How did Mike Tyson defend against hooks?

I´ve never thought about Tysons (or Pattersons) defined position of gloves in therms of blocking, since Tyson intention always seemed wobble around a straight punch and always end in the position to throw. Very interesting aspect here. I remember him having the gloves nearly together directly under the chin or free to punch moving his head, but not beside the head. It should be mentioned that you´ll rarely find fights where he needed to fight more cautious/defensively in midrange, since he ofted ended up on the opponents chest rushing in, getting breaked by the ref, rince and repeat. Depending on his agression and power, there simply weren´t many opponents who did not fight on the back foot and went toe to toe with him. To be exact, there was also Ruddock, maybe Bruno and Smith before jail willing to trade. So that fight should show more of Tysons defense not fighting a mover around around a jab. Smith was rush in, grab, r.a.r. Bruno was a mix of a jab and some trading.
Everybody else was of good advice not to stay at one place and trade punches.

 

That is the point of this thread, he didn't fight the best guys who could exploit that. Offence was Tyson defense as well as his bobbing and weaving to get inside. Even an old Foreman might have exploited it.
He didn't fight guys like Tim Witherspoon. who could take a punch and still punch on the inside. I thought Pinklon Thomas was a bit overrated. Bonecrusher was good, but lost to Marvis. The fact that he was hit so cleanly once he stopped moving his head as much shows the tendency.

 

Yeah , so Grandpa Foreman and never was Witherspoon are Tyson's boogie man now......

Comeback Foreman struggled every time when he remotely stepped up.......

Witherspoon, could , would, should but he did not.....................barely getting by a fat Tubbs, and going life and death with Bruno is the stuff of legends...........Tyson waxed those two with barely breaking a sweat.

Conclusion: If Tyson would have beat the Pensioner and the Never Was aka Foreman/Witherspoon you would dismiss them as old and no good and would look for another Boogie man............Fact.


BTW, Mayweather vs Pac 118-110

 

You are telling me what I would think is a fact? At that time those are the two guys I knew would be tough for him. Yes old Foreman. Mike never fought the two guys I thought would be tough and Don King thought they were tough. I thought Tyson better not fight Foreman in 1989 or 1990 before Douglas because that style would have been tough. A big guy who can punch with uppercuts and push him back offsetting his rhythm of moving forward. Anything could have happened in that fight, and in 1987 I also thought Don King sure is avoiding Tim Witherspoon. Who said boogie men? They are bigger guys who could punch and tried to knock guys out. Bruno was barely breaking a sweat? Look at round one and that left hook. Mike fought some good guys, the best of the 1980s, but 1980s heavyweights were not that good. Pinklon Thomas, Tony Tubbs, Dokes? Good fighters but no one great. Holmes was great but at the beginning of the 1980s, and even he avoided some good guys. I remember that defense on year against David Bey. Foreman struggled when he moved up? Yeah perhaps. 3 shots at the title an the last one he beat a weak chinned guy who was not in my mind a real heavyweight, but the style was there for Tyson. And the fact is Foreman bullied Bert Cooper and knocked out Adlison when no one knocked him out like that. I saw Foreman's power in those fights. It was no joke. Witherspoon? If he was motivated he could be tough.

 

Most realize that a lot of things aligned for Douglas that night.

Witherspoon defended against Bonecrusher with the winner to move onto the next stage of the unification tournament against Tyson. All Tim had to do was beat Bonecrusher for a second time. To his credit Smith (who you rightly mention lost to Marvis) came out much more aggressively than the last time and stopped him inside one round. Tyson would have overwhelmed Witherspoon imo and everyone would have been saying he was just another retread.

Thomas may not have had Witherspoon's excellent longevity but he beat him comfortably when both were at their best.

 

Cooper and the Bum from Brazil ? You cannot be serious...if Tyson would have lined, after he unified, up those two to fight he would have been crucified by the Boxing Press at that time.

Conclusion : there is no way no how that Witherspoon and old Foreman would trouble a Tyson firing on all cylinders.

Prime Foreman is a different matter.

We just aave to agree to disagree.

 

That Bonecrusher rematch for Tim was just awful. Bonecrusher just punched him down once he had him hurt. Well it is true, Douglas came at the right time and things did line up. I wonder if other guys would have exploited Mike then. Probably. . But personally I think Tim could have beaten Mike even in 1988 perhaps. I was impressed with his Frank Bruno win in 1986. I am not saying for sure, but to me that is a tough fight. Even Berbick who was blasted out by Mike teed off on Mike a little in a way that some bigger guys could. I know it sounds ridiculous to mention that on a two round fight. But some little things.
I think Pinklon had a good jab, but he did not have the physical strength or skills of Witherspoon, whom if he was motivated I think could have ALMOST been as good as Larry Holmes. I think he had better right hand power than Holmes, yet a more looping right. That Bonecrusher fight was all Tim's fault. They can blame Don King or Carl King, but he was terrible that night regardless of being caught off guard. I was worried for Mike fighting two guys and that is Tim and George. Maybe Mike would have overwhelmed Tim, I am not sure. Tim was one of those guys with size and power (underrated) and the skill to beat many . I rate him better than the crops of 80s guys like Tubbs and Thomas and Bonecrusher, but a little lower than Larry with more size. I think if Tim won he would have to be supremely motivated, which was sometimes hard for him. That Bonecrusher rematch was just terrible. Those two guys George and Tim were the two I would have seen beating Mike. I think size was needed to beat Mike and power with it when it mattered.

 

I remember that fight for some reason. and I have not seen it since. Holmes was at ringside and Witherspoon was concerned how he looked during the fight. That is the one thing which hurt Tim, he was not mentally a champion like Mike was. He didn't have that, but he had the tools.

 

It was not who those two guys were, it was how he beat them. Foreman's physicality was impressive. At the time he was a joke to many and said he ate all these hamburgers and all this and people looked at his age, but I knew he was stronger than anyone thought and he would stop most pretenders I saw how he demolished guys who even younger fighters could not. Even when guys beat him, they had to deal with that power and strength throughout the whole fight. I know if I were a fighter, I would not want to. It looked like hell. And Mike was not eager to have that fight, and neither was Don King. Or they would have had it made. I think the older Foreman was good enough. He lost 2 of the 3 title fights he had, but those two guys had to fight great fights to win. I disagree. I think Tim and George had what it takes to beat Mike. George was always motivated and knew the game. I have doubts about Tim being ready every time out. He symbolized the 1980s heavyweights. Cooney was destroyed, and yes he was destroyed by other guys, but George dismantled him quickly. Cooper was solid and gave Evander hell and George was just too big. I am just saying the style of Mike to come forward and not back up. It would have been a collision with George. And George was physically stronger, but Mike a sharper puncher. It is about could Mike land sharp puncher before George hits him. The style is more in George's favor, and I don't think George was greater than Mike. In someways Mike to me was more skilled as far as speed and sharpness and title reign, but the style is a problem for Mike. George was big guy. Stylewise you could almost see it. Mike bobbing and weaving to get in and George having the crossed armed defense and when Mike comes inside pushing Mike back and punching and Mike backing up.