Tysons Legacy Defining Fight

It is funny some of these posts. Amazing what qualifies an elite heavy if Tyson doesnt fit the bill.

 

Spinks was his biggest event as a young champion. But Spinks entered the ring scared, and with a brace on his knee. I think Spinks was beaten by Tyson's intimidation as much as his punches.

I would say Tyson is best remembered in the ring for his matches with Spinks, Douglas, Holyfield and Lewis. 25 years from now, I suspect the Spinks match won't be as memorable as his losses were.

I would say the Douglas fight, and the Holyfield fight were Tyson's key legacy moments.

 

I'll go against the grain and pick the Berbick fight.

The huge thing that did was to show to everyone there was a new sheriff in town and was 22 years old. All the old heavies were going to have to deal with this guy and really the only highly pedigreed up and comers from 82 onwards were Biggs--and lots of folks weren't buying him. And perhaps Tucker, but he was just doing regional fights and really not considered much more than say a Malik Scott type guy. Big record alright but against 3rd tier opposition and when was he going to step up?

Mike was active and taking no prisoners and he sure cleaned up the division in about a year and a half. All those years with multiple belts and best fights not getting made and finally a youthful young destroyer and all these old fighters on the wrong end of the ladder were going to have to deal with.

What hasn't really been acknowledged recently is that lots of folks were going with Trevor in that one. The odds were not way out of line like with later efforts and some people thought that oddball Berbick style and experience would see him win. Me, I thought it was a made to order opponent and early ko like Mercado. But I've been wrong about that stuff before and will be in the future as well.

Just think if you were the guy managing the other heavies around at the time & here's Tyson pummeling Berbick all over the place in a mismatch. Would you want your guy in there with him?

 

I think he was elite. Obviously. He was best in the world.

He's not among the ALL-TIME elite though. I think that's where the distinction is being made.

 

Then how the **** do you place JACK DEMPSEY in your "All-Time Elite"? :huh

Unforgiven, i respect you as a member, but Jack ****ing Dempsey?! :nut

 

Good post. :good

I just want to remind you that Tyson was a mere 20 years old when he brutally captured the WBC Championship from Berbick, still 20 years old when he got the WBC title from Bonecrusher... then just 21 years old when he Unified for the Heavyweight Triple Crown of the WBC, WBA & IBF titles against the undefeated 34-0 Tucker, & was still 21 years old when he obliterated the undefeated 31-0 Spinks in 91 seconds for the Ring Mag title. :scaredas:

 

What the hell are you talking about Dempsey for ?

 

Spinks didn't abandon his game plan, Tyson made him abandon it! Tyson was right on him, straight away, no messing, no feeling out process, nothing. He went straight for him

Tyson's speed surprised Spinks! Punches were landing to head & body!

 

True, but i'm just quoting Eddie Futch, who loved the fighters he trained & swears that Spinks was not scared.

I think Futch would know better than anyone else how Michael felt.

 

I don't know if Spinks was scared but he never seemed confident of beating Tyson or keen to fight him.
That was noted by the press as early as 1986.

Anyway, he didn't put up much of a fight. I think that's why people call him "scared".
Scared isn't a bad thing, but if you fight as if you are a normal scared person then that's not going to work.

At the end of the day, Spinks was just not good enough.

 

With respect to what Tyson did to Spinks, Michael was one of the slowest starters of any ATG, and it was expected he'd pay for this against Cooney. Tyson did what Gerry was supposed to do, and never gave Spinks a chance to warm up and get going. That's exactly what Tyson should have done.

Now, as for Tyson's career defining bites, he had two-the first and second bites in the Holyfield rematch. I give the Lennox press conference prefight bite honorable mention, since it wasn't as well illuminated.

 

Spinks would never have lasted long against Tyson.
Despite the way he befuddled Holmes and Cooney he was never especially mobile, and wasn't especially fast.

 

spot on tyson looked terrible against mathis even in the seldon fight he was missing wildly til seldon went over from a phantom punch !bruno was tailor made for tyson at that time as tyson even stated before the bruno fight that because of brunos size he would be impossible to miss despite the obvious ring rust .