How would you rate Mike Tyson as a fighter?

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http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=247582


Boxing Historian Herbert G. Goldman

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Tyson/Douglas: Tyson got beat up by Berbick, Page and McCall in Sparring

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=389527




EDIT:

Let's also give credit to Buster Douglas who got his act together, put a string of wins together to put him in a position to fight and beat Tyson.

One fighter was prepared to fight and one fighter was not. The fighter that deserved to win that night, wanted to be Champion, Did.



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Stewart wasn't the only one scared. His wife, if not mistaken, left before the fight because she was so scared for her husband. I remember Lampley saying something to that effect just before the fight. I always wonder how the Tyson/Holyfield fight would've played out had it happened in '91 before his prison term rather than '96.

 

Similar to the letter that Tyson wrote to Jim Grey in jail

1:35

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GUpOkVcLjw[/ame]


I'm still wondering what was "far worse" than the crime he sentenced to jail for...but given the piece I put up in my one thread from Jack Newfield's book...I could only guess.

Jack Newfield's book talks about Mike Tyson's "warped psyche

atsch

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=398508

 

I'll give my default Tyson post these days.

Tyson's prime didn't last long, but it's made up for with his activity level. Prior to his incarceration, he compiled a 41-1-0 (36 KOs) record over the course of just seven years. You can cite the lack of greats all day long, but the blame certainly doesn't fall on Tyson, who was fighting the best opposition available to him. Need proof? Here's the rating of several fighters he fought during his prime at the time he fought them, not including himself obviously: Trevor Berbick (31-4, #1), Bonecrusher Smith (19-5, #1), Pinklon Thomas (29-1, #1), Tony Tucker (34-0, #1), Tyrell Biggs (15-0, #8 ), Michael Spinks (31-0, Lineal claimant), Carl Williams (22-2, #2), James Douglas (29-4, #7), Razor Ruddock x2 (25-1, #1). He also took care of Frank Bruno (32-2) as a mandatory, who had been and would again be a top-rated heavyweight and future titlist, beat the hell out of Tubbs (24-1) inside two for a large payday in Tokyo, who'd give prime Riddick Bowe all sorts of a fight long afterwards; Alex Stewart (26-1) inside of a round, whom was never on the canvas against Holyfield (and would go the distance with in a second fight) and lost a close decision to Foreman afterwards.

People continually bring up Spinks the LHW and Holmes the washed up ATG and refuse to acknowledge a few key points here. Spinks beat an undefeated Larry Holmes at Heavyweight convincingly the first go-round, who while no longer prime, was again: undefeated. He's not exactly John Ruiz, folks. Second, it was at the time an absolute public demand that Tyson fight Spinks and The RING had recognized him as the Top Heavyweight until Tyson beat him. A good number of people in and around boxing actually gave him a fair chance to win the damn fight. To see his performance ravaged by revisionist historians is pretty dispicable.

As far as Holmes, there is quite a lot made about his 21-month lay off between Spinks II and Tyson. He didn't willingly retire so much as he was basically forced into it, partly by his own hand with the comments he made. There's little doubt he won and was screwed out of the Spinks re-match and it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Perhaps the case for it being a worthless win would have credibility if Holmes hadn't decided to come back four years later at 42 and put a schooling on Ray Mercer to EARN himself a title shot against Holyfield, whom he won several rounds against and went the distance with, ditto for Oliver McCall at the age of 44. Nobody stopped or KO'ed Larry Holmes before or after, much less within four rounds.

Don't think there's ever been a 215-220 lb fighter more coordinated or who moved so fluidly. He was not up against men of much more similar physical dimensions as the lower weights and he was never going to be able to put on back-foot boxing clinics against world-rated heavyweights. That's only a recipe for defeat and runs the risk of possibly getting himself KTFO in that division. He was cursed to be a come-forward, aggressive natured fighter. It was obviously not a philosophy of his to use his face as a mode of defense and he often effectively jabbed his way in, slipped and countered shots to near perfection, used a variety of angles and planes of movement to create openings, simultaneously able to shuffle his feet quickly into position to gain full leverage on his combinations to the body and head. His defense I do believe was slightly overstated, if energy wasting and used as a tool to get himself into his mid-range sweet spot but it's hard to argue it's effectiveness up through his first 35-37 fights over which he cleaned out most of the division. I think Mike's aggressive style, work rate, effective defense, good chin and lightning quick hands make him just as adept to taking wide points decisions as the next guy and it happened on a few ocassions. He was the P4P #1 fighter of his time for a reason.

 

Too much ****ing money and *****.

I'd probably feel invincible too. Biggest regret is he didnt get a crack at Holyfield in '91 because he wouldve beat his ass and was prepared to do so with torn rib cartiledge. :deal

 

Yea, but what happens after he gets the title? Nothing. The motivational factor is gone. His defense got sloppy. And he was coming into the ring above his normal fight weight... lack of conditioning.

 

Eh... I'll give you that. Maybe I should've said Tyson didn't have the focus needed to sustain success.

 

He beats Wladimir in a brutal KO. Vitali and Lewis would give him nightmares.

 

He was "The baddest Man on the Planet" made heavyweight boxing FRONT PAGE news, a great exciting time to be around then, It's TYSON TIME! He's still & always will be a globaly recognised name & Image & one never to be forgotten. His succes has been well covered here already & without doubt deserves his place in the HOF.

He burned brief & bright but who can blame a young man in his early 20's for what disasters where set upon him in his personal life. He without sin cast the 1st stone, so lets no moralise like hypocrites that a man of that young age is meant to be a paragon of virtue & if yer think otherwise then you hav'nt yet lived a meaningful life.

 

:deal

Indeed. All that stuff at only 20, 21 years old. Hard to believe just how young the guy was at the time when he cleaned out the division.

 

This I'll agree with. He lost focus after dismissing Rooney and the original Team Tyson and did it again after prison before the Holyfield fight and taking him too lightly.

Like Ironhands stated above, Tyson wanted too much chocha and drogas!

 

Tyson-Holyfield '91 was the biggest non-made match I would've loved to see, more so than Bowe-Lewis.

 

I'd booked me trip, bought me ticket one evening & next morning the missis screamed up the stairs GO ONTO the BBC TELETEXT................................FIGHTS OFFyikes|:|:fire:fire

 

He was boxing's version of a Shakesperian tragic hero. Great at the beginning, orchestrated his own tragic downfall through his bad choices which were made by his own character flaws/weakness, despite being influenced/accelerated by other factors (death of Cus, puppetering of Don King, etc.)

 

That's right! You're the one with that sad sob story! Sorry bro. That must have been the most gut wrenching feeling in the world.