'I'm a Contender, Not a Pretender'
Journeyman McBride Finally Gets a Swing at the Big Time
Kevin McBride, left, weighed in at a whopping 271 pounds. Mike Tyson, right, clocked in at 233 pounds.
(Jonathan Newton - The Washington Post)
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Friday, June 10, 2005
Kevin McBride towered over the podium at Howard University's Blackburn Center Ballroom on Wednesday, but even at 6 feet 6 and 271 pounds, he looked overwhelmed.
Wearing sunglasses with his baseball cap on backward, the Irish heavyweight shuffled his feet, grasped the microphone awkwardly, and, speaking in a rough brogue, recited for a gathering of media and fans the lines he has polished during the weeks leading up to tomorrow night's bout at MCI Center against Mike Tyson:
"I'm strong as an ox."
"I'm a contender, not a pretender."
"When I hit Mike Tyson on the chin, he's gonna t'ink the whole of Ireland, as an island, hit 'im."
"I'm gonna shock the world."
He sounded like he was trying to convince himself, as much as the crowd. It didn't help that a few feet away sat Tyson, suddenly angered and spewing sound-bite gold -- thanks to comments by McBride's manager, Rich Cappiello.
To help him overcome any fear Tyson may instill tomorrow night, McBride hired a hypnotist.
"I'm leaving no stone unturned," McBride said.
But longtime boxing writer Bert Sugar does not think anything will be able to save the 32-year-old McBride (32-4-1, 27 knockouts) in the ring. He says the bout will end "somewhere between 'Oh say,' and 'can you see.' "
As the latest hand-picked opponent for Tyson, this is McBride's role. In The Mike Tyson Show, he is closer to an extra than a supporting actor. Several times at Wednesday's news conference, when rattling off the big names on the card, speakers mentioned Tyson and undercard fighters Laila Ali, Erin Toughill and Sharmba Mitchell but left out McBride.
He, after all, was once knocked out by Michael Murray -- it was Murray's only victory in his last 18 fights. And McBride was, for a time, the sparring partner for Peter McNeely, Tyson's first opponent after being released from prison in 1995 who was disqualified from the bout when his trainer ran into the ring to stop the fight after 89 seconds.
