The Once Baddest Man on the Planet

I was in awe of two things growing up. The first was "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. Nothing made me almost pee my pants more times than the man who narrated the song or the music video itself. In fact, had I not been potty trained early in life I may have produced wet shorts every time I heard that song. The other thing was Mike Tyson. The man who could knock someone else out in the first round and who had muscles that i didn't know existed. But as I grew up one of these things diminished and it wasn't "Thriller", although it's creator did. It was Mike Tyson. Three years ago he was knocked out by Lennox Lewis. At that time, I felt the way I would if my dad had gotten beat up by one of my enemy's dad. I had thought that nobody could beat him. I thought it was a fluke when he was knocked out by Buster Douglas in 1989. I knew he had lost to Evander Holyfield, but I justified that also. But when he gave up in the 6th round of Saturday night's fight I had to concede to the fact that he was a changed man. He was no longer the baddest man on the planet. That may have left when he went to prison for three years (although you'd think that prison would make you even more of a bad ass). Or it may have happened when he converted to Islam (even though Muhammed Ali was still the greatest after his conversion). I don't know exactly where Tyson lost the baddest man on the planet stigma, but with me it left when he said he could not fight anymore, during the end of the sixth round against a fighter who, at one time, wouldn't have been able to stand in the ring with Tyson.