How did Tyson's skills and boxing abilities change in 91 and in 96 (compared to 88)

I'd say his footwork, his step didn't seem as springy. I don't think his hand speed was quite as fast either after his defeat, plus he didn't throw as many combinations.

 

88 Tyson actually loved to fight, and was into training and working hard, after he was KO'd in 1996, by Holy Tyson lost his spirit..

1997 on up he didn't even want to fight anymore, but he needed money to blow on pet tigers, jewelry, coke, and Hookers..

Read his book if you are so interested about him..

 

After Tyson got rid of Rooney, he relied on just 3 things to help him through fights, chin, power and intimidation. That's all good against a lot of the guys but you will need a whole lots more against guys like Holyfield.

Tyson totally abandoned any form of defense post 88, he fell in love with his power and would walk in recklessly hoping to land that home run punch and end things, all Douglas.and Holyfield had to do was keep countering his lunges and keep chipping away and get the stoppage.

Most importantly Tyson went from being an aggressive counter puncher to a face first slugger.

With Rooney Tysons style was based on making his opponents miss and then bombard them with combinations, he got rid of all this and basically walked forward into punches hoping to land a.left hook or overhand right and score the KO

 

When I first started following him in the 80's, everything was about the sport of boxing. I'd pick up a magazine & read articles on how he'd fare against the greats. I'd read about what fighters might challenge him one day. I'd watch ESPN & hear talk of how fast Tyson could match Marciano's record. Every discussion about Tyson centered on boxing.

As his celebrity grew, boxing became secondary. I'd hear about his marriage. I'd read about how much he makes per 10 seconds. I'd hear about how crazy he was. This just got worse after his return from prison. He was all spectacle. Boxing was no longer a sport it was a spectacle.

As far as in the ring, clearly he lost his passion for the sport. Tyson always went out to blast his opponent in the 1st round but now it seemed he did it because he wanted it over with. He was less interested in breaking a guy down gradually if he didn't get a quick KO. At his peak, his attack was based on moving his head after every punch. In the 90's he stood up straighter & moved less. His footspeed seemed lacking & he moved in slower. He became easier to hit. This showed up as early as the 1st Bruno fight.

Most important, Tyson didn't strike fear into his opponents anymore. Guys believed they could best him.

 

Prison accelerated his decline, his reflexes, his accuracy all took a hit, he started missing a lot of shots after prison and it got worse and worse after the holyfield fights

 

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Tyson fought bums up till 88, once the division got talented he was simply exposed.

 

In '88 Tyson was still bobbing and weaving effectively. He slipped punches well, getting underneath the jab of much taller foes, and used his own jab to get inside. Once inside, he unleased combos. 1990-1991 Tyson rushed inside without jabbing effectively. He did not slip punches as well as he had before. 1995-96 Tyson also failed to use the jab as effectively as he did in his prime. He squared up too much and took more punishment.

 

'88 Tyson was Tyson in his prime ... utilized all of his talent and skills and was able to execute flawlessly ... in '91 he wasn't moving his head and didn't utilize his defensive skills ... by '96 his defense was totally gone and the only thing he did reminiscent of the peak Tyson of 87-88 was throw punches in bunches ... but even then he didn't throw to the accuracy and efficiency of his former self and had lost hand speed ... but it honestly looked like '96 Tyson hit harder

 

I think he just got worse.
There was no major change in style.
He had the same flaws, they just became more pronounced.
He had the same strengths, he just became sloppy in applying them.

 

of course Tyson fought bums like Bruno, Golota, Botha, Ruddock, Tucker, Biggs etc

Lewis fought a whole host of good fighters like Bruno, Golota, Botha, Ruddock, Tucker, Biggs etc

And then we have Bowe who absolutely destroyed many good fighters like Seldon, Mathis, Thomas, Tubbs,Biggs and Golota in unparallel fashion

Shame on Tyson for fighting such weak opposition and looking so poor against them.

 

Yeah but the two fighters who also beat most of those "bums" also gave Tyson ass kickings.... Good fighter but not the best of his era.

 

This.

People over simplify in retrospect and creates this myth that Tyson completely changed during a few couple of months. It's true that he gradually became more one-dimensional during the 90's, but there's no watershed moment. He had flaws during Rooney and he still did good things after Rooney, the balance just gradually shifted for the worse.