*How close in Percentage-Terms was Tyson to PEAK/BEST when he KTFO by Bummy Douglas?*

Not just the Tucker fight.
Also, before the Tyson-Biggs fight, Wallace Matthews wrote, an article that appeared on October 8 (week before fight)

.......

The reports from [Mike Tyson]'s camp are disquieting. The word is that Tyson has taken advantage of Atlantic City's proximity to his favorite haunts in New York City to make several sojourns out of his ocean-front penthouse. A photographer who shot Tyson for a boxing magazine noticed "concern" in the Tyson camp because Tyson has not been training with the intensity he has shown for past fights, and is spreading himself thin with numerous endorsements and promotional appearances. And the rumors have reached Biggs' training camp in Lancaster, Pa.

 

tyson was a young kid having fun. he was off the rails for most of his time as champion. he was so favored to win fights people wanted to give his opponenets more of a chance by saying tyson had not prepared as well as he could. In most cases he prepaired equaly as well. The tucker fight was the one time his weight was a bit higher but Tyson was always in shape. Truth was he was always a good trainer.

 

Really? Dont remember hearing that or the bit about the clap. Just because a fighter is lighter for a fight doesnt mean hes in better shape, so stop going to boxrec and picking fights where Tyson was a half pound heavier to make up some bull**** post.

Rooney was actually a professional fighter. He fought Alexis Arguello. Maybe you saw him fight and saw the similarities in Tyson's style or some of the other fighters Rooney had trained. What Atlas trained fighter resembled the fighting style of D'Amato?

 

I agree.
And after he lost to Douglas all that gossip suddenly becomes the key to the result of the fight. I don't buy into that either.

 

1/2 pound heavier than Douglas, yeah he must of been in better shape for Douglas. atsch

 

Hmm, so you heard about his lack of preparation for the Tucker fight too?

 

Well, I read the newspapers. It's what you call "documented". :good

 

:nut You two are full of ****.

 

Why do you say that ?

The rumours about Tyson's lack of preparation and alleged troubles with Rooney, and perhaps going off the rails a bit, before the Tucker fight are documented.
Don't shoot the messenger. Deal with it.
You make a big deal out the Douglas sluggish training camp being documented, so what's the problem ?

 

If your point is that the post Spinks Tyson was as focused, well trained and disciplined as the Tyson of Berbick to Spinks then you simply know nothing about Tyson. THis is not even a matter of opinion, this is endlessly documented. In addition, anyone who claims that Tyson lost to the first brave man who stood up to him is simply wrong. Plenty of very good fighters came to fight v.s. that Tyson, they simply go beat by an exceptional force . Berbick, Thomas, Tucker, Briggs, Tubbs all came to fight. All were in very good points in their careers and had show big talent and heart in previous fights .. they did not quit v.s. Mike, they got beat, straight up.

 

Tyson didnt have a problem with Rooney until after the Spinks fight when Rooney refused to agree with his handling of the whole Cayton situation. Rooney had Tyson in Catskill training under a curfew. Tyson would sneak out at times, but the most part Tyson was physically prepared very well for his fights. Tyson was his career heaviest against Berbick under Rooney regardless of what Boxrec says. He entered the fight at 222 pounds.

 

I'm not talking about body weight.
I'm talking about the pre-fight rumours of Tyson being less than fully focussed and the pre-fight gossip about him leaving camp and arguing with his trainer. And general speculation that he wasn't fully prepared or was looking more sluggish than normal in his workouts.
Those kinds of rumours were around in print before the Tucker fight, and before the Biggs and Holmes fights.
And I'm sure had he lost one of those fights they would be seized upon the same way happened when he lost to Douglas.

 

Perhaps, but his preparation for fights post Spinks got progressively worse with amatuers running his corner.
Rooney was a very demanding trainer.

 

I agree, he got worse.

 

Im sorry if documented fact does not fit in with your "tyson decided not to train that one time" agenda but when the man himself says he was in poor shape for tucker (by his high standards) it went on record.

tyson never made an excuse for douglas he said buster "fought a great fight", I tend to agree with him on this also.

Tyson was no worse prepared for douglas than he was tucker, bruno and truth williams.

In fact the one time a champion let himself down with preparation for a title fight it was not tyson. It was douglas against holyfeild.