debunking the myth of Mike Tyson

Bruce Seldon was often seen sweeping the roads in Guadalajara.

 

Thanks, I didn't realise Seldon had Mexican ancestry.

Explains his heart, chin and grit in general in a lot of his fights.

 

That's not true though.
Holyfield was a two-time heavyweight champion, former undisputed champion at heavyweight and at cruiserweight before he beat Tyson. He'd achieved loads already.
Lennox Lewis had just regained the heavyweight title from Rahman at 36-years-old in his previous fight to Tyson, had defeated a whole bunch of contenders dating back 10 years, he was toward the end of his career.

Whether they are legends it's up to you.
A "myth" is something different entirely.

 

No, he's allowed in to Mexico to sweep the roads though.

LOL !

 

I believe in the first Tyson fight, the commentators were saying (as Holyfield was pummeling Tyson) ladies and gentleman you are seeing a legend right there in the purple shorts.

Holyfields status was vastly increased with the Tyson wins.

I'm sure someone mentioned an article on here, from the period just after the Tyson fights where certain boxing writers had Holyfield as a top 3 ATG HW.

 

Moonlighting as a garbage man I see.

Now that you mention it, I guess he does kinda blend in with the locals.

 

The media perception of Tyson was so inflated, even his biggest fans admit it must have been inflated by 1996, so of course the media perception of someone beating him becomes inflated too.

But Tyson was formidable, there's no doubt, even in 1996, and for an over-the-hill fighter like Holyfield to batter him so severely has to count for something. I guess.

 

Tyson was looking a bit threadbare even against Ruddock. As Holyfield noted, Mike was a very small fighter who tamed the giants in what was really a remarkable achievement. But it's a trick that can only be pulled for so long. Once you lose a fraction of a second here and there, once the reflexes get a little frayed and complacency sets in - and drugs and alcohol can hasten all these things- then you are left with a small heavyweight who can be pushed around, who can be kept at distance and who only offers one big swing at a time.

By 1996, he was a freakshow. He still had enough intimidation and power left to beat beltholders like Bruno, Seldon and Botha. But he was running on fumes and his vulnerabilities were becoming glaring.

 

It feels a bit ironic that he said that considering how well he fit the description of an up and coming banger with a padded record when he ran into Watson...

 

He dominated and ruined Ruddock, who was considered a very dangerous contender after his near decapitation of Dokes among other things. Hardly lost a round of the almost 20 they went against each other. How is that "threadbare"?

 

I think Nigel Benn stated it in that context, looking back at that stage of his career. A bit of honesty on his part.

 

Yes, and he was heavily favoured to beat Holyfield who was an absolutely war-ravaged, shop worn fighter clearly on his way out.

Tyson looked pretty good against Bruno in 1996, let's be honest.

Holyfield looked almost dead at points in the 3rd Bowe fight in 1995, and labored to get Bobby Czyz out of there in 1996.
Not to mention the 'heart attack' fight against Moorer in 1994.

 

If anything is a myth about Tyson it is the whole thing about him totally losing his way and declining rapidly after Spinks. Between Spinks and Holy he looked aces apart from the Douglas loss. First round KO's of Williams, Tillman, Stewart and Seldon, smashed Bruno twice and beat the **** out of Ruddock twice. He lost perhaps two or three rounds in total against these guys. That is not the record of someone coming apart.

I might agree that he wasn't fully focussed against Douglas. Few champions can keep up the same intensity year after year. Perhaps freaks like Hagler and Hopkins. But only perhaps. Just about everyone buy into their hype to some extent and don't commit fully against every opponent. But that's not the same as a burn out. Only in Tyson's case.

As for the Holy fight, I think he was motivated and committed. Certainly for the second fight. He just met someone who had the measure of him.

 

100% agree, all the Tyson fanatics like to cry about the same old same old regarding the Douglas fight when it's clearly obvious Douglas fought an amazing fight. Any version of Tyson would have struggled like mad to see the final bell let alone defeat Buster.