February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
On June 11 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., McBride, a 6-foot-6 giant from Clones nicknamed the “Clones Colossus,” gets his shot at glory when he takes on the two-time former world heavyweight champ in a fight billed “Capitol Punishment!”
There’ll be no title on the line, even though the Irish champ holds the obscure IBC Americas trinket.
At the press conference to officially announce the fight at historic Lincoln Theater last week, McBride was subdued yet spoke bravely of stunning the world and of Irish power.
“I told my father, who died six years ago, that I wanted to fight Mike Tyson,” he said. “I dreamt about it and it’s finally come together.
“I want to shock the world. I idolized him, but he has come to the end of his era and the start of mine. You’re going to see real Irish power. After I beat Mike, I want to fight for the world title.”
Dismissed as a journeyman by the media despite his 32-4-1 (27) record — with his most recent win being a fifth-round TKO of Kevin Montiy on ESPN last month — McBride said that the world had yet to see him at his best and promised that his best would be on display on June 11.
His manager, Rocky Marciano nephew Rich Capiello, was equally confident, going as far as predicting the round of Tyson’s demise.
“I think Mike Tyson gets knocked out within five rounds,” he said. “We’re going to stop Mike Tyson and hopefully end his career.”
Tyson, 50-5 with two no contests and 44 knockouts, laughed off Capiello’s prediction.
The 38-year-old ex-ring terror rambled on about depression, playing “Mr. Mom” to his kids, three of whom were at the press conference, and called McBride “real cute.”
Of the fight, his first since his stunning fourth-round KO loss to Englishman Danny Williams in Indiana last July, Tyson remarked:
“I hope the people of Washington, D.C., will be able to handle it. This is going to be a train wreck.”
Tickets, for what should be the richest fight ever involving an Irish boxer went on sale a day after the press conference and range from $700, $450, $250 and $100 to $50 for the cheapest seats.
They’re available at the MCI Center Box Office (601 F St. NW, Washington, D.C.), and all TicketMaster outlets, including online at www.TicketMaster.com, or by calling (202) 397-7328, (212) 307-7171, (201) 507-8900, (631) 888-9000, or (914) 454-3388.
O’MALLEY SKID
Martin O’Malley lost a majority points decision to Denver’s Robert Frankel in an eight-round contest for the obscure GBU lightweight belt at the Northern Lights Casino in Anacortes, Washington, last Saturday.
According to reports, referee Ron Rahl deducted two points from O’Malley without warning and that proved to be the difference in a scrappy affair that two of the judges scored 78-72 and 76-74 for Frankel. The third official had it even 75-75.
O’Malley, once a rising prospect out of Edmonds, Wash., via County Wicklow, suffered his third straight defeat and his fourth in five bouts going back to July 2003.
The 29-year-old’s last match was a sixth round TKO loss to Rafael Ortiz in a bid for the NWBA junior welterweight crown title.
MAGEE EURO QUEST
Brian Magee, recently spurned by World Boxing Organization super middleweight title holder Joe Calzaghe, has clinched a date with Ukrainian Vitali Tsypko for the vacant European crown.
The fight will take place either on May 14 in Bavaria or May 27 in Kiev, depending on German promoter Wilfried Sauerland’s success in negotiating the interest of Ukrainian TV.
Magee was scheduled to meet Calzaghe last month, but the Welshman was compelled to pull out of the contest by his mandatory challenger Mario Veit whom he must defend against on May 7.