You have no idea what you are talking about son, Holmes was 39 and coming back from a 2 year lay off and without any tune ups. Give me a break.
The only guy that Holmes fought in his reignwho was significantly better then the guys Tyson fought was maybe Witherspoon. And i am a bigger Holmes fan then a Tyson fan. Now answer the question where did Tyson struggle against Biggs in that Clip that you posted
Liston to the commentator, Biggs fought a picture perfect first round and kept Tyson at bay when he boxed instead of sluggin it out with him.
BULL**** Biggs danced and threw innefective jabs trying to keep Tyson at bay. Biggs did'nt land 1 jab cleanly and was eventually corned near the end of the round that Round was easily Tyson since he did land the more telling shot and controlled the flow of the round . Do you actually understand was effective footwork is ? effective scoring punches ?. Dancing and throwing inefective jabs that dont land does not mean that you are controlling the round.
Biggs spent enough energy to fuel Tyson for 3 rounds in that very first round. Dumb fight plan. Running hyperactively might work if it's a 2 round fight, over 15 it's suicide... and you could see that because after that first round, Biggs was completely out of the fight.
And did anyone know anybody out there that was picking Biggs to win that bout at that time? He'd looked very vulnerable against David Bey in his previous bout. He looked average and there were other guys out there at the time he'd have had his hands full with. That's hardly the kind of credentials you'd want going into a Tyson bout. And Biggs held that chin straight up in the air like a pez dispenser. Those guys are always getting some smelling salts treatment once they start fighting elite fighters.
"Mike can be hit with the left jab if you time it properly. I don't think he would have gotten by Clay's left." - Floyd Patterson I think P Thomas and others had some success with their jabs against Tyson. Douglas obviously had a lot of success, and even if Tyson wasn't in top shape for the fight, there's no reason to believe he forgot how to slip a jab. He was 24 years old, had fought and trained regularly, so it's not like his basic skills had disappeared for some reason.
Only a dikkhead like slack16 could have, but he'd likely still been in nappies or not born. Even Biggs family would have secretly feared for him i'd say.
The only times that the jab has worked effectively (in terms of leading to a victory) against Tyson , is when it has been a good stiff jab and a strong 1. Like Holyfield and Douglas. I think there is more to it than to just say- 'the jan is something that Tyson struggles with', because most guys who have used the jab against Tyson have spelled their own doom doing so. Almost every1 that fought him was taller , and knew that you dont slug with him, so obviously they are gunna jab on the outside. Thats the way i see Biggs-Tyson anyway, his jab did land in that round, but it wasnt effective at all, it may have worked against someone who can be outpointed with solely movement and a not-powerful jab, but thats not Tyson, to beat Tyson you have to BEAT him, which is done with a stiff strong ja which eventually sets up other combos etc. I just think the Biggs fight is a bad example of what this thread is tryin' to say. Biggs did ok with that 2 minutes or so, but that was NEVER the way to beat Tyson, which is why Biggs was there
He was sure as hell vulnerable to Buster's jab, wasn't he? Tyson fought others with great jabs, but none of them could make it stick. They were either intimidated or just plain taken out of their game by the pre-1990 version of Tyson. Buster Douglas, however, in that one night of greatness just said "to hell with him" and asserted himself. I don't care what Douglas showed at any other time in his career, or how he is evaluated by everybody overall as a fighter, he showed on that night against Tyson what he was capable of, and it's fair, IMO to call up the Douglas of that night in 1990 to appear in any fantasy fight to care to propose, and he has a good shot at beating just about any great heavyweight in history. He looked just GREAT that night. That fight still amazes me.
Of course, Tyson was by no means easy picking for anyone with a decent jab. That would be foolish to claim. But neither was he invulnerable to jabs, which several of his fights testify to IMO. The only reason I can see why a prime Holmes wouldn't give Tyson problems with his jab is if he went into survival mode (like he did when they actually fought), and I would like to think better of him than that. But you can never know for sure...
Listen Slick, Tyson is not overrated, he earned his accolades. Tyson also has a warriors heart. When you compare thier resumes Tyson generally did better against thier 8 common opponents. Toughest fights are a matter of styles so thats something that can't be compared. Tyson's biggest fights are as follows: Berbick: result Tyson KO2 Tucker: result Tyson UD12 Spinks: result Tyson KO1 Holyfield II: result Holyfield WDQ 3 Lewis: result Lewis KO8 The whole knockdown issue and geting up to win a fight is blown way out of proportion. There is a big difference between winning a fight handidly, getting caught, hitting the canvas and getting up to resume to victory and getting beat from pillar to post and eventually getting dropped late in a fight. Big difference. Tyson never got dropped in a fight in which he was winning handidily, Holmes did which is the only reason why he was able to overcome the Knockdowns. BTW Tyson stopped Botha with 1 punch after losing the first 4 rounds. Prime for Prime Tyson has to be favored. Holmes will simply be unable to keep him off for 15 rounds. Tyson will land that right hand and won't let him off the hook. Tyson KO8 Larry Holmes.