Kevin Martin McBride is an Irish former professional heavyweight boxer who represented Ireland at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and competed professionally from 1992 to 2011. He is best known for defeating Mike Tyson by sixth-round technical knockout in Washington, D.C., on June 11, 2005, the final professional bout of Tyson's career.
Background
McBride was born on May 10, 1973, in Clones, County Monaghan, Ireland. He began boxing at the age of nine and developed through Irish amateur competition, becoming a prominent heavyweight prospect before reaching adulthood. Clones is a town in County Monaghan in Ireland's northwest border region, an area with a strong local boxing tradition.
McBride later established a professional base in the Boston area of Massachusetts. He was associated with boxing training in Brockton, a city whose gyms had long been connected with New England's professional boxing culture, including the Petronelli gym operated by brothers Goody and Pat Petronelli.
Education
McBride's documented athletic education was conducted through amateur boxing rather than a recorded university or professional-school program. He competed for Smithborough Boxing Club and won Irish junior, intermediate, and senior championships before representing Ireland at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
The Olympic boxing tournament was part of the Barcelona Games, the first Summer Olympics held after the end of the Cold War and a major international stage for national amateur boxing teams. McBride competed in the super-heavyweight division and lost his opening bout to Peter Hrivňák of Czechoslovakia.
Career
McBride developed as an amateur heavyweight in Ireland and represented the country at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He lost to Peter Hrivňák in the super-heavyweight competition, then turned professional in December 1992. His professional career ultimately comprised 46 bouts, producing 35 wins, 10 losses, and one draw, with 29 victories by knockout or technical knockout.
He won the All-Ireland Heavyweight Title in 1997 by defeating Paul Douglas. In 2002, he defeated Craig Tomlinson for the International Boxing Council Americas Heavyweight Title. During his years in the United States, McBride trained in the Brockton boxing community, including at the Petronelli gym, which had been associated with trainer Goody Petronelli and earlier with middleweight champion Marvin Hagler.
McBride's defining fight took place at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., on June 11, 2005. He faced Mike Tyson, the former undisputed world heavyweight champion, and won by sixth-round technical knockout after Tyson declined to continue and did not answer the bell for the seventh round. The result made McBride the last professional opponent to defeat Tyson and ended Tyson's professional boxing career.
After the Tyson victory, McBride defeated Byron Polley in 2006 but was stopped by Mike Mollo later that year and by Andrew Golota in 2007. He returned after several years of inactivity in 2010, losing an eight-round decision to Zack Page, then defeating Franklin Egobi before losing to Matt Skelton in the Prizefighter tournament. In 2011, Tomasz Adamek defeated him by unanimous decision at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and Mariusz Wach stopped him in the fourth round at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, on July 29, ending his recorded professional career.
Personality
Physical Characteristics:
McBride competed as a heavyweight and stood approximately 198 centimeters tall, with a reach of about 203 centimeters.
Quotes from others about the person
After McBride's victory over Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali reportedly greeted him with the words, "I'm the greatest, you're the latest."
