I lived in a co-op in college. There were 14 guys living in a large Victorian style house. I was treasurer for a few years, in charge of collecting rent and paying the bills. Like most college kids, I was responsible most of the time, but sometimes also a little lax.
One night we all gathered in the living room excited to watch the Mike Tyson fight. If you are Gen X, you probably know how ferocious Tyson was back in the day. He entered the fight 37-0, 33 by knockout. Seventeen of the knockouts were in the first round. Twenty five were within the first three rounds. He was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
We were pretty hyped up. It was Tyson. Just before the fight began, the cable went out. Everybody screamed and groaned. What happened? Apparently, somebody (that would be me) forgot to pay the cable bill. There were some pretty upset dudes. I simply said, Hey guys. Tyson is probably going to win by knockout in the first round. We really aren’t going to miss much. They weren’t happy, but agreed with my logic. I was able to calm the masses. Whew.
The next morning I saw a lot of pissed off faces. The morning paper had arrived with the results of the fight.
Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas . . . was a professional boxing match that occurred at the Tokyo Dome on February 11, 1990. The then undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion Tyson lost by knockout to the . . . underdog Douglas. The fight is widely regarded as one of the biggest upsets in sports history.
Not only did Tyson lose, but he was knocked out in the final round. It clearly was a great fight with a shocking outcome. And we missed it because someone (that would be me again) didn’t pay the cable bill. At that time, the internet didn’t exist so we couldn’t watch the fight on YouTube. All we could do was use our imagination as we read the sports section the next day.
I only bring this up because a 58 year old Mike Tyson had a televised fight on Netflix last night. Sure, it’s a spectacle. I couldn’t help it, though. I couldn’t look away and had to watch it. Thank god my Netflix automatically charges my credit card. It would have been a shame if I missed paying that bill.
In the end? There must have been an overload of viewers watching the fight. My Netflix went down and I couldn’t watch it live. Seems like karma stopped by to say hello. Damn.
Simon and Garfunkel released The Boxer in 1970. I always thought it was an odd song title from the duo. I learned a little about the backstory this morning.
The lyrics are largely autobiographical and partially inspired by the Bible and were written during a time when Simon felt he was being unfairly criticized.
OK. Simon isn’t a tough guy. And at age 58, Tyson isn’t one either (but there’s no way in hell I’d tell him that to his face). I’m also pretty certain Tyson won’t choose this as his walk in song for the fight. I guess all that doesn’t matter, really. This is a great song no matter what Tyson does in the ring.
I ended up watching the fight delayed. I knew Tyson wasn’t going to win. He was fighting a guy in his twenties for goodness sake. I just wanted him to make it till the end, like in the original Rocky film. He needed to go the distance. I found myself not only rooting for him, but for all Gen X. Yeah, he looked all of his 58 years but he grinded it out until the end like Gen X typically does. And I’m OK that he limped over the finish line. What more could you ask for from a near 60 year old fighting in the ring. The important thing is he was standing at the final bell.
Next up: Iron Mike Tyson vs. Paul Simon in a karaoke contest. I can only imagine the Vegas odds on that one. Place your bets everybody.
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I am just a poor boy
Though my story's seldom told
I have squandered my resistance
For a pocket full of mumbles
Such are promises
All lies and jests
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest
When I left my home and my family
I was no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station
Running scared
Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters
Where the ragged people go
Looking for the places
Only they would know
Lie la lie, lie la la la lie la lie, lie la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, la la la la lie
Asking only workman's wages
I come looking for a job
But I get no offers
Just a come-on from the whores
On Seventh Avenue
I do declare
There were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there
La la la la la la la
Lie la lie, lie la la la lie la lie, lie la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, la la la la lie
Then I'm laying out my winter clothes
And wishing I was gone
Going home
Where the New York City winters
Aren't bleeding me
Leading me
Going home
In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of every glove that laid him down
Or cut him 'til he cried out
In his anger and his shame
"I am leaving, I am leaving"
But the fighter still remains
Lie la lie, lie la la la lie la lie, lie la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, la la la la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, lie la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, la la la la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, lie la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, la la la la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, lie la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, la la la la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, lie la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, la la la la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, lie la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, la la la la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, lie la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, la la la la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, lie la lie
Lie la la la lie la lie, la la la la lie
MyGenXerLife 
Your Netflix went out?! Omg. I had to go out unexpectedly last night at 830 and didn’t get back until 1030. I thought I would end up missing the fight but I caught it.
That entrance by Jake was about the spectacle-y-est spectacle ive ever seen but it was actually pretty cool. I hoped Tyson would hold his own and I think he did but it would have been crazy amazing if he had won.
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Our Netflix just stalled with that a little circle just spinning for a long time! I promised myself not to look at the news so I didn’t have a spoiler of the winner!
I didn’t know much about Jake prior to the fight. Glad Tyson didn’t get knocked out.
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Wow, what a great story! When I heard about the big fight, I couldn’t believe that Tyson was stepping into the ring again at his age! I’m so glad he was able to finish strong and go the distance. There is hope for us gen xers!
My brother actually ran into Tyson one day at a store here where we live. He said he was a nice, humble guy.
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That’s nice to hear. I’ve seen interviews with him over the years. He seems to have lost his anger and it sounds like he’s in a better place. But 58 and stepping into the ring? Crazy
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What an elegant segue! I do so enjoy your posts…
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Thank you, Grace! That is such a nice comment. I really appreciate it!
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I attempted to watch the fight too and was of course pulling for GenX Mike, but got the buffering circle and eventually gave up. Great story about your cable going out at the worst possible time! (Young people have no idea how hard it was to manage group household expenses before Venmo, online banking…)
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I got the buffering, too. You didn’t miss much. At least he didn’t go down.
I often wonder how we survived without the internet. Writing checks, looking at maps, using typewriters. I think the young people would struggle without the comforts of technology. Well, I probably would, too, but at least I remember how to get shit done back in the day.
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Bummer!
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I laughed so hard at the cable going off, this is so expectedly unexpected? And the fight result … 🤣🤣. My Dad was a big fan of Mike Tyson.
Simon&Garfunkel are legends. This song is addictive.
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I laughed to myself when I couldn’t watch the fight. It was buffering so badly, I got nothing… lol. My college friends would find that incredibly amusing!
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At present they must be telling you, its payback 😅.
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Ouch, felt that. What bad timing! And yes, you couldn’t just pay the bill real fast back then. I didn’t watch the fight, not my thing, but middle child did and had some things to say. lol
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No, I probably had to send in another check by snail mail… lol
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Seems so tedious a process now, but I still write a few checks. lol
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Hahaha… we still write a few, too!
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OMG, this was amazing! I read it to my husband, and he instantly knew which fight it was before I even mentioned Buster Douglas. It really made me realize just how much more connected we are to media now compared to back then. Back then, we were completely in the dark!
We tried watching the fight on Netflix, but it kept buffering, so my husband ended up catching it on someone’s TikTok live feed! 🤣
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Just my luck, not the fight to miss! It actually was pretty funny. At least I thought so after awhile.
Mine buffered like crazy. At least I still was able to catch it later!
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Well I’m glad he didn’t bite him. 🤣
I don’t watch boxing. I just don’t like that sport! Why they call fighting and hitting each other sports?
Sorry you were not able to watch him.
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I haven’t seen a boxing match in ages… but I had to watch the Tyson fight!
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Excellent song choice and great storytelling as usual. Some friends in Toronto were lamenting the fact they could barely get any internet last weekend with the fight and with half of humanity in the city to see Taylor Swift.
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That’s a double whammy! The Taylor Swift craze is pretty unbelievable. I heard the noise at one of her concert impacted the Richter scale.
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Exactly! Yes it is quite the thing. Wow… that is something about the noise level. Not sure I could handle that!
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When I was younger I’d want you to be right in the middle. Now, I’m fine enjoying it at a distance. Boy, I must be getting old!
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Great song choice, one of my favs. I’m trying to learn the finger picking at the end…Simon is such a virtuoso.
I’ve always struggled to grok these lyrics… I have a vague sense of the message, but it’s worded so elegantly it’s tough…
“I have squandered my resistance
For a pocket full of mumbles
Such are promises
All lies and jests”
Great post!
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So I have to admit, your comment led me back to reread the lyrics a few more times. I’m with you, on the vagueness of the message. I get this feeling it’s about taking a beating but not letting it beat you. And thank you for those lyrics. They are really really good. A pocket full of mumbles, promises, lies and jests. Damn that’s good.
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