15-yo Mike Tyson bobbing and weaving with Teddy Atlas

You can have testosterone injections once a week for a few weeks and get great benefits.
Sure, if you stop taking them for long enough you'll lose what you gained, or the vast bulk of what you gained.

A lot of these heavyweights fighters are covered in clothes and fat when they're not in training, so we wouldn't immediately notice any muscle loss anyway. It's hard to say.

Yeah, I'd guess Tyson was on steroids throughout his career. Not just him, of course. Most of his top opponents too.

 

So then you reject logic.

 

The Peter McNeeley fight is the biggest indicator of steroid use during Tyson's actual profesional career.
I think he'd lost a fair bit of muscle in jail and with the pressure on to get in shape in less than 4 months I guess he tried some different drugs or doses, because never before or since did his physique look quite like that.

Steroids are just part of sport.
I'm not saying old school types like Tyson were obssessed with 'roids and bulk and muscle but they're no going to miss a trick either, are they.

 

Can't buy into the idea that Tyson was getting steroids back then; when he started training, he was just hitting puberty, when there's enough natural testosterone pumping into the system to make anything additional almost pointless. Given his rigorous, heavy training schedule, it's not unusual that he put on 20 lbs or so of muscle over several years. Ali grew from LHW into a heavyweight too - surprisingly, if you look at their weights, they're not that far apart, both winding up in the 200-215 range - but hugely different in terms of physiques. Using old-fashioned somatotyping, Tyson's a mesomorph. Look at his friggin' neck, for Pete's sake.

That being said, I'd be surprised if Tyson DIDN'T use them later on (as Unforgiven mentions, the McNeeley fight is a good candidate). He'd become lackadaisical with his training, he was using drugs anyways, and probably wasn't morally opposed to a short cut - what difference would another illegal substance make? That, and he started developing that "bloated" effect that goes along with HGH use.

Without outright admission or proof, we're stuck with anecdotal evidence; if you believe he took in his teens, you're entitled to your opinion. But I remain skeptical.

 

Yes, I'm open minded about it up to the post-prison Tyson era.
From 1995 there's no reason to believe he wasn't using.
From 1980 to 1991, it's somewhat debatable. I'd guess he was on something to some extent but it's not necessarily so.
To me it makes no difference.

 

Why did you get angry when I simply disagreed that Tyson was on steroids? I didn't insult you or call you an idiot or anything like that. What did I do to upset you?

 

Wass1985 is really Kevin Rooney.

 

You must be Steve Lott then, I bet Tyson touched you in more ways than one......

 

I don't need to know exact measurements to know my own cousin is much bigger now than he ever was before getting on the gear.

 

Never heard of the guy. You know him well?

 

Are you out of nappies yet?

 

I mean, all we have is your personal testimony. There is no tangible proof. That's why I dismissed it because to come to a logical conclusion, one cannot rely on somebodies word for it.

 

Ok i have some facts that tie in with this thread somewhat.

Got this from a boxing mag (Decenber 1982) connected to The Ring i happened to be browsing.

Tyson was stated as 210 pounds when he defended his/won the Junior Olympic Heavyweight title in June 1982. Basically puts him bang on 16.

He won his quarterfinal in 2 rounds.
His semi final in 8 seconds. Yes, 8 seconds.
His final in 39 seconds.

 

Five years later he was champ of the world. Crazy.

I doubt Tyson was on steroids personally as a kid, seems far fetched and likely to have come out in some way. They can only do so much as well, Tyson's natural talent can't really be ignored otherwise it would be easy, just take steroids to become a great fighter.

He had a combinations of elements that made him that good at a young age. His work ethic has to be recognised as well, he basically worked his ass of from 12.

I wouldn't entirely rule it out but think it would have been unlikely and unnecessary. After prison there no doubt he was on something though, much more muscular.

 

No steroid use can compare to the benefits of being under the tutelage of Cus D'Amato.