If Tyson was in shape for the Douglas fight, he would of knocked him out and if..

Tyson, was 23 when he lost his title and Rocky M. was 24 when turned pro. Thats the difference. Like a poster said Tyson had the world at his feet and he didn't train like he should have because of all the distractions in another country.

 

Tyson went through the motions. I know quite a few people who were in that camp.

As I learned young, to be a champion, you train with SERIOUS fire. Always doing that extra set, that extra round, throwing that extra combination. Mike had to be ridden constantly to train like that. He was driven, but primarily because he was surrounding by people driving him as if by cattle prod. Even in fights preceding Douglas, those people began to leave, and Tyson began to stop training with that fire. Thats the difference.

Saying Tyson didn't train at all is horse****. I had it from Page himself Mike was in the gym almost every day, did all he was asked, sparred, ran, everything. He just had no zest.

Then Buster came in, in GREAT shape, fought an utterly perfect, inspired fight, punch perfect, movement perfect(The knockdown was more Douglas' fault than anything Tyson set up) and without that extra chamber inside him, both in physical terms that he didnt give himself in training AND in mental terms that he wasn't born with, Tyson proved to be no match.

Could a peaked Mike have beaten Douglas? Probably. But he'd have needed a great effort to do it. Douglas showed tremendous, well, everything that night. Every single thing.