Tyson does make execuses but He doesnt harp on them like other boxers. He gives Buster all the credit in the world. He only makes his execuses as footnote then goes into a near nut hugging of Busters performance which is class
Thanks 4 posting that--yes, good read. More later. 4 now, I will just say I am disgusted to learn that Joe Cortez is getting inducted.
I think both incarnations of Foreman would have taken Tyson. There are no valid excuses re Douglas. The way Buster fought that one night, he would have beaten or been competitive with any HW ever. Finally I was glad to see the part about Tyson and D'Amato wanting to avenge Ali for what Holmes did to him. (Seen that before.) I've always thought that most of Ali's brain injury came from Holmes that night, as Ali wasn't even rolling or ducking his punches that night. And f'n Holmes said he cried later is such BS. He could have acted differently. But he wanted to punish Ali. I know the stuff about till the ref stops it, but Ali is different both to boxing and to history in general. And you might find on youtube a TV interview the 2 fighters did before the fight. From out of nowhere Holmes ***** slaps Ali. And Ali did nothing--an indication of how shot he was. Good on Tyson for wanting and achieving a modicum of revenge for Ali on Holmes.
Yeah that made me smile. Especially the bit when he said ali whispered to him before the fight "remember what you said, go get him" great boxing story.
Thanks a LOT lufrcrazy, I just read the interview, I almost got 'choked up' myself, wow that moved me. I love Tyson, great interview from my favourite fighter of my lifetime. Thanks.
No problem. It's brilliant. Do ya see what I mean about how I now seems more mature and more at peace with himself. You could tell it came from his heart. The story about promising ali revenge as a 14 year old is amazing.
sure thing pal Another that meant a lot to Tyson was his 1988 defense against aging former champ Larry Holmes, whom Tyson drilled in the fourth round. "Cus had wanted me to beat him so bad," he said. Then he explained why, in a fascinating story I had never heard before. Tyson explained that he was 14 when D'Amato took him and Jay Bright, a longtime member of Tyson's inner circle, from their home in Catskill, N.Y., to Albany to watch on closed circuit as Holmes retained the title in a 1980 destruction of the faded Muhammad Ali. Tyson even recalled the exact date: Oct. 2. "I was offended by how bad he beat up Ali," Tyson said. "When we drove home to Catskill [about an hour from Albany], nobody in the car said a word, we were all so upset. The next morning, Cus was on the phone with Muhammad Ali after taking this shellacking from Holmes. He said to Ali, 'I have this young black kid who is going to be heavyweight champion someday and I want you to talk to him.'" Tyson got on the phone and said he told Ali, "'When I grow up, I'll fight Holmes and I'll get him back for you.' I was 14 at the time." When Tyson did meet Holmes seven years later, Ali was a guest at the fight. Tyson said Ali whispered to him beforehand, "Remember what you said -- get him for me." That story also choked up Tyson, who said he catches some of his old fights from time to time on ESPN Classic, which runs many of his early bouts regularly.
He made some excuses but he didn't acut like a ***** and not give Douglas credit like Kelly Pavlik did against Bernard Hopkins.