How many distractions and problems in Tysons life in 1990 led to the Douglas k.o

Didn't Tyson's sister die around the time of the Douglass fight? Correct me if Im wrong. Douglass obviously put on the performance of a lifetime. But Mike literally had this look in his eye before the fight he didn't want to be there and prob figured he would induct this guy into the bum of the month club. Obviously Tyson was no saint, definitely a tortured soul back then. And cmon just when Mike was getting hammered looking weak he catches Douglass with the uppercut. Mike took a huge beating like a champ thats really what makes him legendary imo he was so tough to get out of there. So yes hookers, booze, drugs, insecurity, extreme pain from the death of his sister (verify anyone?), Douglass was talented and put it all together. But Rooney and Mike would have beat Douglass I mean Ive said it before how does your corner not even have the antiswell or whatever its called Tysons corner had a goddamn condom filled with water for ****'s sake. Also Mike was young as ****.

 

Hey what's up Hook buddy! Tyson's sister died a week after the fight.

http://articles.latimes.com/1990-02-21/sports/sp-1299_1_heart-attack

 

This idea that the Tyson of 89-90 was not substantively different from the Tyson of 87-88 is just obviously ludicrous and I'm confident that the vast majority of people who assert it are trolling.

 

Tremendous difference.

 

Such a ridiculous question.

Yes what if Tyson was more prepared and focused? Well what if Douglas was more prepared and focused.

Their fight was pretty one sided apart from a hail Mary shot.

Tyson had more talent and beat better people but he couldn't beat Buster Douglas and I've seen no evidence he ever would.

 

How far do you feel Tyson's skill level had fallen since Rooney left?

 

Tyson had the exact same skill, speed and power. If he wasn't focused that's his problem. He never had a rematch to prove superiority so it's largely speculation. Lewis proved his point against Rahman.

Or when Hope lost his undisputed title in a one sided beat down, a lot thought he was shot but after a year out he showed he could still compete at the top when he beat Miguel to recapture one of his belts. People can lose do to focus but show they are better than that in rematches, Tyson never did and I'm not giving him a pass.

 

You honestly don't think his skills had diminished after getting rid of Rooney? Hmmmm, it looks clear as day to me that the first Bruno fight onwards that Tyson's performances were getting worse, and not because of his opponents.

 

Tyson's life was always chaos, especially since he won the championship. I remember the Spinks fight people were saying he has distractions with management, women etc but he used it to pull out that performance. I think the difference is he had more real support around him at that time, he had anchors whereas by the Douglas fight he has hood rats ready to sink him.

I give Mike a bit of a pass when it comes to Douglas in terms of him as a fighter, he clearly was missing something, he was 23 and the whole situation imploded on him. He was in no way prepared for a fight like that, it caught him by surprise. If he released Douglas was that good he would have had the best training camp of his career if he had any sense, the feeling is he probably had the worst camp. Douglas in that form would have been his toughest fight, he needed everything in place, it wasn't.

People forget he was a young kid, fighters lose and come back but unfortunately his life imploded further. Its more that just about the Douglas fight, its Tyson's lack of ability to control his life.

Unfortunately however good he was as a fighter, what happened to him after those great years does show the kind of champ he was. Great at his best but lacking the discipline to be great over the long haul. He just couldn't come back, Ali came back with less ability but even more mental fortitude and he accomplished more than he did in his prime, that's the difference, Mike didn't have that strength of mind for the long haul.

Tyson was still great in the prime years though, he might not have been the best ever but his name will always be up their with the greats because of how he captured the imagination, no fighter since has managed that star power so at least he has that. That's what I personally think the Tyson fanatics should focus on, that he maybe wasn't the best ever but the most exciting, rather than tie themselves in knots trying to convince everyone he could beat the world and its uncle.

 

Good post. But the strength of mind over the long haul comment always hits me wrong. Sure he lost focus but so did Lennox against Rahman, Louis against Schmeling, Baer against Braddock. He lost a lot of his ties early on in his career, those same ties that gave him a sense of worth in this world. Tyson really was that good and not just exciting. Knocking out well established men that had never tasted the canvas meant he was for real. Anyways, good post bud!!

 

Which you didn't answer. Douglas was never more prepared and focused. Tyson demonstrably was.

Great, we agree Tyson had more talent and beat better people. So either a guy who lost to Mike White and Jesse Ferguson somehow possessed Mike Tyson's kryptonite, or he just happened to have a one in a million performance against an under-prepared and unfocused Tyson.

We never got to see that evidence because Douglas chose Holyfield over a Tyson rematch and then retired.

 

Because it's ridiculous and doesn't contribute to the point being discussed.

Yes Tyson beat men who were better than Douglas. He beat Tucker for a start.

Exactly that, a guy who lost to inferior opposition was able to use his skills to defeat Iron Mike. Upsets happen in boxing. Quit crying about under prepared and un focused. For every ounce of preparation and focus you wanna add to Tyson, let's add the same to Douglas.

 

So you think his skill level was magically decreasing? I totally disagree. His performance were not as good but that's because he wasn't seemingly as hungry. Whether a return of that hunger would have been enough to overcome Douglas, we'll never know.

 

Thanks Sangria. :good Don't get me wrong, I don't think he was just an exciting hype job, when you look at that 80s footage its frightening how good he was. He was a special fighter, its as if people could see greatness unfolding and I guess that's why to this day he lives off that amazing prime. I just given up convincing everyone he was the best ever, I now point more towards his other qualities during that time. As for anytime after 91, I just don't see the same fighter, but I do see he didn't have the ability to perform more great feats in the same way an Ali did.

 

Because it completely torpedoes your argument. Douglas never looked half as good in any other fight in his life. Tyson did.

Who's crying? You're the one getting defensive about the idea that Tyson was less than 100% for that one. Robinson was less than 100% for Turpin. Griffith was less than 100% for Carter. An inferior fighter with an inferior record had a good night against a much better fighter who had a bad night. It happens. Big leap from that to claiming Tyson could never have beaten Douglas.