Tyson post prime: How could he have adjusted his style to better compete?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by BrutalForeman, Nov 13, 2019.

  1. BrutalForeman

    BrutalForeman Active Member Full Member

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    After Tyson lost some quickness and reflexes, how could he have developed his game to better compete?

    (Yes, I know he wasn't motivated, but let's say he regained that motivation post prime. It's a hypothetical...could he have still beaten the best with a style adjustment?)
     
  2. Bill1234

    Bill1234 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Don't keep loading up on punches with no setup. Tyson was out looking to wing bombs and get the fast knockout in the 90s and 2000s...the problem is that he would neglect setting up the punches and working smart. He would come rushing in with punches looking to force the explosive moments rather than exploding when the opportunity was there. Forcing the moments led to him gassing more and becoming easier to neutralize.
     
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  3. BrutalForeman

    BrutalForeman Active Member Full Member

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    any other comments?
     
  4. The Undefeated Lachbuster

    The Undefeated Lachbuster On the Italian agenda Full Member

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    Work on counterpunching would be my #1. He lost the explosiveness to charge in all the time
     
  5. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    Not much he could do to be honest.

    He could have employed feints more, and been a bit more tactical in his footwork.

    A fighter with that style, and those physical limitations, is always going to have serious problems when his reflexes go.
     
  6. BCS8

    BCS8 VIP Member

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    This is basically the problem in a nutshell. Tyson still had his huge punch, but he started relying on it alone.

    His fight with Francois Botha is typical of the period. Botha was outboxing Tyson and frankly with relative ease. He was even showboating at one stage. Showboating with a prime version of Tyson would have been just plain stupid. Eventually Mike landed his handgrenade on Botha and crumbled him. But if he'd tried to set up his punches better and worked his way into a position to unload, it might have been much shorter.