and comeback, from his difficult childhood to becoming undisputed world champion to his 1992 rape conviction and his personal struggles. Through the lens of his life’s extreme highs and lows, the two-part primetime event will examine some of the most pressing questions about resilience and reinvention.”
Among those interviewed are actor and diehard boxing fan Rosie Perez, former president of HBO Sports Ross Greenburg, ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap and some from Tyson’s inner circle. It will also include exclusive ABC News archival material and previously unaired interview footage with Tyson, who reflects on what he has learned throughout his boxing career and his outlook on life.
“In addition to being an inspiring story of the perseverance and hard-won growth of one extraordinary person, Mike Tyson’s life and career are also relevant to the important collective self-reflection finally occurring in America,” executive producer Geoffrey Fletcher said.
According to ABC, the first part focuses on Tyson’s youth through his path to the heavyweight title, his short-lived marriage to Robin Givens and his eventual upset loss to Buster Douglas. Among the interview subjects are former trainers Bobby Stewart and Teddy Atlas, Douglas and Michael Spinks.
The second part delves into Tyson’s rape conviction and prison sentence. Tyson’s defense attorney, James Voyles, and special prosecutor Greg Garrison reflect on the trial nearly 20 years later. Then Tyson’s release from prison and the resumption of his career are examined with attention paid to his infamous biting of Evander Holyfield’s ears, as well as Tyson’s cocaine addiction and the tragic death of his young daughter, Exodus, in a freak accident. The second episode culminates with previously unaired footage from an interview with Tyson conducted by ABC News’ Byron Pitts.
Verdejo to remain jailed
Felix Verdejo, 27, the former lightweight contender, who surrendered to police on Sunday night in his native Puerto Rico and was charged with kidnapping resulting in death, carjacking resulting in death and killing of an unborn child, made his initial court appearance in Puerto Rico on Monday.
Verdejo was denied bail and will remain incarcerated until his trial. While Verdejo, who appeared via video conference, faces a possible life sentence in prison the judge said at the hearing that the case was eligible to be a death penalty case. The date for Verdejo’s next hearing has not been set.
Verdejo stands accused of kidnapping and murdering his pregnant mistress, 27-year-old Keishla Rodriguez, with an accomplice authorities now say is a cooperating witness.
According to the police, the married Verdejo, who was unhappy that Rodriguez, whom he had known since middle school, was pregnant and wanted her to have an abortion. According to police, they arranged to meet and while together in Verdejo’s SUV with the accomplice, Verdejo punched her in the face before she was injected with an unidentified substance. Then police say her feet and arms were restrained with wire and a block was tied to her before they drove to a nearby bridge and threw her off of it into the water. Verdejo allegedly shot at her with a pistol from the bridge.
Verdejo (27-2, 17 KOs), once viewed a boxing’s top prospect and an eventual world champion, last fought on Top Rank’s Dec. 12 ESPN card in Las Vegas and suffered an upset ninth-round knockout loss to Masayoshi Nakatani.
Parker edges Chisora in rumble
In a grueling heavyweight battle, former world titlist Joseph Parker, of New Zealand, edged former title challenger Dereck Chisora, of England, by split decision on Saturday in the main event of card shown on DAZN in the U.S. and Sky Sports in the U.K. from the AO Arena in Manchester, England.
Parker (29-2, 21 KOs) survived a knockdown from an overhand right partially behind the head in the opening seconds of the fight to win 116-111 and 115-113 while one judge had it 115-113 for Chisora.
Chisora more or less controlled the first half of the fight but Parker was the boss over the second half against a very tired Chisora (32-11, 23 KOs) as they exchanged heavy shots often.
“I am feeling it,” said Parker, who was in his first fight with new trainer Andy Lee. “Derek landed a lot of shots on me. The plan was to come out and box smartly and stay focused. I got caught right at the beginning. I think it was round the back of the head. I didn’t see it.
“The plan was to box and move and be smart. With the guidance of Andy I was able to box. We didn’t have the longest time together. I know I needed a lot of work. I need to keep learning from Andy and practicing the things we work on in the gym. It was a tough fight and I got caught right at the beginning. I just had to dig deep and stay focused and follow the plan that we had in place. Swayed off a bit, but Derek is a very tough opponent. He came forward, put pressure on me from the beginning. Threw big bombs and landed a lot.”
Also on the card:
Ireland’s Katie Taylor (18-0, 6 KOs) retained the undisputed women’s lightweight title with a close, action-packed decision over amateur rival Natasha Jonas (9-2-1, 7 KOs), of England. Taylor got the nod 96-94, 96-95 and 96-95 as she made her 10th title defense. They were meeting nine years after Taylor defeated Jonas in the 2012 London Olympics.
“It was probably a bit too exciting for my liking,” Taylor said. “It was definitely a toe-to-toe battle in there. I thought I was a bit flat early on, but I dug deep to win the championship rounds. I definitely showed the heart of a champion in there and that’s what won me the fight in the end.
“She showed everything it takes to win a world title in her last two performances. Every time we fought as amateurs it was that type of fight as well. I’d prepared for a hard 10-round battle and that’s exactly what it was.”
Lightweight Campbell Hatton (2-0), the 20-year-old son of British legend Ricky Hatton fighting in his hometown, shut out sparring partner Levin Dunn (0-5), 40-36 on the referee’s lone scorecard.
In his first fight with Roy Jones Jr. as his trainer, British middleweight contender Chris Eubank Jr. (30-2, 22 KOs), the fighting son of British star Chris Eubank Sr., outpointed countryman Marcus Morrison (23-4, 16 KOs), rocking him several times en route to a 98-92 win on all three scorecards.
Russia’s Dmitry Bivol (18-0, 11 KOs) retained his light heavyweight world title for the seventh time in a lackluster unanimous decision over England’s Craig Richards (16-2-1, 9 KOs), who took an enormous step up in competition and went the distance in losing 118-110, 115-114 and 115-113.
“I’m not happy but I’m OK. It was a long rest for me and I went into the ring after 1½ years,” Bivol said. “It’s fine. My opponent was a good fighter, really good. He’s smart and he thinks. He was thinking for the whole fight. I respect him and I respected him before the fight. I think he can make problems for all fighters because of his style.”
Bivol stayed on course for a possible fight later in the year against top contender and former super middleweight titlist Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez.
Quick hits
Following the pay-per-view success of his exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. in November and the failure to come to terms with Evander Holyfield for a similar exhibition, Mike Tyson has been seeking an opponent for another potential exhibition and he could find one in old rival and fellow former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, who knocked him out in 2002 to retain the title in one of the biggest pay-per-views in boxing history. Lewis, an analyst for PBC on Fox, said during the pay-per-view broadcast of the Andy Ruiz-Chris Arreola telecast on Saturday night when asked about the prospect of a deal, “not yet. We’re talking about it.” Lewis hasn’t fought since retiring as champion in 2003.
Per the California State Athletic Commission, official contract purses for Saturday’s PBC Fox PPV card: Andy Ruiz $1M, Chris Arreola $300k; Omar Figueroa $200k, Abel Ramos $150k; Sebastian Fundora $70k, Jorge Cota $60k; Jesus Ramos $75k, Javier Molina $85k; Erislandy Lara $300k, Thomas LaManna $100k; Eduardo Ramirez $40k, Isaac Avelar $10k; Adrian Granados $25k, Jose Sanchez $15k; Carlos Negron $12,500, Scott Alexander $12k; Fernando Molina $6k, Prisco Marquez $5k; Anthony Garnica $2,500, Jesse Bazzi $3,500.
Due to ongoing Covid-19 issues in Japan, the government has declared a state of emergency in parts of the country through May 11 and is advising people to stay home. As a result, several boxing events have been postponed, including the Japanese middleweight title bout between Kazuto Takesako and Riku Kunimoto, which was moved from May 1 to May 19 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, and a May 5 card in Osaka headlined by former world titlist Tomoki Kameda taking on Hironori Miyake in a featherweight fight, which has been postponed until May 22.
Show and tell
Sugar Ray Robinson, the former welterweight world champion and five-time middleweight champion, is viewed by most boxing historians as the all-time pound-for-pound king. He boxed from 1940 to 1965 and at one point was 128-1-2 with 84 KOs and had gone on a 91-fight winning streak between 1943 and 1951 following a decision loss to rival Jake LaMotta. Robinson beat numerous fellow Hall of Famers, including LaMotta (in five of their six fights), Henry Armstrong, Kid Gavilan, Carmen Basilio, Gene Fullmer, Rocky Graziano, Randy Turpin, Bobo Olson, Sammy Angott and Fritzie Zivic.
Robinson, who finished his career 174-19-6 with 109 knockouts, died in 1989 at age 67. He would have turned 100 on Monday. Here are two gorgeous cards in my collection. One is Robinson’s rookie card from the 1947 D. Cummings & Son “Famous Fighters” set from Scotland and the other is from the iconic 1951 Topps Ringside set.
Parker-Chisora photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Do you think Topps would do a strict boxing set again? Have you ever thought about putting your voice behind that? I'd buy 'em
Great. Another heavyweight whose legacy exceeds his ability. And where it doesn't, the media will manufacture it. Of the era, Holyfield = did the most with the least skill. Tyson = did the least with the most skill. And go ahead and fry me, I don't care.