by Geoffrey Ciani – Kevin McBride was last seen inside the ring on October6, 2007 when he lost by sixth round TKO against four time title challenger Andrew Golota. That was over two years ago and most fans have since assumed that was the last we would see of him. Monday night, in the 61st edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio, McBride informed the world otherwise:
“I lost a few fights and like Cinderella Man, the movie Cinderella Man, I hope to make a big come back and fight this year and fulfill my dream and be the first born Irish heavyweight champion of the world”.
In his last two fights, McBride suffered back-to-back losses against Mike Mollo and Golota. Against Golota, McBride hurt the Polish pugilist early in the first round and appeared to have him in serious trouble. Golota, however, weathered the storm and rallied back. In round six, Golota switched to a southpaw stance and managed to stagger McBride which prompted referee Arthur Mercante Junior to call a halt to the contest. Reflecting back on that fight, McBride had this to say:
“The first round I went in there and wanted to take care of business with Andrew Golota. After the first round, he wanted to quit on his stool I heard after that fight, but the result of the fight, I lost of course in the sixth round. I wasn’t in shape like I was when I fought Tyson but I gave it my best. I take my hat off to Golota, he won.”
McBride, of course, is best known for his victory over ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson which sent the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world into retirement. While recapping his experiences from that fight with Jenna J, the Hostess of On the Ropes Boxing Radio, McBride revealed an unusual tale that is not widely known amongst boxing fans:
“I did what I had to do. I handled him. Even in the sixth round, he hit me so hard and I looked at him and said, ‘Is that all you got?’ and that’s when he got frustrated. He started head butting me and trying to break me down, and he actually tried to bite my nipple off, I don’t know what round it was….”
An astonished Jenna intervened for clarification, “He tried to bite your nipple off? Time out, time out!”
McBride resumed: “I had teeth marks on my chest. It was the most excruciating pain I ever went through in a fight. You know, I’ve been knocked down and knocked out and knocked on the ground, but that there in the fight—there’s no defense for biting.”
After his unusual tale involving the bizarre incident, McBride continued, ““Growing up, I idolized Mike Tyson. I said to my father one day when I was real young, ‘I’d love to fight Tyson one day’. He said, ‘if you work hard and believe in yourself, one day maybe it will happen’, and true as God it did. As far as me beating him, it was a great feeling.”
McBride feels he still has enough left in the tank to be a player in the heavyweight landscape. “When I beat Mike Tyson I was promised all these world title heavyweight fights, and they just didn’t materialize”, said McBride. “Anything can happen with boxing, all it takes is one punch. You never lose your power like George Foreman proved when he was 45 and knocked out Michael Moorer. The power never leaves you. Everything else might leave you, but your power doesn’t so I have a chance.”
When asked about the possibility of landing a title shot with one of the Klitschko brother, McBride noted, “I think the Klitschkos are remarkable fighters. They train hard, but also, they’ve been put to the floor as well. I believe that when I’m making a comeback that if Klitschko understands me, and if anybody understands me, let’s get that fight on, because I believe I have the power to knock Wladimir or his brother out.”
“Why I say that is because I’m heavy handed and I believe you’re going to see the Cinderella Irishman come back and take on the world.”
Whether or not McBride still has what it takes to compete in the heavyweight division remains to be seen. His dream is to become the first Irish born heavyweight champion of the world. Can he do it? Only time will tell. In the meantime, we can only wait and wonder.
In her closing remarks, Jenna J summed-up her reflection of McBride’s interview stating, “I’m very happy for Kevin that he left the ring with his nipple intact.”