Wat if Tyson hadn't gona to prison for 4 years. In your view wat impact do you think this would have on his legacy. talk about the fighters he would have faced in those years (riddick bowe) and if he would have beaten any greater champions in that era in their prime and our views of his career today.
I will always believe the moment Tyson dumped Clayton or something like that and his trainer Rooney, his days we're eventually numbered, and way too early in his career !
Hard to say, but Tyson wouldve destroyed anyone in the ring on those 4 yrs he was locked up, we never seen the best of Tyson.. A young Tyson was extremely quick, skillful and evasive, whereas an older Tyson (once out of the lock up) was more ruthless.. Id like to think, that in those missing 4 yrs, that Tyson wouldve been all of the above.. It really is hard to gauge with Tyson, but one thing is for sure, is that - if Tysons head was right, he couldve been anything.
I don't agree. I think we'd have seen a steady decline, I think he'd beat bowe in perhaps a similar fight the to first one with Ruddock-although slightly more competitive, Holy stops him, he'd ko the young pre-steward Lewis and so on, but he'd get worse and worse and fizzle out earlier than he did. As soon as he dumped Rooney his skills began to erode because he wasn't doing the same exercises that made him what he was, which is why the head movement disappeared etc
Thing is if he didnt go to prison on those **** charges who knows what other sort of problem he could have gotten him self in out side of the ring . The what ifs .
Tyson in his prime was a beast...He was 18 years old knocking out grown men like they were children...I think Tyson's career got cut short..Getting married played a big roll in his career...I think that changed him for life...
It's hard to believe that Tyson would of been better during those 4 years than pre-Michael Spinks. By thet time he was locked up he had already abandoned his head movement and started looking for the big punch.
I think Tyson would have regained the tittle and lost it by 1996. The rest of his career would mioor his real career.
its a good question. i'm inclined to think that the rot had set in with that buster douglas fight. douglas showed the world how to beat tyson. bowe and lewis were better versions of douglas, i think they may have had tysons number if he'd stopped out of jail, particularly bowe. i remember watching in disbelief the buster douglas fight. if tyson had got ko'd with a lucky punch then maybe it might not have effected him so much. the fact that tyson got so comprehensively outboxed by a pretty poor fighter was very worrying. once that air of invincability had gone that surrounded tyson, i don't think he was ever the same. the ruddock fights further confirmed that tyson didn't intimidate fighters the same way and that the invincability had gone. i have a feeling bowe would have done a similar number on tyson as douglas did, whilst lewis may have been a little green to have faced tyson at that time and may have got knocked out. however i feel that a peak lewis who matured later would have outpointed a peak tyson. no one can ever take away what tyson brought to boxing when he emerged on the scene. he was a phenomenon. the power, the speed, the combinations, the head movement. the day he lost that invincability to douglas was the day tyson would never be the same imo. there were obviously many lifestyle factors out of the ring that contributed and the loss of kevin rooney as his trainer was a massive turning point. if tyson had of boxed on when he went to prison, i believe he would have been more competitive against holyfield and lewis and would have stood a much better chance of beating them, but like someone said earlier, we don't know what kind of effect tysons wayward lifestyle would have had on his performance during these years.
He would have fought Holyfield after the ruddock fights and beat him. Most likley he would have fought Lewis around this time and beat him too cause lewis was not under Mnany Stewart at this time. He would have made quick work of guys like Moorer and Morrison. He would have wars with the likes of Mccall and Mercer. By 96-97 somebody ends up beating him. If mike wouldn't have went to jail the heavyweight landscape would have been very different. If he didnt went to jail Moorer, and Lewis would have been Contenders and not champions. Bowe has laready stated he did not want to fight tyson cause they are from the same HOOD. so i do not know how that would work out. Jail is what sealed the coffin for Iron Mike.
Tyson's career went downhill as soon as Don King got involved. Before that he was on the road to greatness but Don ****ed it up with the pro-black stuff, turning him against the guys who helped make him. Always be my favourite fighter though, wish he'd start training fighters cos I know he's got the boxing brain for it.
