Thumbs Down On Fight Injury Prevents Tyson From Fighting Buster Mathis Jr. On Saturday Night
Mike Tyson fractured his right thumb and postponed Saturday night’s fight with Buster Mathis Jr., an injury that will sideline the former heavyweight champ four to six weeks.
“This is a really serious setback,” Tyson said Tuesday night at a news conference at the MGM Grand, where the fight was to have been held. “I was really anticipating this fight.”
Tyson injured his thumb about three weeks ago and aggravated the injury the last few days.
Tyson’s doctors, Gerald Higgins and Gary Marrone, notified the hotel at 4:10 p.m. that Tyson would not be able to fight.
“The break is in the thumb between the main joint and the tip of the thumb,” said Marrone.
Alex Yemenidjian, chief operating officer of the MGM Grand, said the entire Saturday night card was off. It was to have included three world championship bouts.
Marrone said Tyson injured the thumb about three weeks ago and saw Marrone and Higgins about two weeks ago. Marrone said he and Higgins thought the injury possibly could heal in time for the fight, but X-rays Tuesday “showed that the fracture that had begun to heal had refractured.”
Tyson reinjured the thumb Monday or Tuesday - he sparred both days. Asked why he did not call off the fight when he first injured the thumb, he said: “I thought I could sneak through. I get paid to fight.”
Tyson’s purse was to have been $10 million. Mathis was to get $800,000.
At a news conference earlier in the day, Tyson was upbeat and confident of an easy victory.
“I feel good, I feel happy,” he had said. “Everybody knows I’m going to do my thing. I’m looking forward to this. I’m going to burn.”
Earlier in the day, Mathis said he thought Tyson was bluffing when he said his hand was sore. But Tuesday night, at the announcement of the postponement, he was no longer skeptical.
John Horne, Tyson’s co-manager, said Mathis is under contract to fight Tyson and the bout will be held on the Fox network, which was to have telecast Saturday night’s bout.
“I’m sorry for Tyson; that’s a tough way to go out,” said Rock Newman, manager of Riddick Bowe, who will fight Evander Holyfield on payper-view television Saturday night at Caesars Palace, a short cab ride from the MGM Grand.