the most embarrassing efforts in title fights

He won the first round and took his beating. Botha, Golota, Grant, and Morrison were outclassed worse than Tyson.

Actually, Golota firmly deserves a spot for that spooked look on his face when Lewis floored him.

 

I wouldn't even say he won the first round. It was all Lewis from the last 90 seconds of that round.

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Who exactly did Holyfield ever take out early?

 

I think I'll watch that fight again. Off memory, Lewis landed a ridiculous uppercut in that round but Tyson ate it and gave up the general feeling that he making it his fight, at least watching it live (on tv).

 

He landed 3-4 in succession.

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Liston against Ali

 

Okay, I watched the first half of it.
Here are some observations:
1. Lewis has a case for winning the first round but I have trouble giving it to him on account of excessive holding, which he entirely intimated. The round was close.
2. Lewis fought very dirty and Cotton allowed it. Cotton should've been more stern about clinching from the onset.
3. Tyson was still formidable and more dangerous than most of the division. A shell of himself, but every bit as good or better than Rahman, Johnson, Maskaev, etc. He tried and prepared himself decently. Public perception was that he had more left. It's a pretty good win for Lewis.
4. His big falloff was cardio. He was finished around the fourth round. In hindsight, he should've trained down. Lewis' leaning and pushing tactics accelerated his windedness. It looked like Tyson's team was hoping he'd be able to push Lewis around inside but he was hopeless.

Anyway, not the biggest embarrassment ever. The "bite fight" would be a better mention imo.

 

Brian London vs Ali.

 

Some lesser shouts -

Tyson - Holyfield II is well worthy of mention if you see it as a strategic quit.

Duran may well get mention because of his quit vs SRL.

Milton McCrory froze badly vs Curry.

Scypion and Bramble vs Hagler and Rosario IMO laid down at the end.

 

So you have got a 37 year old guy having his 43rd fight spread over 13 years as close to his prime.

You clown.

 

Generally speaking I would agree with you, but De Leon at least tried to make a fight of it. Nelson had roller blades on for that so called fight.

 

Which of the two fights?

 

I don't think Tyson embarrassed himself in the Lewis fight, if anything it improved his reputation. It showed he wouldn't self destruct every time he was on the losing end, he took the beating and earned some lost respect I thought. In a way he needed that beating, the public wanted to see him punished, once they got that he seemed to get some support lol.
But I do wish the fight never happened due to Lewis's insistence he fought a live Tyson "people kept asking me who would win if we fought and I answered that question". In no way did he, just like Holmes didn't about Ali.
Tyson wasn't well prepared, he was spotted smoking pot in the build up and he looked pretty terrible. He was sluggish and didn't have the speed he needed. People keep saying Lennox wasn't at his best either lol. I think he was far closer to his best than Tyson if you wanna get pedantic.

 

sticking your head out of the ropes also definitely hurt him real bad. That was the embarrassing part.