listen, this is the same guy who took a lot of time to convince everyone frazier had the abilities to beat foreman. Grain of salt....
Great post! Yes head movement is the number 1 most imporant thing for a shorter fighter like tyson and when you lose that you lose half your game. The difference is staggering between 86-and-90 where Tysons defensive slipping, ****ing, and weaving is probably the most underrated of all time.
People go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on, about Tyson's defense but omit the fact that he only did it for four, five rounds tops.
People always bring up that Holmes was a sucker for the right hand. However, think about it, Holmes was dominating both Ernie Shavers in their return bout, and against Renaldo Snipes. Both their faces, especially the eyes, were swelling shut. Larry got lackadaisical with how easy it was; let his guard down for a moment, and got dropped. He got up and finished them both. Tyson never won after being knocked down. A journeyman named Buster Douglas was dominating prime Tyson. In the post fight interview Douglas ever says he got lackadaisical. Lampley was commentating before Tyson scored the knockdown uppercut about how easy it was for Douglas. After Buster got dropped he got back up and knocked Tyson out 2 rounds later. I can see Tyson dropping Holmes. But, Larry would get back up and had the legs and stamina to recover and defeat Tyson much as he did Shavers and Snipes in the ensuing rounds. Also, Holmes would not let his guard down again Mike. He would use lateral movement and the jab to keep Tyson from getting set and off balance. As the round go by Larry would find more success with the big right hands and Tyson would start to fall apart. If Tyson got in close, Holmes was strong enough to tie him up. Tyson was awful when he got clinched. He would seldom try to fight his way out, save for the illegal elbows. Mike would remain in the clinch until the referee said "break." Notice how old Holmes looked flabby in his fight against prime Tyson. I read in a book about Mike that Larry was some 250 pounds before he 'trained' to fight Tyson. He held his training sessions behind closed doors. No reporters or public allowed. Holmes looked flabby because of the rapid weight loss. He was near his fighting weight, but that does not mean he was fighting fit. Prime-for-prime, Holmes would either score a tko or win a decision over Tyson.
Tyson had his flaws no doubt. He was a front runner and inside that mind of his lingered great self doubt. Stand up to him, push him back and make him think and he was much less a fighter. Prime Holmes had the ability to do all this to Tyson. The question is would he get the chance to get the job done? When I ****yze any fight from a technical standpoint I look for major flaws. Then ask the question ......at a very high level fighting great opposition would that opposition be able to capitalize upon those flaws? Tyson was easily able to find old Holmes with that right hand over that low jab and my bet is he would be able to do the same vs prime Holmes. In other words Tyson finds that opening before Holmes has the chance to push Tyson to his limits.
Foreman would've KOed Mike when he was 40. Bonecrusher Smith took Mike the distance. A young Holmes knocks Mike out
Tell me, are you re****ed? I said ask ANY expert. You dyslexic re****. Now run along to your special Ed class.
atsch Why. Would. Any. One. Have. To. Ask. An. Expert. When. There. Are. Plenty. Of. Videos. Of. Mike. Tyson. Going. Past. 5. Rounds. On. You. Tube...? Is. This. Slow. Enough. For. You... ... ? You are living proof that someone can get pregnant through the a s s hole.
Carl Williams troubled Tyson? You're the first person I've ever heard make such an inaccurate statement. Tyson was still developing when he beat Tills. He punished Biggs and Thomas, neither of whom were the same after fighting Tyson You left out Tony Tucker, who did indeed provide Tyson a good test. Watch it on youtube, since I doubt you were alive when it actually happened. It provides Exhibit A of why prime Tyson would be a stern test for prime Holmes. Prime Tyson continually slips the Tucker jab and hammers home combinations. That Tyson is the guy I am thinking about when I envision a prime Homes/Prime Tyson matchup.