Tyson vs Douglass II

Great post.

 

That's exactly how I see it.

I don't know if it would have been that early, but I think that we'd have seen two guys who'd have been mentally very different from the ones who'd faced off in Tokyo.

 

The AJ-Ruiz rematch has also reminded me of Tyson-Douglas. But I think that the circumstances are very different.

 

Great post.

I always wonder how the fight with Evander would have played out, if Evander had fought the exact version of Buster that Mike had.

 

to me this is the question as well. Assuming Douglas comes in as he did against Holyfield I would expect Tyson to win. If he comes in like the first I might call it 50/50 but still would have expected Tyson to win. Both back then and still today!

 

It's hard to imagine Buster s mindset going in to a rematch with Tyson.

Does he belive he already has Tyson number and would get away with minimal training, it happens. Look at Bowe in his second fight with Holyfield. Came in probably thinking the fight was in the bag. Ended up losing. So this could be Douglas, coming in like a beached whale but still confident he could ko Tyson.

Or he may enter the fight with doubts clanging around his head, realizing that he'll never get himself that shape or frame of mind again. That it was a one off and now the real Buster Douglas will be naked to the world.

 

But what if Buster send 3 or 4 Japanese Pro Hookers to Tysons room prior to the rematch??

 

Douglas, if motivated, would always have the tools needed to trouble Tyson. A fast, accurate and powerful jab and a solid right coming directly behind it would give Tyson something to think about. Having the best jab in the division (and Douglas most certainly did when he was at his best) is a nice tool to have in your arsenal, and can provide you with confidence even against a flame thrower like Tyson.

My one concern was that Douglas sometimes had a tendency to switch off in fights when he was ahead. That was almost the case against Tyson the first time around and it nearly cost him the fight. But if he's properly trained and motivated (and I suspect hearing experts claim the first fight was a fluke would be cause for motivation), I think he might stay switched on and make things just as miserable for Tyson as he did the first time around.

 

I respect your opinion. This is a great post. But whatever frame of mind Buster was in, he'd be facing a very different version of Mike than what showed up in Tokyo.

 

I don’t think there was much chance at all of Douglas getting himself in the same shape for the rematch, as has already been said in the thread, his mother’s death seemed to be the only thing that made him for fill his potential, once that was used he had nothing else. Tyson was right in what he said at the time "lets see if he can defend his title again and again like I did", which was a fair enough statement. Douglas at his best may always have had the beating of Tyson, who knows, but it was a once off, he never had the discipline to sustain it and actually become a great fighter. Tyson would have won that rematch in two rounds.

 

I dunno...I don't think Tokyo Tyson was that far removed from his best form. So, if Douglas is as motivated and well prepared as he was the first time around, he should still cause a better version of Tyson some problems simply due to having some very useful tools at his disposal. I personally think that Douglas didn't think Holyfield had that much for him, and paid the price for lackadaisical preparation. But he knew that Tyson always presented a clear and present danger and that may have compelled him to remain focused on training.

If he doesn't train, he gets smoked for sure against Tyson. It's just a matter of whether Douglas can prime himself for Tyson like he did the first time around.

 

Mike hardly trained for the fight. He looked rusty in sparring when Page dropped him. His heart wasn't in it at all. And he tired very quickly in the fight.

A fit and focused version of Mike would have been a much tougher proposition.

Regarding Evander, I don't think that Douglas underestimated him. I just think he wasn't fully motivated for the challenge.

I also can't see how Douglas would have fought Mike again in the same mindset as Tokyo.

I don't think he could ever have replicated that performance.

 

Tyson retained much his power and hand speed; he was just throwing one punch at a time. Still, if Douglas was fit and throwing the same type of jab as he did in the first fight, a more focused and better prepared Tyson isn't going to throw combinations at Douglas with impunity.

I think Douglas would have had an easier time being motivated for a rematch with Tyson (who had been such a world destroyer at heavyweight to that point), than he did against a version of Holyfield who hadn't really impressed at heavyweight in his two previous fights.

But...that's just me.

 

Listen the first fight was no fluke, you don't get lucky for 9 rounds out of 10!!!

It all depends on Douglas this not Tyson, if Buster comes in shape again then he stops a motivated Tyson.