My Take on Tyson

I'd have to agree.

 

Do you realise what you've done? This will probably reach 30 pages and 29 of these pages will be posters in hysterics....

You've opened the oldest of all can of worms with this post...

The more rational of posters will acknowledge the great aspects of Tyson while acknowledging his flaws, Tyson fans who are in denial will big him up and find an excuse for every one of his defeats and weaknesses...

 

Tyson was a great champion no doubt about it. However he never won a great fight because he lost the hard fights he had. Also although he was not a bully (because he did show character and courage in fights) Tyson, like Liston, looked a hundred times greater when he knew the other man was already psychologically defeated.

To assume Tyson at his greatest would require any fantasy opponents to be in a psychologically defeated state of mind because that is what brought the best out of Tyson. The greatest champions could not be psychologically broken and that is a big problem for Tyson.

 

I suggest you watch the Ruddock fights if you think Mike never won any tough fights.

 

At his peak ie.versus Spinks Biggs he beats anyone bar peak Ali..peak Lewis 50-50.
choklab correct most opponents at his peak were beaten before first bell..Tyrell Biggs apart...he certainly beats Holmes Frazier Foreman Liston etc..his power was his speed.

 

You can certainly argue that nobody could beat prime Mike. Slick movement could trouble Mike but he was still incredibly difficult to beat. Louis, Ali, Foreman, Bowe, Young are great shouts, but Mike is an atg H2H and legacy wise not to mention a boxing historian.
So fierce!

 

He was not at his best, it was only tough because Tyson was in his one punch at a time mode. If Ruddock could make it a tough fight with Tyson firing on all cylinders they would have been great fights. However, for Tyson to be at his absolute best the other guy needed to have been psychologically broken in order for Tyson to excel. Ruddock stood up to him though, so it could not happen.

I have seen them.

 

The Ruddock fights showed how great a Mike in decline still was. They showed that
Mike had an iron chin. The Williams fight is always a great shout. You have someone with a phenomenal jab, and Mike countered it perfectly. I like the Tillis fight. Close fight, Mike troubled by movement. Great sequence aesthetically when Mike scored the knockdown.
Mike said himself his favorite fight of his was Buster Douglass. He took a beating and a loss like a man, like the greats did.

 

Insightful comment from Holyfield. When Mike had his defense going he was a special guy -- it helped him get into his best punching range, and slipping and ducking punches gave him openings. Tyson's defense made his offense all the more effective.

 

It was tough because Ruddock was hitting mike with dynamite, Tyson at that time was as game as they come. He admitted that those two bouts took all the fight out of him.

 

I always wonder why is Douglas's mother dying considered a motivation rather than a distraction ?
But all Tyson's problems are used as excuses for losing focus.

 

Dempsey gets more credit for an analogous, tho lesser, rise and far worse championship reign. That's just the way things work in these parts.

 

If you speak to Rooney and Atlas they will both tell you Tyson's issues were between his ears. Big head case. No matter what you see outwardly there was always huge insecurities inwardly. He did not know how to react when losing, bully mentality he would become tentative and confused easily. Then you have the end of his career when he just plain quit several times and his short prime. Indeed no historian ranks him top 5. He will be a perennial top 15 hwt champion.

 

Anybody see Tyson apologizing to Atlas on Friday night Fights several weeks back after 25 some odd years of not speaking to each other? Atlas's response was cold as hell. You can tell that he still wants to smash Tyson with a Mack truck. Atlas is a tough little something. lol.