The three causes of Tyson's decline?...

He would have also lost to a handful of HW's that night as well.

 

Maybe. It's really hard to say. Tyson's style and dimensions were so unusual it is hard envisioning Douglas's potential gameplan and strengths against different fighters.

He was a legitimate challenger anyway, and in shape.

 

Can't we just all agree that nearly every fighter goes through the same causes of decline as Mike Tyson, some even worse?

 

Ok, you carry on in that fantasy world of yours. Whatever makes you happy I guess.....

 

Fighters like Tyson, need to work constantly to overcome their physical disadvantages.

A heavyweight who is short in both height and reach, needs the following to be successful at the very highest level:

1. They must must be immaculately conditioned.
2. They must have good technique, and cannot apply it lazily.
3. They must have a superior trainer.

Take any one of these away, and they go backward.

Take away all three, and they are in free fall.

 

Decline ? Only 5 fighters (including 3 undisputed champions) could beat him between 1985 and 2005.
Of course after Rooney and the D'Amato team Tyson lost his promising path but this can't change
he has an awesome boxing carrier.

 

Basically the same as all fighters then.

 

I think it all starts with the computer, i.e. psychological instability. When the head isn't right, it doesn't matter about the rest of the body. If it were, even if the other stuff started to decline - the usual wear and tear that accompanies aging, magnified in the life of a professional athlete in a combat sport, and the decline in skills - he might have been able to adapt. When Ali lost his speed and reflexes, his strategy changed too. The herky-jerky bob and weave might have been replaced by more conservative movement to create openings, or something else. Who knows ... but in the end, a wasted talent regardless. When he was on, fully focused and joyful in fighting, he was remarkable.

 

Hmm... Was Kevin Rooney a superior trainer? I doubt it.He was mediocre and i was nice.
Condition is important for the tall fighters also (W. Klitschko's Purrity and Brewster losses proved.)
And lots of tall fighters need gain significant muscle mass( .Lewis,klitschkos etc.) Basically the prime Tyson
didn't lift weights.
I understand your thoughts and training "advices" but Tyson wasn't an average short fighter.

 

My list goes.

1. Buster Douglas
2. Buster Douglas
3. Buster Dpuglas.

 

Not exactly.

A fighter with the right dimensions/style, will get away with it to a certain extent.

It will still catch up with them, but there is a trade off.

A short offensive specialist, is the guy who reality will catch up with first.

 

He was obviously a sufficient trainer.

He was able to keep Tyson winning at the highest level, for as long as he exerted some control.

I am not saying that he was this marvelous sensai, who would have kept Tyson unbeatable up to 100-0, but he was probably the best option around at the time.

 

Sure, but judging him off that performance, he wouldn't have been easy work.