As great as Pacquiao is people don't seem to remember what Tyson was in the late 80's. Many think there are a couple welterweights out there that would beat Pacquiao. You could certainly make a case for Mosley TKO'ing Pacquiao and Mayweather beating him on points. No one in their right mind even fathomed anyone challenging Tyson let alone beating him. As a 5-6 year old kid I remember looking at Mike and just being in awe of his physical strength, speed, and power. I looked up to my dad at that time as the be all end all, and it seemed to me as a child like my dad looked up to Mike in the boxing world like I looked up to him. Iron Mike was the prototype of what a heavyweight champion should be. The fact that he was a natural 220 lb. heavyweight, combined with his facial features made him even more menacing. No one was badder than Mike, no one. Talking about this makes me wanna break out my NES and play punchout.
The thing is that in the 80's there were few news outlets. People were sheep, easily impressed by hype on network tv or mainstream newspapers. Tyson, like any other boxer, had plenty of doubters (in the know) who were worried about his stamina. Some thought he was ducking Lewis. Now with the internet, all doubters and theories can be heard and nobody can reach old time legendary status.
Pac strikes fear in his opponents before the bell rings. But with tyson it was all about his power. with pac its more about his speed. I think that a more accurate assessment. This is not to say pac hasn't got power because he obviously has.
People weren't sheep. Boxing was just bigger then with an ATG heavyweight champion who was creating a major buzz around himself. He quelled many of those doubters about his stamina in the Mitch Green fight. From 86 to 89 no one in hell thought he was ducking Lewis. Lewis was seen as an untested fighter who was too frail to deal with Mike. The problem with internet is too many haters. If Tyson was peaking today he would be seen as the same menace he was 20 years ago. Tyson's 80's aura > Pacquiao's today and I am a bigger Pacquiao fan now than I was of Tyson then.
Truer words have never been spoken. lol Wins by standing there lol. funny how people forget that Clottey has ALWAYS fought in this manner but now Pacman has the tyson aura? lol KO of HAtton after he was exposed Beat De La Hoya who was over the hill when Mayweather beat him TKO Cotto who actually traded with him Beat a punching bag named clottey for 12 rounds This is good but nowhere near the acclaim Mike Tyson had in his day. Listen to your fellow poster atsch
This^^ Pacman is good and has improved alot since Roach came along and is a great fighter but lets not jump the gun in fanboyism
obviously pac will never be the intimidator that mike was/is. thats just a size thing. but what pac does do - is relative to his division- create the mystique that he cant be beat. the fact that he s a smaller guy too- makes him even more intimidating in a weird way. when people fight a big guy- there is nothign to lose- nobody wants to get beaten by a midget- let alone bulied around by one. thats what makes him so cool
ha! news flash for you, the '80's was just over 20 years ago, FFS. atsch. youngsters, gotta love 'em.
Pac's a good guy out the ring and an assassin inside it, but Tyson = Fear, destruction, ****. Tyson really was the apocolypse for whoever was facing him. The uncertainty in Hatton did not equal to the look of a doomed man in Spinks. We might not get another Tyson for a very long time. Body of a pitbull and with a voice of a midget and those beety eyes, that **** freaked me out.
I agree with you but it's the general trend in all sports. Athletes pre-internet days were far bigger icons. There were fewer forms of entertainment and media outlets so everybody followed and was fed the same stuff. It was easier to hype up certain stars while keeping the public ignorant about others.
I think the first post was over-the-top but I was referring actually to the reputation of the two guys. Certainly, Pac has won his share of fights based on his reputation.