What was your first impression of Mike Tyson?

My 1st impression of Tyson was he was a very unique talent. I watched him very early on the relatively new ESPN channel.
I thought he'd go far as long as he remained focused and hungry.
And he did.
But I also remember Emmanuel Steward saying that Tysons physical style of fighting would be hard for him to continue as he aged.
And as early as 1988 -89 he was beginning to show signs of regression....
Tyson was a dynamic talent in his prime. But his prime was short because of the extreme physicality of it.(His style)
Emmanuel Stewards prophecy proved to be prophetic.....

 

I was told and read Mike Tyson was a copy cat Jack Dempsey before I ever saw him fight.

 

He's going to prison

 

I would not call his style of fighting a bigger consideration in his deterioration as his style of living, personally.

 

That was one of my first impressions, and I think my reaction was ‘he doesn’t really understand anatomy very well.’

The nose is pretty much cartilage. Just look at a skull. There’s really nothing to drive into the brain. A ‘broken nose’ is almost never a fracture — only if the bone around it is cracked, like the nasal equivalent of the orbital bone around an eye.

 

The quote was obviously a term of endearment. Stabbing someone's brain with their nose bone. But Jacobs warned Tyson to curb such gruesome remarks to the press.

 

Great thread topic Mark!!

Earliest Tyson memory was the night he beat Berbick. I had never heard of him before. While watching the late night news the news anchors congratulated him on becoming the youngest heavyweight champion ever. I glanced over at my father and asked "I thought Michael Spinks was champ!?", and he replied that Spinks was still champ but Tyson was a champion as well. He explained there were more than 1 belt just like the WWF, NWA and AWA in pro wrestling. Each organization had their own champ.

I thought having more than 1 world champion was stupid. But I still hadn't caught a Tyson fight until he beat Holmes in January 1988 courtesy of a next door neighbor taping the fight on VHS. Couldn't believe he beat Holmes the way he did. It looked like a fight from a movie, that there was such a destructive fighter winning in such easy fashion. And over the great Larry Holmes, no less!

Evidently the first Tyson fight I watched live was when he lost to Douglas.

 

Tyson tore through the Heavyweight division like no other. He also lost focus on Boxing like no other as well., I really think Tyson had so much more damage to inflict. I mean if he didnt lose focus, I think he would be Top 5 all time. Instead of talking about him just in or just out the top 10.

 

I think the Mitch Green fight was the first time I saw him. Totally stood out from the rest of the division with his speed, athleticism & brutality. Stayed up all night watching his championship fights. Good times.

 

Started to read about this young guy smashing his way thru the division and how he resembled Dempsey.
Can't remember the first time I saw him fight, think it was the actual Berbick fight.
Anyone who was around then must have thought this guy would be around for many years.
I've not seen any fighter since that had that level of interest or excitement around him.

 

I first heard of Tyson when he was on the cover of sports illustrated as kid dynamite. The first fight I saw of him was against Berbick. I had never seen someone fall down before three times from one punch. I thought he would be on top for at least a decade and might be the greatest heavyweight of all-time

 

Like Mark Anthony I heard about Tyson in the British newspapers.

Reading about how he become a fighter because a bully killed his pigeon appealed to young me. Hate bullies.

First saw against Alfonzo Ratliff, he looked so dynamic. Alfonzo ran in the 1st (can´t blame him!) but in the 2nd Tyson started to get through

and put him down twice, so impressed with his two handed punching especially the right uppercut.

Also the hls video of his ko´s before the fight really hook me as a fan. Who can forget the way he destroyed Michael Johnson, brutal.

 

Taller than how he really was.