February 24-March 2, 2005

city beat

Meanwhile, Back In the Ring....

Illustration By: Mike Nawyn

"I can't even believe I'm watching him just obliviate Carlos Monzon, who's a great idol of mine. I'm just watching this man obliviate one of my idols. He's doing a hell of a job. I commend him and wish him the best of luck. I want, I want, man, I'm just excited. I want to start fighting again. I'm excited. My blood's boiling." —

A jovial Mike Tyson on the longevity and prowess of Bernard Hopkins to HBO cameras at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Saturday night.

Hopkins, City Paper's Best Ex-Con of 2004, defeated Howard Eastman with a 12-round decision for his 20th consecutive middleweight-title defense. With the victory, the 40-year-old Philadelphia native became the fourth fighter ever to defend his title past the age of 40, a feat Monzon, a legendary middleweight who won his last 81 bouts, didn't achieve. Monzon, who killed his son's mother, died in 1995 after crashing his car en route back to prison after a weekend furlough.

(And no, we're not sure what "obliviate" means, either.)

—Brian Hickey