****yzing Mike Tyson's title defenses

Debatable to window lickers like you maybe...

 

Timing is so important in Life.

Let's say if we substitute the likes of Thomas, Bone Crusher Smith, Tillis, Tucker, Biggs, Spinks with the likes of Holyfield, Lewis, Bowe, Tua, Moorer, Morrison e.t.c.

Would the result be any different? I think only Holyfield gives him issues but the rest i easily back the real Iron Mike from 1985-88 to take out easily without questions. Lol in fact a lot of these guys would have been called bums.

If the likes of Thomas, Bone Crusher Smith, Tillis, Tucker, Biggs, Spinks, Holmes faced the Tyson of 1995-2005 especially from 1999-2005, they would all have a field day.

The likes of Holyfield and Lenni get elevated to god like status based on much needed resume padding wins over a shot Tyson.

 

Yeah Tyson was shot when he faced Holyfield... :rofl:rofl

 

His legs and footwork were gone, very flat footed. His timing and accuracy was gone after prison, he started missing so many shots. He was not like the old Tyson from 85-91, but i will grant he was still decent from 1995-97 and Holyfield had a great victory.

 

You're forgetting one thing, Holyfield wasn't at his best either.

 

He wasn't but he atleast wasn't ring rusty and wasnt out of boxing for 3 long years. He benefited immensely from his wars with bowe, Foreman, Holmes.

Plus the guy had a crazy obsession with Tyson. He had been planning for the fight for so many years and had detailed all of Tyson's weakness ie being unable to punch out of a clinch, poor inside fighting skills, head hunting.

I wish Tyson had such an obsession over an opponent. Hence why I feel out of all the 90's opponents only holyfield would give Tyson issues from 85-88 but not the others.

They would fall in the same category as the guys Tyson faced in the 80's ie bums.

 

The average quality of Tyson's run from Berbick to Douglas was pretty solid.
A couple of those men were on their way down already and others weren't much good to begin with. But you can say that about the heavyweight division at just about any time.

 

I am telling of we substitute the likes of holyfield, lewis, Tua, Morrison, bowe, mercer, etc and swap them from the 90's to the 80's the results won't be any different.

Heck if the fighters from the 80's fought the Tyson of 1999-2005 they would beat the **** out of him just as well.

 

I wouldn't agree that the wars benefited Holyfield, intact I would say the opposite. I do believe prison possibly saved Tyson from other narrow victories and even the odd defeat. Don't forget Ruddock gave Tyson all he could handle and was on the verge of beating him in their rematch.

 

I have seen the ruddock Tyson wars, Tysons defence was sloppy where he got hit unnecessarily compared to the past when he would move his head. But ruddock was never winning either fights. He was at time a feared heavy weight and Tyson was accused of ducking ruddock.

In ruddock words, the Tyson wars finished him.

 

Think you need to watch the fights again especially the rematch. Tyson was ripe for the taking on occasions later on in the fight, if Ruddock had more than once punch he would have put him away.

In Tyson's words, the Ruddock fights finished him too.

 

A fight can be won clearly on the scorecard but can be life and death for a fighter. Watch the fight instead of reading stats on BoxRec. Tyson was in the same kind of trouble as he was in the 8th round of the Douglas fight before the knockdown.

 

It wasn't his most steller performance. Ruddock after the fight praised Tyson for having such an excellent chin.

 

Well, Tommy Morrison doesn't even deserve mentioning with those others.

I think Bowe and Holyfield and Lewis at their absolute peaks were better than the men Tyson fought in the 1980s at the time Tyson fought them.

Tua was no better than the men Tyson fought but it would be an interesting fight.
It would have been a fan's dream fight for as long as it lasted.

Yeah obviously, Tyson was sh!t in 1999-2005.