AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- For such a large man, Andrew Golota sure is a mental midget.

	Andrew Golota left the ring under a barrage of beverages hurled by disappointed fans.

That's why Mike Tyson easily won their meeting of the minds early Saturday morning at The Palace of Auburn Hills. From the beginning, there was no doubt Tyson would pummel his stiffer and slower opponent all night.

But Golota was beaten between the ears and in his heart before Tyson could follow through with the physical portion of the competition.

Golota, knocked down late in the first round, quit at the start of the third. Before the bell clanged to begin the third, Golota lurched from his stool and argued with cornerman Al Certo. When referee Frank Garza tried to calm the heavyweight and send him back to the corner, Golota shoved him.

Garza waved off the fight with Certo still in the ring, pleading with his fighter, who forever will be known as a quitter.

Now it is time for us to plead with the other fighter not to quit.

Tyson announced at Thursday's weigh-in this would be his last fight. He's tired of the fight game, sick of the hassles, he said.

No Tyson-Lewis? No Tyson-Tua? No Tyson-Holyfield III?

Tyson did not appear at the post-fight news conference to address the situation, but manager Shelly Finkel claimed Tyson wasn't toying with the public about retirement.

Thursday, "he was pretty emphatic," Finkel said. "The pressure and the good that come from being Mike Tyson is overwhelming, and the bad hurts more than you can imagine, and there comes a point he says to himself, 'This is too much.'"

But Tyson won't retire. He can't retire.

As much as we feel the need to heap criticism and hurl insults at Tyson, the self-proclaimed baddest man on the planet feels the need to absorb it.

When Tyson says he can no longer endure the avalanche of scrutiny, he obviously hasn't fully contemplated his future. Whether or not Tyson wants to admit it, he needs notoriety to survive.

He has shown through his antics -- sometimes entertaining, other times galling -- he gets a charge out of being a circus sideshow. He finds pleasure in generating the same reactions as the two-headed calf and the midget cyclops.

Not only that, but there also are several blockbuster purses on the horizon, and Tyson likes money. He is only 34.

If Lennox Lewis beats David Tua next month as expected, it would set up the most lucrative fight in boxing history. It would give Tyson a crack at a third title in one of the last remaining matchups to be made between the old guard of heavyweights.

If Tua wins, Tyson could fight the young gun who draws the most comparisons in both size and style to the phenom once known as "Kid Dynamite," Tyson himself. A third bout with Evander Holyfield would rake in the dough as well.

Golota, conversely, doesn't have any big paydays left. His heart is far too delicate for such sport of gladiators. But his flakiness was to be expected; he has a history of it.

"I know Andrew Golota," said his former trainer, Lou Duva. "I was with him too long. I know what he's all about. You ever see 'The Thin Man?' That's him."

Golota was leading in the 10th round against Michael Grant but quit after taking some hard shots. Golota suffered a nervous breakdown and literally folded in a corner within seconds against Lennox Lewis. Then there were the two disqualifications against Riddick Bowe for repeated low blows.

One would think Golota held a distinct size advantage over Tyson. Golota, at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, was five inches and 18 pounds bigger than his stocky opponent. But Golota's T-Rex arms gave him the same, 78-inch reach as Tyson, meaning he had no way to keep untamed fury at a safe distance from his own frazzled nerves.

Golota, seemingly relaxed as he entered the ring, backpedalled for much of the first round. And once Tyson landed a quick left hook, Golota showed his willingness to stand and trade. Golota, however, slapped more than punched. He had no zip; he was slow.

Tyson countered a Golota jab by turning over a right hook with seconds remaining in the first. Golota got up and appeared willing to see this one out.

Tyson landed several head shots early in the second round. Golota still stood his shaky ground until the bell. But that's when he wavered.

"It was just a matter of how he was going to do it and when he was going to do it," Duva said. "I thought he would resort to illegal tactics, but he did it on his own this time."

Golota left the ring before the result was announced. He absorbed even more punishment on his walk to the locker room. Beer. Popcorn. Lighters. Fortunately for him the fight wasn't sold out, or he might have gotten knocked out again.

He still wound up at Pontiac-Oakland Hospital.

A generous count of 16,228 fans -- overwhelmingly pro-Tyson despite a smattering of Poland flags -- showed up in the 20,371-seat venue even though first-time promoter Tommy Hearns slashed ticket prices on Friday. Figures on the $49.95 pay-per-view won't be available until next week.

There were crowd control concerns before the fight, considering the rabid crowds Tyson has been known to attract. But there were no major incidents, simply because there were too many empty seats between the fans for disagreements to arise.

There will be no argument, however, that Golota is a chump, a bum, a worthless fighter who should never earn another penny in the ring. But he probably will, even though he will never live down his reputation as a quitter.

Ask Roberto Duran how long it will take fans to forget "No mas." The answer is never.

Tyson always will carry notorious baggage, too. He has been weak-minded. He has embarrassed himself and others.

But Tyson forever will be remembered as an entertaining fighter, one who shouldn't quit just yet.

ESPN.com boxing writer Tim Graham covers boxing for The Buffalo News and The Ring Magazine, and formerly wrote for the Las Vegas Sun.