What's the greater win? I honestly feel the Schemling win over Louis is better. Less outside influences and more of Schemling having a genius came plan and applying it. Tyson was in a foreign country, ****ing as many asian girls as he could fit into his hotel room, in the middle of having medications changed for severe depression (Withdrawals from drugs as simple as Zoloft and Lamicital can be similar to going cold turkey off meth, trust me. Terrible ****) Basically, he was distracted. I don't buy the 50% Tyson bull****. He was in his prime years, nothing had degraded with age... His focus wasn't 100%. Tyson damn near was though. But I still favor the Schmeling win. You?
The Douglas win over Tyson. Perception is a hell of a component when it comes to boxing. Tyson was the undefeated undisputed Champion whose many fans, sportswriters and boxing pundits had expectations outlived his talent and or desire. Mike was not 100% but I dont think most people would have cared if he was or wasnt. His own corner didnt have an enswell despite having first hand knowledge of Mike's constant neglect. Douglas beat one of the biggest scalps boxing has ever had in the HW Division.
I would enjoy reading many other members views on this topic, as the vast array of reasons will surely be entertaining, incisive and debatable.... I would consider Schmelings victory the better of the two... Purely due to the facts. Schmeling He was a former H/W Champ. At no stage had a former H/W Champ, post losing the title, gotten the better of any future H/W champ via decision, or legitimate KO.. Dempsey/Sharkey remains illegitimate in my view. Louis was unbeaten, seemingly unbeatable, destroying former champs Carnera and Baer, plus toppling former H/W title contender Unzcudun ko 4. Louis was to only encounter 1 loss, through the professional years `34-`50. Douglas He engaged in a H/W title fight against Tony Tucker, beaten in 10 rounds.. Tyson was a total mess. Mentaly and emotionally. Management issues, Marriage issues, trust issues.... the list goes on. Douglas suffered the loss of his mother, this was clearly an inspiration for him... and a wonderful tritbute post fight.. Having climbed of the floor, after a monsterous uppercut, he was brilliant in the face of adversity. The Douglas/Tyson fight endures as an amazing upset, yet, with the reasonings catergorised, this was hardly a fight Tyson deserved to win.. Full credit to 'Buster". The Schmeling/Louis fight is the testament to a mans incredible belief in himself and quality of fight pattern expectations. He exposed in Louis, the only defensive flaw, worthy of bettering him for the next 14 years. Age become Joes next realistic defeat. The Douglas/Tyson fight exposes, firstly, a mans willingness to battle on with pride in his heart, when the end result may be the greatest prize in sport. Being the Heavyweight Champion of the World. Secondly, it exposes, that via the fists of Of Douglas, Tyson had been destroyed by countless people, relating to every facet of his personal life and public life. For myself, Its Schmeling/Louis.
Close, but Schmeling win takes it. There were signs of Tyson slipping a bit in the previous year before the 'Buster' fight whereas the same wasn't applicable to Louis. Douglas-Tyson is the greater upset, but Schmeling-Louis the 'better' win.
Douglas over Tyson, easily. In terms of who was higher regarded at the time, of course, because Louis is the greater fighter obviously. But, i have to ask, why do you make excuses for Tyson's loss, while one could do the same for Louis, who was rumored to having spent more time on the golf course than in the gym. This goes both ways. The point, to me, though, is that Tyson was undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and had been annihilating every top contender around. He was more dominant than anyone had every been before or after. Douglas was seen as a fringe contender; most casino's wouldn't even put up odds on the fight, with one coming up with the infamous 44-1. Louis was a big favorite, but Schmeling himself was a capable fighter and Joe wasn't even champion yet. While he had impressive wins over Carnera, Uzcudun, Baer and Levinsky, Tyson was more established and seen as invincinble. Louis was also fairly competitive with Schmeling; i think he won the 5th or 3rd round big and seemed to be on his way to a KO win, until the German turned things around with a knockdown the next round. Tyson, on the other hand, lost every round in one-sided fashion except for the 6th where Douglas seemed to take a rest and the 8th, where he scored a knockdown.
Excellent question .... Douglas/Tyson was bigger upset .... Bigger win, I don't know ... have to think about that one ...
These are precisely the arguements I wished for.. Thank you thus far. Regardless of Tyson bashing No.1 -No.100 contenders, he was at the point in his life, where all and sundry, everyone, everything and anything became secondary to his personal inadequacies regarding stabililty. Louis may have been on the 9th hole, putting for a birdie, yet, Tyson was out of his 19th hole, looking for another hole.
