Simple answer - His prime career did not coincide with many of their's. As for Tim Witherspoon and a few others in that category, it had to do with politics and matchmaking.
Post-Prison Tyson was no longer good. Even as he was about to be released, there was talk if Tyson would ever be the same. Not only from a Physical and Technical stand-point, but most of all, Mental. Especially after hearing how he was reading and had a different perspective on things. There was a great article from S.I. that talked a little about this as well as the interview with a number of people on Charlie Rose show that discussed Tyson's up-coming release. With Tyson, he seemed really mixed. One foot in one life that could have been more positive and another stuck in the crazy life and it didn't help with him going back into boxing and going back with King instead of getting a proper team together and taking his time to get back in it. But maybe he knew he was doomed or subconsciously always wanted to be doomed like many of the Greats that self-destructed. Tough to say. In one of those articles, after Tyson was released and getting back into boxing, and I could probably track it down...one of the trainers who were coming on board asked Tyson what he liked to do when he was not boxing and he said, "Sex and Drugs" atsch He was doomed to fail post-prison with that type of mentality. A bit different than when he was gong strong with the Catskill crew. In the end, it's on Tyson. Bad choices. How Good was Tyson? He was very Good in the 80's when he was Mentally, Physically and Technically willing to train for fighting...which includes a lot of sacrifice which he did during those years. But how "Great" was he? I don't know. His bad choices is a huge mark against his legacy. And we would have known how truly "Great" he was or wasn't had he made it into the 90's with that same ability he showed all the way through ending with Spinks. But he didn't. So there is a bit of a question mark.
Tyson was a SuperStar in the 80s. He rose like a comet and burned very brightly but when he faded he faded pretty quickly. by 1990 he didnt really want to fight anymore. He had lost his love for the game. I believe JMO that he saw the buisness side of the game and he just didnt feel the same way about the sport. So basically alot of those names from the 90s were just because Mike wasnt fighting that much. He pulled out of the Holyfield fight. Went to prison for 3 years. Got out and resumed his career against some easy touches. Got his asskicked. Disgraced himself and they went off the rails.
Exactly. :good 1st half of his career, great fights, showed skills like no other heavyweight, then got complacent, buster douglas Ko'd him, came back with 2 wars against razor ruddock... Wasted 4 good years in jail.... 2nd half of his career was a downright cash-grabbing freakshow, easy scalps in bruno & seldon, then ran into the usual "**** it who cares" attitude against evander & beyond....1999-2005 was just a pointless disgrace for Tyson really, and im a Tyson fan!, specifically for what he did for the sport from 1985-1991... 2nd half of
He was due to fight Witherspoon,but Tim got knocked out by his previous victim,Bonecrusher Smith,in the unification tournament.
Tyson totally cleaned out the division in the eighties. After he came out of prison,he'd pick and choose.
In all fairness,we can't really fault the little bleeder for his eighties resume. He beat anyone who was anyone. It was the nineties when Don 'My hairstyle's stupid' King protected him from Lennox Lewis.
thats not the whole story tim threw the fight, what im saying is jose ribalta who wasnt a top 10 over tim witherspoon. and im not even saying that im just asking why he didnt fight many of the name fighters and if fights were due to take place ext.
Tyson would have tested Lewiss chin in 96 at least. Lewis prob would have won, but Mike with only his punch left could have koed Lewis with the first right hand that he landed. He almost flattened Holy in round 1 and Holys chin was way stronger than Lewiss'. Also Foreman is one of my favorites, but before Frazier his record consisted of beating mostly bums and small heavyweights/cruiserweights. I wouldn't describe Tyson as simply great in the 80s, more like a phenom. And calling him a little bleeder, cmon until he was completely shot he always went out on his shield. Look at the shots a 2002 Mike took against Lewis before he got koed, friggin unreal. Tyson had an unbelievable chin, and loads more heart than people give him credit for. And Lewis never legitimately beat McCall, people always overlook that, not Lewiss fault though. Anyway the matchup that intrigues me the most In 96 would be Bowe vs Tyson, even though I heard they didn't Want to fight each other. In 96 both were past their best, and Bowe had great skills, the jab, hook, righthand, uppercut and chin. I beieve Bowe could hurt Mike with that uppercut in the clinches, but as dangerous as Mike was, I believe this would have been an epic slugfest on the level of Foreman/Lyle. Thoughts on that?
Tyson did fight the name fighters. Ribalta was during his pre title run, a good test that was the last hurdle for Berbick. Cayton and Jacobs got Tyson a title shot after one year as a pro. The ranked fighters and titleists came after Tyson beat Berbick. The unification tournament set up by HBO and Don King was underway as Tyson fought the best available talent out there. Witherspoon lost to Smith who lost to Tyson. Simple as that. It's so damn obvious this is an anti-Tyson thread. Everything after prison was close to a Don King sham.
Tyson-Bowe was the blockbuster match up. Bowe took 2 out of 3 from Holy and was considered the best heavy in the world until he fought Golota. Lewis squeaked by Mercer while Ring magazine asked "Is Lewis tough enough for Tyson?"
Very cool ring magazine quote "Sangria". Big daddy Bowe and Iron Mike damn near unbeatable in their respective primes,,
