Tyson Stops the Dance--and Thomas--in the Sixth Round

LAS VEGAS —  The four middle rounds recalled a senior prom somewhat more than a heavyweight title fight, enough of a disappointment that boos rained down on the outdoor arena as early as the second round. But, by the sixth, the band had abruptly stopped playing, and soon the only thing raining down on the canvas was contender Pinklon Thomas.

This was a decided improvement over Mike Tyson’s last fight, when the undefeated champion was forced to slow-dance for 12 highly unattractive rounds. It is well understood that Tyson’s appeal in boxing is in those “heavy punches with bad intentions,” as he calls them. As co-manager Jim Jacobs says, “They actually pay to see Mike knock somebody out. That’s when the paying customers feel they get their money’s worth.”

Certainly, they do not pay to see two 218-pound men sweat in each other’s embrace.

Refunds were a definite possibility Saturday night in a Hilton parking lot, under darkening blue desert skies, when Thomas, himself a former champion, began to clinch and grapple. A fast-paced first round apparently convinced him it was his lone hope of survival. Tyson’s pressure negated his left jab, and Tyson’s lunging bombs hinted at an early destruction. In fact, Thomas was in serious trouble before being saved by the bell.

Thomas’ clutching resembled that of James (Bonecrusher) Smith’s in Tyson’s last fight, a fight so unattractive that even Tyson was concerned about a possible loss of paying customers. “I almost had two bum fights in a row,” said the World Boxing Assn./World Boxing Council champion, “and that affects me financially.”

But then came the sixth round. Tyson (30-0, 27 KO’s), proving he learned something from the Bonecrusher fight, stepped out of a clinch and nailed Thomas (29-2-1) with a murderous right uppercut. Straightened like a wire hanger, his right shoulder dislocated, Thomas stepped back. Tyson plunged in with a hard left hook, and a barrage of 15 unanswered punches followed, all with bad intentions, moving a wobbly Thomas completely around the ring until he dropped in Tyson’s corner. It was a weird sight, this man in the pink trim, revolving in the ring, almost being screwed into the canvas.

Thomas, bleeding from the cheek and nose, got up from his first-ever knockdown--”that was an experience”--but referee Carlos Padilla stopped it. Anyway, trainer Angelo Dundee was rushing into the ring to prevent any further fighting. A crowd of some 12,000, who had contributed to a gate of $2.9 million, finally cheered. They had just gotten their money’s worth.

The fight clears the path for Tyson’s title-unification drive. On Aug. 1, here at the Hilton, Tyson will fight the newly crowned International Boxing Federation champion, Tony Tucker, who had beaten James (Buster) Douglas for the vacant title earlier in the evening.

Tucker promised an aggressive fight, but then they all do.

Afterward, Tyson seemed relieved that he had ultimately been able to showcase his concussive talents, athough he said such a final disposition of the fight was never in doubt. “After the first round, I knew the fight wouldn’t go the distance,” he said. “He had nothing for me.”

Still the constant clinching went against his game plan.

Tyson said he could actually feel Thomas weakening. But then Tyson admitted that the heat of the lights got to him, too. All of a sudden in the third round, he said, the heat seemed to hit him. That presumably explains the desultory pace of the fight, especially in that third round when the referee had to separate the fighters eight times.

The Tyson camp was not completely pleased with the performance. Trainer Kevin Rooney said his 20-year-old fighter still has a little to learn. Like how to listen. He wanted Tyson to throw more jabs, for one thing.

“Kevin was upset with me not punching,” Tyson admitted, “but I asked him to let me do one more thing (in the sixth round), and then I’d listen. I wanted one more round of keeping the pressure. He was very tired, and although he was taking a great shot, I knew he wouldn’t take many more. Kevin wanted me to box, jab. I wanted to land bombs.”

He usually does. And it is their spectacular detonations that have assured him riches and fame in this business.

Thomas, 29, thought he had the strategy to get some of those riches and fame. He figured the infighting would take a toll on Tyson--”I was touching him in the solar plexus, and I saw it was taking effect because he was covering”--and that he would revert to fighting him outside--”get on my bicycle”--in the later rounds. Thomas has always preferred a more leisurely paced fight than Tyson, and he thought he had a better chance in the later rounds.

“But then I got caught with that uppercut,” he said.

He did have other excuses, especially over a glove that had to be removed and replaced in the sixth round. “That really blew my mind,” he said. “It seemed I had him going, and I could have picked up the pace. But the filling in the glove felt awkward . . . and, well, no excuses.”

Thomas’ dance card, like his puffy mug, had just been punched with bad intentions. And Tyson, secure in his greatness as only a 20-year-old millionaire can be, promised to do the same to lots more mugs. “I refuse to be beaten,” he explained once more.

Tony Tucker, the next opponent, sat impassively as he heard this, promising to offer his special form of resistance Aug. 1. It’s a promise that’s been broken 30 times now.