Was Razor Ruddock the one heavyweight Tyson truly respected ?

I meant to say 'reader of people for many years' in my post but am glad you took my point nonetheless!!

 

Which is completely understandable. If a guy spends his whole career brutally knocking guys out, they'll get nervous meeting another feared puncher. It's like when you play against someone in a fighting game who is using the same character: you worry they'll do the same thing to you that you've been doing to opponents

Sugar Ray Robinson said something along the lines of: "If you stop getting butterflies before a fight, it means you're crazy and need to quit!". A healthy amount of fear and respect of a skilled, dangerous opponent is almost necessary to make someone a better fighter.