Botha's success had a lot to do with Tyson's layoff and ring rust. The one punch KO suggests that Tyson always had it in him to end the fight at a moments notice. The difference is if the '91 version of Tyson fought the '99 version of Botha the end result would be similar except it would end earlier and without Botha winning a round.
Like 1st round quicker. '91 Tyson was still insanely fast, even if he was already in decay, coming in straight up and throwing fewer combinations.
And to think Ruddock commented on Tyson's speed afterwards. He was getting them one or two at a time and was let off the hook several times. In the end, this may of been worse due to the prolonged punishment. One important facet of Tyson's game that remained intact through '91 was his ability and willingness to goto the body, something that was almost nonexistent post-prison. Definitely robbed of potentially one of the greatest fights of all-time in a '91 showdown with Holyfield. There isnt anything that man can do to beat Mike Tyson of the 1980s; the early 90s lesser-elite version is a great equalizer. When Evander starts to get rough, we don't see Mike stop fighting and look at the referee. :nono He's getting it back ten fold.