 | This article possibly contains original research .(May 2013) |
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| Date | October 20, 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, US | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Originally a win via 3rd–round RTD by Tyson but overturned to a no contest after he failed a drug test | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mike Tyson vs. Andrew Golota , billed as Showdown in Motown, was a professional boxing match contested on October 20, 2000. [2]
After serving a 15-month ban because of his actions during his 1997 match with Evander Holyfield, Tyson returned in January 1999 with a fifth-round knockout win over heavyweight contender, Francois Botha. After Botha, Tyson had little trouble with his next three opponents. He fought a no-contest with Orlin Norris. Norris was injured and could not continue after the first round. Further fights included a second-round knockout against veteran Julius Francis followed by a 34-second knockout versus fringe contender Lou Savarese. On August 30, 2000, the announcement came that Tyson's next fight would be against former heavyweight title challenger Andrew Golota. [3] Both men came into the fight with reputations as dirty fighters which led some to doubt whether the two could have a clean fight. [4] Two of Golota's most notable fights were against Riddick Bowe, where both times, Golota was disqualified for hitting Bowe below the waist. Meanwhile, Tyson was notoriously disqualified in his rematch with Holyfield for biting both of Holyfield's ears and had a history of hitting after the bell, repeated in his fights against Botha, Norris and Savarese. Golota publicly stated that he planned to fight cleanly. Tyson stated that he hoped he would obtain a quick knockout victory over Golota. [5]
The first televised bout saw unbeaten Alex Trujillo survive a fourth round knockdown to defeat WBC No. 10 ranked lightweight Jose Luis Juarez. The second saw Laila Ali be taken the distance for the first time in her career by Kendra Lenhart. Ali would nevertheless take a unanimous decision victory. [6]
In the chief support, IBF 140 lb champion Zab Judah faced No. 15 ranked contender Hector Quiroz. [7]
Judah would dominate the bout, despite lapses in the action prompting boos from the crowd, landing enough sharp punches to the head to swell Quiroz's right cheek and his cause his right eye to nearly close.
About a minute left in the 8th round, referee Dale Grable stopped the bout on the advice of the ringside physician due to the swelling. [8]
As usual, Tyson started the fight aggressively by landing several power punches on Golota within the first 30 seconds of round one. Golota was able to withstand Tyson's early assault and effectively used his left jab and height advantage for the next two minutes to remain in the fight. During the final 30 seconds, Tyson became more aggressive and threw two big right crosses at Golota, one of which connected. Golota was forced to clinch Tyson in an effort to slow him down. After the referee separated the two, Tyson connected with a powerful right cross that dropped Golota to the canvas. Golota was able to get back up just before the round came to an end, but he was now bleeding from a cut above his left eye. After the first round, Golota twice asked his trainer to stop the fight. Hoping to secure the knockout victory, Tyson continued his aggressive assault in the second round, prompting Golota to clinch Tyson several times to try to slow down Tyson's furious rally and reduce the effectiveness of Tyson's power punches. Though Golota attempted to fight back, Tyson was able to easily win the round on all three judges' scorecards.
In between rounds two and three, Golota told his corner that he would not continue, and began walking across the ring, and as the bell for the third round approached, referee Frank Garza informed Golota that he still had a few seconds to change his mind and come back fighting, but to no avail. Despite a desperate urging on the part of both his trainer and his cornermen, Golota refused to continue the fight — as the bell rang, Garza approached the opposite corner and raised Tyson's hand, awarding him victory via a technical knockout. [9] [10] [11]
The fans who attended the fight were angry and pelted Golota with garbage as he retreated to the dressing room. It was eventually discovered that Golota was suffering multiple injuries that influenced his decision not to continue. At the hospital, it was discovered that Golota had suffered a concussion, a fractured left cheekbone and a herniated disc during the fight. [12] Golota left boxing for almost three years before returning on August 14, 2003.
Early in 2001, the Michigan Athletic Board of Control issued a three-month suspension to Tyson based on his refusal to submit to a pre-fight urine test, opting instead to take one after the fight. [13] Days after his suspension was announced, it was discovered that Tyson had tested positive for marijuana after the fight. [14] Because of this, his victory over Golota was overturned and changed to a no-contest.
Confirmed bouts: [15]
| Winner | Loser | Weight division/title belt(s) disputed | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
 Zab Judah |  Hector Quiroz | IBF Light Welterweight Championship | 8th round TKO. |
| Laila Ali | Kendra Lenhart | Super middleweight (6 rounds) | Unanimous decision. |
 Alex Trujillo | Jose Luis Juarez | Light welterweight (10 rounds) | Unanimous decision. |
| Non-TV bouts | |||
 David Izon | Mike Sedillo | Heavyweight (10 rounds) | 3rd round TKO. |
 Luisito Espinosa | Ramon Aragon | Super featherweight (8 rounds) | 4th round RTD. |
| Dominick Guinn | Rodney Phillips | Heavyweight (6 rounds) | 1st round TKO. |
| Anthony Hanshaw | Demetrius Johnson | Light heavyweight (6 rounds) | 1st round TKO. |
| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Philippines | IBC |
 United Kingdom | Sky Sports |
| United States | Showtime |
Andrzej Jan Gołota, best known as Andrew Golota, is a Polish former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2013. He challenged four times for a heavyweight world title, and as an amateur won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division at the 1988 Olympics. Despite his accomplishments and more than 40 professional wins, Golota is perhaps best known for twice being disqualified against Riddick Bowe for repeated low blows in fights that Golota was winning. On October 4, 1997, he became the first Pole to challenge for a heavyweight boxing crown when he fought WBC champion Lennox Lewis at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. In November 2016, Golota was inducted into the Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame.
Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield, billed as Finally, was a professional boxing match fought between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson for the WBA heavyweight championship on November 9, 1996, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The bout was Tyson's first defence of the WBA title that he had won from Bruce Seldon on September 7 of that year.
Mike Tyson vs. Peter McNeeley, billed as He's Back, was a professional boxing match contested on August 19, 1995. The match marked the return of Mike Tyson to professional boxing after over four years away due to his 1991 arrest and subsequent conviction for rape in 1992 which led to Tyson serving three years in prison.
Buster Douglas vs. Evander Holyfield, billed as The Moment of Truth, was a professional boxing match contested on October 25, 1990, for the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight championships. The bout took place at the Mirage in Paradise, Nevada, USA and saw Douglas making the first defense of the titles he won from Mike Tyson in February 1990.
Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe was a professional boxing match that took place on November 13, 1992 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight was contested for the undisputed world heavyweight championship, which consisted of the WBA, WBC, and IBF championships.
Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield III, billed as "The Final Chapter", was a professional boxing match contested on November 4, 1995. The non-title match marked the third and final fight in the Bowe–Holyfield trilogy.
Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson, billed as Liberation, was a professional boxing match fought on September 7, 1996 for the WBA heavyweight championship.
Mike Tyson vs. Alex Stewart, billed as The Hard Way Back, was a professional boxing match contested on December 8, 1990. It was Tyson's second fight since losing the undisputed world heavyweight championship earlier in the year.
Mike Tyson vs. Francois Botha was a professional boxing match on January 16, 1999. Tyson won the match by knocking out Botha in the fifth round.
Riddick Bowe vs. Andrew Golota, billed as "Big Daddy's Home", was a professional boxing match contested on July 11, 1996. The fight was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City and was televised on HBO in the United States, and on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.
Riddick Bowe vs. Andrew Golota II was a professional boxing match contested on December 14, 1996 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The bout was a rematch of a controversial fight held earlier in the year at Madison Square Garden in which Bowe was largely outboxed by Golota, but won the fight by disqualification because the Polish fighter repeatedly hit him with punches below the belt.
Lennox Lewis vs. Donovan Ruddock, billed as "The Fight for the Right" was a professional boxing match contested on 31 October 1992. The fight was a WBC heavyweight title "eliminator", with the winner scheduled to challenge the winner of the Evander Holyfield–Riddick Bowe championship bout held two weeks later. In addition, Lewis' Commonwealth heavyweight title was also on the line.
Lennox Lewis vs. Michael Grant, billed as Two Big, was a professional boxing match contested on April 29, 2000 for the WBC, IBF, and IBO heavyweight championships.
Lennox Lewis vs. Francois Botha, billed as The Homecoming, was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between WBC, IBF, and IBO champion Lennox Lewis and the WBC's #9 ranked contender Francois Botha. The bout took place on 15 July 2000 at the London Arena in England. Lewis defeated Botha via second-round technical knockout to retain his heavyweight titles.
Lennox Lewis vs. Ray Mercer, billed as "One Big Night", was a professional boxing match contested on May 10, 1996.
Mike Tyson vs. Lou Savarese, billed as Tyson's Back, was a professional boxing match contested on June 24, 2000.
Mike Tyson vs. Orlin Norris was a professional boxing match contested on October 23, 1999. The match was stopped and ruled a no contest before the second round after Tyson committed a foul, injuring Norris.
Mike Tyson vs. Brian Nielsen was a professional boxing match contested on 13 October 2001.
Chris Byrd vs. Evander Holyfield was a professional boxing match contested on December 14, 2002 for the vacant IBF heavyweight championship.
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