Former heavyweight Kevin McBride will always remember June 11 for one thing: the day he retired Mike Tyson.
Fifteen years ago at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., McBride sent Tyson to the canvas -- and eventually into retirement. It was an improbable feat as a significant underdog and a moment that shocked boxing fans around the world.
Boxing announcer Steve Albert, who called the fight for the Showtime pay-per-view broadcast, stated that Tyson couldn't lose this fight, "even if he tried." But it happened.
ESPN spoke to McBride about his journey to that fight, his feeling inside the ring and how he never ultimately capitalized on the biggest win of his career.
Like many other boxers who grew up in the '80s, McBride idolized Mike Tyson.
"Iron Mike" became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history when he finished Trevor Berbick in two rounds in 1986, and he ruled the heavyweight division with impunity until he was shocked by Buster Douglas in early 1990.
Tyson wasn't just a prizefighter -- he was an international icon. Even to a kid from Clones, Ireland.
At that time, McBride began crafting his amateur career, one that eventually led him to representing his country at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
"When I was a kid growing up in Ireland, I trained with this guy, Gerry Rehill," McBride said. "So Gerry would say, 'Listen, you keep training and you'll get places,' and I did box in the 1992 Olympics. It was all surreal out there."
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