If Mike Tyson had learned to throw his punches like Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis.......

I was having a laugh. Tyson isn't one of my favourite fighters. I was a massive fan back in his prime and after he was released from prison. But that all ended after his chewed a chunk from the top of Holyfield's ear. He cheated everyone out of a decent fight that night and generally acted like a tosser. I picked Holyfield to beat him for the rematch, although not by DQ of course. That was pretty much a 50/50 scenario on who people were picking.

 

Can't agree with the OP. Tyson's punches were very compact. His problem was always in-fighting. It's as though when the fight came inside mid-range, he just had a brain-fade and forgot what to do.

 

If iron mike had Cus and rooney all his opponents would be running like Mr Mooney..

 

I don't get that, to be honest. Surely as a fan you take the fighter warts and all?
I can understand if you think biting someone's ear off is reprehensible and repugnant (which of course it is ) but it doesn't seem that's why you turned off him.

I can't help but be a fan, no matter what that mad ****er does. It's my cross to bear.

 

I felt like Tyson was getting on top, but Holyfield headbutting, come on. Winding up like Gerald McClellan is not high on my Christmas list. I would've bitten him too... but probably not twice! :tong

 

One clear difference between Tyson and Dempsey is that Tyson had more bludgeoning power in his punches-though to what extent this is due to modern performance enhancers is difficult to quantify.

 

The Earth trembled until he fought someone good.

It doesn't matter what Tyson would have done, he was always inferior to Evander and Lennox. He also would have been owned by Bowe and Foreman.

 

You mean the Bowe that couldnt handle Golota?? And didnt even have the balls to step in the ring with that guy Lennox?

 

Inferior in what way? In my opinion, he was superior to all them in terms of pure natural talent and offensive ability. He definitely lacked in other departments (such as mental toughness and focus to name a couple).

I disagree strongly with your Bowe opinion. Tyson would get Owned by Bowe? Owned? Can't see that. It would be a good fight, but I'd take Tyson by decision or late stoppage any day. Bowe's greatest asset in my opinion was his size.

 

I think Tyson overall was actually a much better puncher than dempsey, but I also agree with janitor that Dempsey was the much better inside fighter and could do more damage from extremely close range. The perfect example would be the Firpo fight, most of the knockdowns in this fight happen when Dempsey is still in the clinch and just gets a hand loose. In fact, I think the only mid range punch actually involved in any of the knockdowns was just the final right hand.

 

I don't think Tyson had anything more to learn with respect to punching. He was a true modern master with a grounding in the past as befits the history student he was.

His jab, hook, uppercut and straight right were textbook excellent, singly and in blazing combination. His thrust, torque and leverage placed him a class apart from the typical ponderous bruiser. Sonny Liston was correctly identified as a uniquely skilled powerpuncher and I believe Tyson was better.

Tyson preferred to explode midrange, but he could be annihilating up close with that tight left hook and right uppercut as Berbick and Tubbs discovered.

Of all the past great bombers, Tyson most resembles Dempsey, and I believe he had key edges over the Mauler in terms of power and speed.