I am going to speak in general terms. I watched Mike first 20 fights and each fight, from the very beginning he was as skilled as he would ever get. He physically he was always in top form, his speed and defense were in place and so was his power. He had his patented hooks and uppercuts along with his underrated jab and right hand. In a way he was a child prodigy in the same way Mozart was. He just came out of the gate a 40 fight veteran. Because of this, we watch his early and prime year and see a person who was completely overmatching his opponents. At 10-0 faced with fighters with the same record they would be lunch because his skill set at even that point was that of a Hall Of Fame fighter. Without getting into his loses or personality issues yet...(of course we can discuss them) I am interested in fans who understand his skill development process better and can shed light and also confirm or deny my general assessment. Thanks
He worked on that peek-a-boo style at Catskill every day from the age of 12 to 21. The punching technique, the timing. For hours. The numbers system on the numbered bag, the swinging bag to practice side to side head movement. And the sparring was intense, expected to be treated like a real fight. Eventually they needed Jesse Ferguson and Mike Williams when he was still 17. Nobody else could go to war with him. Pre-money, pre-fame, pre-deaths, pre-bitches, pre-King, pre-hangerons. He mastered the skills because all he did was eat, sleep and train for years and years, and study the greats.
He was just great at knocking out lesser opponents, he was still a green fighter in the early years, for example, I don’t think 88 Tyson would struggle with tillis as much as the 86 version did
Thank you! This is exactly what I am looking for. His commitment to the craft was astonishing! I am curious if any professional Heavyweights came out of the gate at such a level
Well said! I feel like that never gets mentioned. His physical attributes are unique in boxing at that level. He seemed short but he wasn’t by normal standards. His arms weren’t very long but he made up for it by speed and pressure. He was an absolute tank, of course, but moved with the clever efficiency of Duran at 147 and 154.
