I covered Mike Tyson’s crazy European tour that saw him nearly KO a referee and scare reporters with a ‘crocodile’
Mike Tyson went on a memorable European tour in the early 2000s – and renowned boxing broadcaster Adam Smith was there every step of the way. Tyson kicked off his three-fight series across the pond by dispatching Julius Francis in a couple of rounds at Manchester’s MEN Arena. AFP - GettyThe Daily Mirror sent Francis a considerable sum of money to sponsor the soles of his boots – and it paid off[/caption] Francis famously sold the bottom of his shoes as advertising space to the Daily Mirror. Former editor Piers Morgan handed over £20,000 on behalf of the British tabloid and they received a decent return on their investment as Francis was floored five times en route to the eventual stoppage. The next stop on Tyson’s transatlantic tour was a trip to Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland to duke it out with Lou Savarese. His opponent had previously gone the 12-round distance with an ageing George Foreman, but his chin couldn’t stand up to Tyson’s clubbing blows. Savarese was floored by the first shot Tyson landed, a leaping left hook. And as he made his way back to his feet he was wobbled by the same punch, prompting referee John Coyle to step in and wave off the contest. The fight may have been over in Coyle’s eyes but Tyson had other ideas. ‘Iron Mike’ continued winging big shots at Savarese while the fearless official tried desperately to wrestle the two boxers apart. At one point, as Tyson attempted to get around the referee to land another blow, he accidentally caught Coyle, sending him briefly to the canvas. Undeterred by the wallop, Coyle leapt back to his feet, to this time, successfully intervene. AFPSavarese wasn’t the only man to take a punch from Tyson at Hampden Park – the referee got caught with one as well[/caption] His final outing on European shores saw him travel over to Copenhagen, Denmark to batter Brian Nielsen from pillar to post. Smith remembers the night well, not so much for what happened in the ring, but more so for his tense interview with Tyson afterwards. “If I’m gonna pick one specifically, it’s when he went to Denmark to Copenhagen,” said Smith on talkSPORT as he counted down his five most memorable Tyson moments. “When Tyson got rid of Brian Nielsen he came to the interview afterwards backstage in a corridor in the stadium, and I was waiting there and suddenly I heard the footsteps and there were 10, 20, 30 maybe 40 entourage led by Crocodile coming for me. “And in comes Iron Mike and I said, ‘Mike, you must be pleased with that performance?’ And he said, ‘I’m not a happy smiley guy.’ “Number five has got to be Tyson in Europe, where we got really close to him.” The ‘Crocodile’ Smith is referring to is Tyson’s old motivator-in-chief Steve ‘Crocodile’ Fitch. Tyson, cheered on by ‘Crocodile’ Fitch, retired Nielsen on his stool at the end of the sixthGETTY Fitch led Tyson’s entourage and could be heard loud and clear at ringside during some of his friend’s biggest fights. He famously shouted ‘It’s time to bite’ shortly before Tyson took a chunk out of Evander Holyfield‘s ear and he was chased across a Las Vegas casino by British punters after aiming a throat-slit gesture at national treasure Frank Bruno before their rematch. In Denmark, he and Tyson were on their best behaviour but that didn’t make them any less intimidating. Save 33% on DAZN ahead of Black Friday *If you click on a link in this story we will earn affiliate revenue. There are more than 150 boxing and MMA fights a year on DAZN, and you can get access for less if you sign up now: Head to the DAZN website now to take advantage of a third off all plans. One option is the annual pay monthly plan, which is reduced to £9.99 from £14.99 in the DAZN Black Friday sale. Or you could save more money if you pay for a year upfront, with an annual subscription reduced to £89.99 – the equivalent of £7.50 / month. Complete your purchase before 29 November to take advantage of the sale. DAZN currently has the exclusive rights to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom and will have Queensberry’s star-studded stable from April 2025, which includes heavyweight champions Daniel Dubois, Zhilei Zhang, Fabio Wardley and Moses Itauma.
Mike Tyson went on a memorable European tour in the early 2000s – and renowned boxing broadcaster Adam Smith was there every step of the way.
Tyson kicked off his three-fight series across the pond by dispatching Julius Francis in a couple of rounds at Manchester’s MEN Arena.
Francis famously sold the bottom of his shoes as advertising space to the Daily Mirror.
Former editor Piers Morgan handed over £20,000 on behalf of the British tabloid and they received a decent return on their investment as Francis was floored five times en route to the eventual stoppage.
The next stop on Tyson’s transatlantic tour was a trip to Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland to duke it out with Lou Savarese.
His opponent had previously gone the 12-round distance with an ageing George Foreman, but his chin couldn’t stand up to Tyson’s clubbing blows.
Savarese was floored by the first shot Tyson landed, a leaping left hook.
And as he made his way back to his feet he was wobbled by the same punch, prompting referee John Coyle to step in and wave off the contest.
The fight may have been over in Coyle’s eyes but Tyson had other ideas.
‘Iron Mike’ continued winging big shots at Savarese while the fearless official tried desperately to wrestle the two boxers apart.
At one point, as Tyson attempted to get around the referee to land another blow, he accidentally caught Coyle, sending him briefly to the canvas.
Undeterred by the wallop, Coyle leapt back to his feet, to this time, successfully intervene.
His final outing on European shores saw him travel over to Copenhagen, Denmark to batter Brian Nielsen from pillar to post.
Smith remembers the night well, not so much for what happened in the ring, but more so for his tense interview with Tyson afterwards.
“If I’m gonna pick one specifically, it’s when he went to Denmark to Copenhagen,” said Smith on talkSPORT as he counted down his five most memorable Tyson moments.
“When Tyson got rid of Brian Nielsen he came to the interview afterwards backstage in a corridor in the stadium, and I was waiting there and suddenly I heard the footsteps and there were 10, 20, 30 maybe 40 entourage led by Crocodile coming for me.
“And in comes Iron Mike and I said, ‘Mike, you must be pleased with that performance?’ And he said, ‘I’m not a happy smiley guy.’
“Number five has got to be Tyson in Europe, where we got really close to him.”
The ‘Crocodile’ Smith is referring to is Tyson’s old motivator-in-chief Steve ‘Crocodile’ Fitch.
Fitch led Tyson’s entourage and could be heard loud and clear at ringside during some of his friend’s biggest fights.
He famously shouted ‘It’s time to bite’ shortly before Tyson took a chunk out of Evander Holyfield‘s ear and he was chased across a Las Vegas casino by British punters after aiming a throat-slit gesture at national treasure Frank Bruno before their rematch.
In Denmark, he and Tyson were on their best behaviour but that didn’t make them any less intimidating.
Save 33% on DAZN ahead of Black Friday
*If you click on a link in this story we will earn affiliate revenue.
There are more than 150 boxing and MMA fights a year on DAZN, and you can get access for less if you sign up now:
- Head to the DAZN website now to take advantage of a third off all plans.
- One option is the annual pay monthly plan, which is reduced to £9.99 from £14.99 in the DAZN Black Friday sale.
- Or you could save more money if you pay for a year upfront, with an annual subscription reduced to £89.99 – the equivalent of £7.50 / month.
- Complete your purchase before 29 November to take advantage of the sale.
DAZN currently has the exclusive rights to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom and will have Queensberry’s star-studded stable from April 2025, which includes heavyweight champions Daniel Dubois, Zhilei Zhang, Fabio Wardley and Moses Itauma.
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