Some questions about the Peek -a -Boo style. Is it a complete boxing style,or a specialist system suited only to certain athletes? Was Mike Tyson actually a true Peek -a -Boo fighter or a hybrid brawler /Counter puncher ? Why hasn't any elite heavyweight successfully replicated Tyson s style since the 80 s ?
Requires terrific reflexes to pull off. And conditioning and training. I tend to think it requires guy's that have that top notch boxing radar as well---you know, that ability to anticipate exactly what the opponent is going to do before they do it. Hardly and easy defense and it also requires a top notch trainer for the administration.
Mike Tyson said Cus originally based Peekaboo on karate styles---move in decisively, find a position, force them to react and counter/unload with mean and ferocious intentions. It's a very 'hard' style in Kung Fu terms. Incredibly demanding of your athleticism and especially nervous system (slower paced fighters can get away with being less than ideal mental condition by controlling the terms of engagements and resetting; Tyson needed to be on point mid-action.) Another style that was more or less birth from similar karate ideology was the ever aggressive, terrifying Dutch kickboxing. Peekaboo was meant to be ferocious and decisive. To make your opponent believe he never had a chance, and as Tyson said, the moment they saw him do what he did, they were intimidated (and every ounce of your weakness adds to the strength of your opponent per the great J.C Oates.) "[..] When you kill the king, you cut off his head and tell every other ruler what you're going to do to the next one [..]" paraphrasing one of Mike's monologues. There was the twisting at the waist, moving forward, countering with mean intentions, and keeping your hands in that peekaboo position, but a lot of the style was an approach. An incredibly brutal and decisive religion which would brand you a heretic the moment your lifestyle and training regiment would stop being that of an elite, dedicated athlete. Larry Holmes ones described Norton's style in their bout as peekaboo, I reckon because of his march-forward, force an opening and unload with everything approach in some rounds.
Kenny Norton and his cross armed guard was not peek a boo. Holmes thinks, or at least says he would've handled Mike no problem in his prime, and I have a lot of ocean front property in Arizona. Peek-a-boo is a hard style to master and it does lean towards younger fighters who have more gas in the tank etc. However if I had to put together the perfect style for a fighter it would basically be a blend of peek a boo and Roberto Duran. The first 3-4 rounds I would want the fighter to come out fight in the explosive peek-a--boo style then more to a Duran-pressuring style still strong on defense.
While many think that this was a style inspired by babies or Kendrick Lamar, it was actually inspired by Siouxsie and the Banshees. Everything that even could've inspired it was a bad idea. In theory.
It's simply not the most effective style, especially at Heavyweight. It worked for Tyson because he was a freak of nature and an extremely rare talent. Honestly, he was more than rare, he was one of a kind. Never before or since has there been a heavyweight with his combination of speed and power.
It would have placed significant stress on the lower back, especially compared to more upright long range style s. Fighters have to stay in a semi squat , forward leaning stance.