Why Iron Mike lost to Buster Douglas

I said as much earlier.

Was it the best of Tyson we saw that night? Probably not, but Tyson most likely won other bouts whilst also not being at his absolute peak.

How many long reigning champions go in to every fight 100% mentally and physically? You don't hear about those problems unless they lose.

I've said it many times before, any version of Tyson would have had his hands full with a Douglas so fit and focused such was the one sided beating he gave him.

 

Had Buster beaten Tucker we would have seen fucused Tyson vs Douglas. Shame really.

Douglas ran out of gass in Tucker fight while ahead if i remember correctly.

 

This is a myth. Mike beat opponents that tried hard to win.

 

for this fight he needed to be at his absolute peak or at least close to it. Without the knowledge of knowing Douglas could be his toughest opponent ever, I cant see how he ever could have been. I think he was always losing that fight because of that, and the fact he was headed for disaster professionally anyway, he had a team of yes men that would at some point lead him to defeat. He needed a reality check and it was coming one way or another, the mans ego and arrogance was off the charts at this point.

I hear you regarding Tyson not always being 100% but I'd argue he was in the worst form ever against Douglas. He looked flat from the outset, which was not normal for him. You could argue Douglas made that happen, but from the very first few seconds of the fight? I don't think so.

Other reigning champs got away with it because their competition wasn't the monster Tyson fought that night. We all know Buster was a decent fighter but never really lived up to his potential, but that one night he did. This was no normal out of shape champ taking on an average challenger situation.

I cant really disagree with your final point. It was so one sided that you would have to say even a prepared Tyson would have problems. You can clearly see Douglas had the tools to beat any Tyson, with that mobility, jab, combinations, timing, speed. I don't totally discount Mike though, he showed that he had the ability to hurt Douglas and could have improved on that performance by some margin. I'm pretty sure an unprepared Douglas would have folded in the rematch were it to take place, so we would never really have know how he would have done fully prepared against that motivated version of Buster, and this debate would still have taken place.

 

Tyson was a max energy fighter whose ability to maintain that style wilted very early. He never was going to be a long-running champ, especially once he faced people who could hit him back.

Of all the pre-prison opponents he faced weighing 220-plus in 1986 or later, you have:

Mike Jameson (KO 5, 14-9 tomato can)
Mitch Green (UD 10)
"Bonehugger" Smith (UD 12)
Tony Tucker (UD 12)
Tyrell Biggs (TKO 7)
Larry Holmes (TKO 4)
Tony Tubbs (TKO 2)
Frank Bruno (TKO 5)
Buster Douglas (L, KO 10)
Razor Ruddock (TKO 7)
Razor Ruddock (UD 12)

He certainly had his share of knockouts in there, but generally speaking they were able to take him into deeper water. I've never thought he would fare well against the modern day monsters, a full two levels better than Ruddock. Douglas is a tough one to call, because he was in top form that night and only that one night.

 

tyson's loss that night reminds me of baer's loss to braddock. baer was a fearsome puncher who partied his belt away. he didn't take braddock seriously. tyson was the same. add to the fact the loss of cuss for tyson and buster's motivation for the fight, the end was almost pre ordained.

 

Tyson just fought the wrong guy on the wrong night. And this was the BIG BAD MYTHICAL ‘Prime Tyson’ too. He just fought a guy that brought it, wasn’t afraid of him, had a good jab, good reach on Mike and wasn’t timid to let his hands go. Simple as that. And Tyson was in shape and ready regardless of what some try to sell.


Prime Vitali would have been worse for Tyson.

 

At least 30 of them minimum and all of them in his first championship era and the subtile and slow decline ( of stamina, bob and weave, speed, defensive reflexes, relying too much on one punch power) already started by then especially apparent in the first Bruno fight.

 

the reason tyson lost was because douglas for the first and only time in his whole career was phiscally/mentally /
at his absolute peak

and as such was a tip top very good fighter who would have given any heavy in history before or after a very diffucult fight

douglas jab/timing/legs/stamina/punch output/offense /variety /speed were all as good as you will see from a heavy

his absolute will to win v the myth that was tyson at the time was spot on.

tyson bar his knockdown in the 8th ?/ was absolutley bamoozled by douglas

douglas simply had the style /abilty /mindset to take tyson to school
i dont buy the tyson excuses /yes his corner was inept but he was an experienced seasoned pro .

every time i have seen this fight / i am impressed with douglas technique and abilty

 

Peak Vit v Peak Tyson and Tyson is ****ed !

 

You said he went downhill after Cus' died, you do know he died well before Tyson became champion? I don't think you are too clued up on the situation tbh.

 

I thought his footwork actually was the No. 1 factor. Douglas moved that night in a way he did not in other fights, staying in range but changing the angle and working the jab. Tyson lunged after him over and over, and even the best version would have struggled with that type of large opponent.

 

basically as soon as Rooney left. Detractors like to ignore the effect that this had on Tyson, losing his long term trainer changed him as a fighter. He no longer set up his combinations in the same way, which was what made him so effective, he could have made easier work of Ruddock if he maintained his original attributes. I always felt Tyson did this to prove a point that he didn't need his old team, went for a more headhunter style relying on his power, no longer bobbing and weaving so much and using his jab.

 

I get **** for it every time but Tyson is so overrated IMHO.

 

Douglas was Winning before the TKO...Bigger Heavyweights like Douglas Holyfield and Lewis were not intimidated by Tyson..they take him to deep water and he never really liked that.!!!