The Mike Tyson Chronicles: Peter McNeeley – Boxing News

By Geno McGahee

“Our future, Mike Tyson!” – Don King

Peter McNeeley rated #7 by the WBA, with a record of 36-1, 30 KO’s, was the person chosen to face a returning Mike Tyson after four years away from the game. Tyson was finally released from prison, where he served time after the conviction for rape over beauty queen contestant, Desiree Washington. Amazingly, the public was more interested in the former champion after his release than ever before and there was the question as to what promoter he would sign with and who he would fight right out of the gate. Don King desperately wanted the biggest meal ticket that he has ever had back and rumor has it that he approached Iron Mike with a suitcase full of money and apologies for his past behavior. King, as always, realizing that people are more impressed by cold hard cash than a check, may have wooed his prize possession back to his stable.

I don’t think that Don King has done a better job promoting a fight then he did for the August 19, 1995, heavyweight encounter: Tyson – McNeeley. King knew that a white heavyweight, even in 1995, was very marketable and with 30 knockouts in 37 outings, there was no question that this kid from Medfield, Massachusetts, packed a punch. Then again, perhaps there was. There was as much mystery surrounding the challenger to Tyson as there was Kid Dynamite himself. From the outside looking in, this looked like a very risky fight. The #7 contender! Why would you jump right into the top ten when you were away four years from the game? Why? Well, the reason is simple. McNeeley was not a top 10 contender. His spot was bought and sold.

Prior to the Tyson fight, Peter “The Hurricane” McNeeley was rated #22 by the same WBA, and after a win over Frankie Hines, he moved up 15 spots. Hines brought in a record of, 14-68-2, 11 KO’s, and had only won one of his last sixteen bouts before stepping into the ring with McNeeley. It was over quickly…very quickly in fact. In merely six seconds, the Hurricane swept up Hines and dropped him on the canvas, ending the bout in impressive fashion, but did that win merit a 15 spot jump? Now, either the WBA held Hines in very high regard or there was some money exchanging hands and Don King now had what he wanted for a pay per view: Mike Tyson against a capable opponent.

The previews leading up to the fight were not promising as they showed McNeeley clubbing away at nobodies until they dropped. I couldn’t help but to realize that his punches were wide, he squared up, and his chin was high in the air. His run across the ring to attack and catch his opponents early may not have been the best tactic in the world, even against an extremely rusty Tyson.

The Mike Tyson fight wasn’t the only occasion where McNeeley was being maneuvered unjustly around the rankings. He nearly got a shot at the WBC Title against and just about scored a fight with IBF Kingpin, Frans Botha, before finally landing a shot with Tyson. He is a white heavyweight and Don King is great at making things a white/black issue as he did with Larry Holmes’ title defense against Gerry Cooney, which was one of the most successful bouts in the history of boxing. It would be joined by Tyson-McNeeley when the pay per view numbers came in.

The Hurricane really took advantage of his fifteen minutes of fame, going on David Letterman and stating with some certainty that he was going to shock the world and knock out Mike Tyson. He spoke of his ranking and his high knockout percentage, but even David Letterman seemed more amused than convinced. McNeeley would make the rounds, posing for pictures and flexing his muscles, while Tyson was kept away from the public. King made it a point to not give anything away for free. If people wanted to see Iron Mike, they were going to pay for it, a move that rival Bob Arum called, “genius.”

Prior to the bout, another storyline that was milked for all it was worth was the fact that Peter’s father, Tom McNeeley, JR., fought Floyd Patterson in 1961 for the Heavyweight Championship, and was beaten all over the ring. Tom had a lot of faith in his son however, stating that Peter was going to “knock out Mike Tyson” and that he would “shock all of the media people.” Tom walked around carrying a printed out cartoon from 1961, depicting Floyd Patterson on the floor, and Tom McNeeley victorious. If there was ever a better example of a father living vicariously through his son, I can’t think of one.

Goofy is the best word that I can use to describe Peter McNeeley and his behavior before the bout was more of a WWE – style than anything else. Every interview that he would give would be strange, as he stood there with a half smile on his face and then ramble on incoherently at times, discussing his “cocoon of horror” that he was planning to wrap Mike Tyson in when they met in the ring. This was definitely a fish out of water story. He was not used to the limelight or prepared to be in it, or knocked so quickly from it.

Mike Tyson, for his part, said all of the right things. He was focused now, and like Don King, he didn’t serve the time in prison, he made the time serve him. All of his trainers were on the same page, stating that Tyson would be better than he had ever been before because he is no longer distracted and had his head together. The training videos of him hitting the bag and doing sit ups and sparring were promising and his new attitude made many think that all of the comments made by King and the new Team Tyson were true. This was a better Mike Tyson.

Sugar Ray Leonard had the quote of the night when he was asked what he thought of the Tyson – McNeeley bout and what to expect when that opening bell rang, and he said: “Imagine a Mack Truck running full steam ahead into a Volkswagen.” The odds-makers had the bout in favor of Tyson by 15-1, and the announce team realized that they might have a short night on their hands, so the prefight build up was lengthy. Ferdie Pacheco had a great line himself, when asked about his feelings about the upcoming bout: “I’m not expecting a Mack Truck, but an express train to run over a guy that is standing on the tracks and screaming stop.” Bobby Czyz had the final words: “Don’t go to the bathroom, don’t get any snacks, don’t get up to get your slippers, don’t get up, because this fight is not going to get out of the first round. It’s not possible.”

McNeeley came to the ring, raising his arms, and upon entering, he stormed around, flailing his arms up and down. I have to give him credit, he did put forth some bravado, perhaps false, and ran to the ring, ready to earn his money and take his shot. He stopped for a moment in the ring, ripping off part of his robe and looked ready to brawl. He had contended that he wasn’t afraid of Mike Tyson and he wanted to prove it by running right at the man that has plowed over nearly every man that he had faced. McNeeley would keep his eyes focused on the timekeeper and when that bell rang, he would storm across the ring and unload punches on his opponent, typically knocking them to the ground. He had never faced anyone nearly as good as Iron Mike and would not be able to add another under a minute stoppage, but he did better than a lot of people had assumed he would.

Mike Tyson came to the ring just as he had before with a white towel, cut through the center, and placed around his neck. He was wearing his famous black trunks, black shoes, and no socks. He also came out somewhat subdued. He didn’t have that fire in his eyes. It was either nerves, considering his long absence from the sport or it could have been disregard for his opponent. He may have not considered Peter McNeeley any sort of threat and was just walking to the ring for an easy payday.

McNeeley weighed in at 224 pounds and was in great shape, and was a relatively big guy, at 6’2.” Tyson was a fit 220 pounds and walked around the ring during his introduction giving his thanks to the crowd for their approval. They wanted him back and he was happy to be back.

At the stare down, Mills Lane explained the rules briefly as Tyson glared at his opponent. McNeeley gave a nervous smile, realizing that all the talk was now over and that he had to go out there and fight what many considered the best and most ferocious heavyweight ever. The two would go back to their corners and await the opening bell, and when it rang, McNeeley stormed out of his corner like advertised. There was actually a little bit of a bounce as he ran across and right into Tyson. He would get Tyson against the ropes, miss with a left hook, and a counter right cross would send “Hurricane” down to the seat of his pants, in the first twenty seconds of the round.

McNeeley jumped right back up and then ran around the ring, slightly confused and full of nervous energy. Lane seemed perturbed by the movement, grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him over to the neutral corner where he allowed him to continue, and McNeeley would bull in head first and exchange, but the wide punches he was throwing weren’t doing what they had done to the previous men that he had defeated. He did, however, pin Iron Mike against the ropes and get some positive things done. He landed some right hooks and some body shots, while Tyson seemed content to lie on the ropes and attempt uppercuts.

Completely overmatched, McNeeley resorted to fouling to try to obtain a victory. He landed several intentional and vicious head butts to the face of Tyson, but would pay dearly for it. A right hook nearly caved him in, followed by a right uppercut that deposited him on the canvas. McNeeley was stunned badly but fought his way to his feet. This is where boxing received another black eye, as Peter’s manager, Vinnie Vecchione jumped into the ring and stopped the fight. McNeeley was stunned but he had gotten up and should have been allowed to continue without his manager stepping in, but this was all part of the plan. Vecchione wanted controversy and an inconclusive ending so he could maneuver his fighter into another big payday and, in turn, make a boatload of money for himself. He had really gotten over on not only the paying crowd but on Don King and Mike Tyson, who he used to make his plan work.

This was the first step in “The Road Back” for Tyson and it was met with mixed emotions. For the most part, the fans were not satisfied. They came out to see Mike Tyson destroy somebody and the ending was anticlimactic. He was going to win, but we weren’t allowed to see it. The pressure was on Don King to do something and he elected to give away a free Mike Tyson fight on network television against Buster Mathis, JR.

For McNeeley, this was his only moment in the sun, really. He did some commercials where he was knocked out by some cheesy crust pizza and tried to maneuver himself into another big payday, but it was not to be. He knocked out a few no hopers before losing by knockout to Louis Monaco. Knockout losses to Brian Neilson, Butterbean, and Henry Akinwande would basically end the career of the “Hurricane,” but he has planned a return for the new year. He has encountered some legal troubles that are hopefully behind him and he is a new father, and perhaps that is pushing his return to the ring.

The Tyson – McNeeley bout was something that you do not see every day: a world class fighter vs. a club fighter on the biggest possible stage. It is still one of the biggest Pay Per View events of all time and despite the one-sided nature of it, people still to this day talk of it, and more people know of Peter McNeeley who was defeated by Mike Tyson then Kevin McBride or Danny Williams, men that beat “Kid Dynamite.” It was certainly one of Tyson’s more memorable bouts.