No way could Tyson take AJ`S punches! When did he ever take a punch like the blows AJ might hit him with, Ruddock had him hurt and didn`t connect that great! Freddie Roach sparred with Tyson and Wlad and said Wlad hit harder but Tyson`s speed of hand is what got you it`s the punches you don`t see. The punch that Wlad hit AJ with was as hard as anything Tyson threw it`s just that Tyson was such a great finisher when he got in trouble. Earnie Shavers punch that hit Larry Holmes was harder than any one of Tyson`s KO`s.
Marvis Frazier weren`t the biggest fighter Tyson fought. How big was Marvis and he was rubbish, Holmes toyed with him then KO`ed him easily.
You were saying everyone knew about Tyson before 1986, now you're saying Cus knew. Actually Fury started on ITV 4. Mike Tyson debuted in an untelevised bout, and a few fights later got some gigs on free TV. His debut was in his home area or nearby, yet failed to sell out. The promoters involved were Bob and Lorraine Miller, small timers. His purse was 500 dollars. Tyson started out small. The idea that everyone in the boxing game knew he was the future champ is just historical inaccurate.
If ITV 4 had been around in Mike`s day would he have been on it no he would have to be British. Fury wouldn`t have started on TV in the 80`s because there were only 4 channels, if him and Mike had both been British they probably would have been televised the same time as Mason and Notice or Bruno. Mike`s KO`S would have caught BBC or ITV`S attention first because so many of them were in the 1st round, I remember when I first heard of Tyson there was a picture of him missing an uppercut on a prone contender and the news writers were saying he was a monster and I feared for Bruno, Fury kind of staggered into attention rather than explode. Cus D` Amato was so sure he had perfected a killer that he put up with Tyson often verbally abusing him, he was a great spotter of talent.
Well it is not news to anyone that Cus D'amato believed in Tyson. The idea that everyone in American boxing world knew Tyson was going to be champion years before 1986 is just plain wrong. If everyone knew then Jacobs and Cayton wouldn't have been running around trying to get exposure all those busy months throughout 1985. They wouldn't have needed to be sending VHS tapes to the big news papers sports desks trying to get Tyson the column inches. If the entire American boxing world was convinced Tyson was a professional champion from his amateur days, the national media, broadcasters and big promoters would have been on him earlier.
[url]https://www.si.com/longform/2015/1985/tyson/index.html[/url] An interesting article about the early months of Tyson 's pro career.
Operative word being might. I don't think anything Joshua throws is any harder than Lewis' colossal right hand. What exact stage of what Ruddock fight was Tyson hurt? I'll have to rewatch it as i don't recall him being overly hurt.
AJS beat nobody of note to be making bold statements about his punch power. Just the usual run of the mill cannon fodder. Thurman was also in the same boat until he stepped up Watch the fight again, both of them. Was Freddie Roach training Wlad at the time by any chance? And Tyson was one foot in retirement when Roach trained him. Tyson knocked Holmes out, something Shavers didn't do, nor did Holyfield, Mcall, Mercer, Norton and a load of others. Whereas Klitscko had been knocked out, in his prime within a few rounds by a number of guys, Joshua was the only one who went life and death with him and even then it took him 12 rounds.
Apart from Wlad, Joshuas kod nobody of note yet. Boxing histories full of power punches who were found out at the top level, in recent times we've seen Wilder (the one time he stepped up) and Thurman and recently OHara Davies as well. Tyson is one of the few guys who took his power to the top level and proved it there.
You have the cheek to say Joshua hasn't beat anyone of note and in the same post praise Tyson for beating Holmes, a blind fanatic at his very best.......
The article actually says tyson was known from his amatuer days. He won the olympic national junior championships 1981 then again in 1982. He knocked out every opponent he faced in it...in the 82 final the opponents corner chucked the towel in in the first round. Also beat the record for the quickest knockout in the tournament....which was 8 seconds. The record was held before than by none other than himself with a nine second knockout. If you we,re around at that time with a level of interest in amatuer boxing you certainly knew mike tyson was going to be a massive prospect in the professional ranks. What your getting confused with is....cus,s fear of losing tyson. I m actually reading tysons book about cus just now. Cus was funded by jacobs and clayton. And yet initially he didnt even tell them about him. They actually heard about him from someone else...because the someone else seen tyson knock everyone out in sparring. Cus would actively discourage tyson from speaking to his amatuer opponents or their coaches after a fight such was his fear of losing him. Hence the reason he was put on a smallish show from small time promoters. People he knew wouldnt try and steal tyson. If anything cus tried to keep tyson as small as he could for as long as possible to keep him away from potential suitors. But anyone that followed amatuer boxing would have knew about tyson. A lot of his opponents actually pulled out when they knew he was fighting. Onto the pro ranks...it was a balancing act between getting him publicity whilst trying to keep him. Hence the reason they we,re in a rush. They knew the promoters would try and move in. But by mid way through 1986 he was well known by anyone with an interest in boxing. Basically because it was clear to see he was going to the top.
Mike tysons early fights we,re shown on itv here in britain. The mitch green one was on here...i think they had ones before that also. At the point tyson was on tv here in the uk he,d been fighting as a professional for about 7 or 8 months. He,d never even beat anyone of note and yet was on tv in britain. You must have been blind to not have known about tyson. He was well known in britain by 1986. So unless the americans are sleeping they would all have knew about him. That is people that have an interest in boxing. Was in boxing magazines after 4 fights. He wasnt just a guy that turned up and shocked the world and well you know. Thats even before the internet age we live in today. Even you said yourself...he got on free tv after a few fights. That doesnt usually happen back then to guys unless they had big potential. Stupid to say otherwise. He was a household name here in britain by 1986. Not as a guy with potential either but a guy that looked like he,d go on to decimate the division. No one was sitting thinking he might do quite well.
Yes, i remember watching Tyson-Green on ITV back in the day too. Of course we knew who Tyson was in 1986. He was a hot prospect. I'm not arguing otherwise. I'm disputing the idea that there was NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER that he'd be the dominant champion with defeat. There were in fact doubts, same as any other prospect. I'm also disputing that everyone in America KNEW it years before 1986. Like any other prospect KOing guys in a round or two, there's always doubt that he'll be able to sustain that type of form when matched with the division's best fighters. Especially when a couple of fringe contenders like Tillis and Green extended him and the only name fighter he'd ko'd early was a guy who had been ko'd in 1 by Larry Holmes too ! There were doubts about how he'd perform against the division's elite all the way to Berbick. Mike Tyson refers to this in the documentary of about 10 years ago, saying how he really wanted to make a statement against Berbick because critics were saying he'd been KOing tomato cans. Now, this debate stems from my claim that actually if Tyson was at his mid-1986 stage now, with no top 5 wins, a couple of decisions over fringe types, a KO of the small and less durable Marvis Frazier etc. .... I think Joshua, as big and formidable as he is, coming off a true test win against Klitschko, would be favoured by many here, if not for the convenience of hindsight. AJ is not only up and coming, he's proven against a guy who makes Marvis Frazier and Mitch Green look like complete jokes.
You could say the same thing about Gerry Cooney and Mark Breland. If Tyson had lost to Berbick or Smith he'd been in that same category. Hype is hype, whether he lives up to it or not. Hype isn't divine prophecy you think it is, with your benefit of hindsight.
