What it means to me is I don't place a huge emphasis on the loss when judging the worth of Tyson. He wasn't at his best, and would have won a rematch.
Regardless if he wasn't at his best, and if he would've won a rematch, you seem to be understating the severity of the loss. He was 23 years old, undefeated, and the heavyweight champion of the world. I agree he wasn't at his best but who's fault is that? 1. He chose to slack off, and bang Japanese hookers instead of training for Douglas. Nobody handcuffed him and forced him to do those things. He has nobody to blame but himself. 2. Many ATGs have fought through adversity at less than 100%, and found a way to win.
Tyson: Faster, stronger, bigger, more skilled, better chin, better defense, better combinations, etc.
It's absolutely his fault, same as it's Douglas's fault the shape he came into his first defence with. Many more ATGs have dealt with fame a lot better, I agree, I don't think anyone wouldn't. But if we're talking about fantasy fights with the best version of Tyson, I don't really need to look to deep into the Douglas loss.
Tyson completely obliterates him. A small 185 pressure fighter standing infront a prime Tyson? Over in a couple of rounds, convinced anybody who voted Rocky wouldn’t pick him if they had a gun to their head, pure nostalgia
There is no prime Tyson. Every version of Tyson was screwed up in the head. You don't want to bet on a lunatic. He might eat an ear. He might eat a nose. He might lay on the canvas and take a nap. STAY AWAY.
the right hand Marciano put Walcott away with is magnitudes nastier than any of Tyson's KOs, given his ring IQ, stamina, KO power, and just general being a savage he definitely has more than a puncher's chance, a lot would depend on how well he handles eating that first uppercut from Tyson, keep in mind that Tyson was unable to KO Ribalta and Marciano is definitely tougher and more durable than Ribalta, if Marciano can avoid Tyson landing combo bombs from mid range and gets on the inside he can hurt Tyson, Tyson has never endured body shots like Marciano would be dishing out
Walcott was a 38 years old man who today at192lbs, would be a cruiser,.coming to the end of his career. Marciano never ko'd a class modern sized heavy who was anywhere near prime. Neither did he face many bangers.
Marciano was only 185lbs but he used the same weight heavy bag as Tyson Berbick was wobbly but got back up to his feet fairly quickly, Walcott looks like he got killed This content is protected
Is he mentally tough enough to beat Marciano? Tyson had quit in him...just like Liston! No quit in Marciano! Rocky had more pain in 3 title defenses than Tyson had in his whole career. As Pulitzer Prize winning sports writer Red Smith said of Marciano: "He's the most dedicated fighter who ever put on a pair of gloves..."Fear" wasn't in his vocabulary...and "Pain" had no meaning!" Can't say the same about "Iron" Mike!!!
Ring Magazine said: "Mike Tyson is the best six round heavyweight...if he couldn't take a guy out in six rounds...he starts to fall apart! When Tyson got discouraged...he wasn't the same fighter. Joe Louis would have discouraged Tyson real fast!"
Your post is not the first I've read on this board that mentioned the weight of a fighter's heavy bag...I don't understand why the weight of a heavy bag would be relevant, the boxer isn't lifting it, he's hitting it. The heavier the bag is, the less it will move, but why do you think a fighter hitting a heavier heavy bag is some feat? If the bag is properly attached to the ceiling, I see no reason that a 12 year old on his first day in the gym couldn't hit a 400 pound bag, or a 100 pound bag. The same would be true for an experienced fighter.
Ring Magazine best Heavyweights list 1) Ali 2) Louis 3) Jack Johnson 4) Rocky Marciano 5) Holmes 6) Jack Dempsey 7) Foreman 8) Joe Frazier 9) Tyson 10) Liston
