What if tyson had served full sentence?

He would have been shot when he left prison, that amount of inactivity and coming back after 30 wouldn't do a swarmer like Tyson any good. Swarmers usually have a short and exciting prime.

The Buster Douglas loss would have been seen as a fluke (obviously I see Tyson winning any other time, but the circumstances were against him and they favoured Buster).

People would say he could have been the GOAT but it got taken away because of his prison sentence.

 

It's hard to imagine Tyson been anyway as effective if he served his full sentence but his name alone would have ensured that he would have at least got a title shot. Even after the 3 years that he did serve, it was clear that he wasn't the same fighter that he was before he went in. Like most inmates, the only training he probably did was heavy weights and he did look more like a bodybuilder than a fighter. Maybe after the full 6 years, he wouldn't even have been able to get into any fighting shape at all and would abort any plans of a ring return?

 

He would get more of a free pass for not being in his prime that's for sure. Many actually think Tyson was still at his peak in 96 lol

Makes a question like this interesting. If Holyfield beat him after a 6 year lay off would it still be said holy always had his number?

 

Tyson wasnt that bad in 96 and especially not in the holyfield rematch. The only thing keeping Tyson from winning or putting up a great fight against holyfield the second time was his mind. I think Tyson that fought holyfield the first time was much better prepared than the walking punching bag that fought douglas. The one that fought Holyfield the second time looked IMO as good as a 30-31 year old Mike tyson could have possibly looked under any circumstances.


I read Holyfields biography and he thought" It was strange that tyson bit him because he just got into his rythm" implying Tyson would have had very good chances if he had just fought on.

"I tried to take back the momentum in the 3rd round but Tyson was too ferocious especially with his left."

"he looked alot fitter than before and had a spring to his step"
"his hands were moving faster than i'd ever seen them"
"his reflexes were tuned to the max like a plucked string"
quotes from Becoming Holyfield, evanders autobiography.

I personally think Tyson was decently prepared the first time, there were some things he did and tried in the first holyfield fight that he wouldnt have done if he was completely out of shape like he was against douglas, Holyfield was just even better prepared and had a perfect Gameplan(step inside the hook with head down....roll with the lead right, counter right uppercut/shovel hook) in addition to being physically stronger, harder punching than he was before tyson went to jail. But the second time i truly believe if he had his mind right he wouldnt have been more than 10% off his very best based on how his reflexes looked and how holyfield described him in his book.

 

It is an interesting question. I'd have to think back a bit. A lot to consider. In terms of Bruno I always felt he was unlucky to face his bogeyman on his first defence. He may have managed a couple of defences otherwise but I don't think he would have lasted long anyway. I think with Tyson you ask the question would he even come back? What would his mindset be, better or worse than when he did get out?

Tyson would be the hasbeen I think, if he did return. He aura might be completely gone.

Maybe Lewis Holyfield happens quicker, I give holy a good chance a few years younger. Maybe Lewis would be his Tyson, an unexpected expected victory.

 

That's a decent post, I'll reply in more detail later. What I'd quickly say is I can't see how Tyson was that prepared the first time when he didn't have a proper trainer? He was out of gas and ideas quickly. The rematch he looked great, agree the mind stopped him.

 

He wasnt great the first time but he was better than against douglas. I would sayin terms of how good he was compared how good he could have been at that point in time tokyo Tyson is a 20%, 96 Tyson a 50-60% and Bite fight Tyson 95-100%.

0% being a fighter who is 30 pounds overweight and on vacation
50% the fighter has been in the gym training but not with a lot of vigor or intensity.
100% The fighter applied himself completely in camp and did everything he culd to be as well prepared as possible.

He tried a lot of things. Left Hook right hand was meant to turn hoyfields head into the right hand because usually holyfield would roll with the hook but instead he steppend inside of it with his head down. So Tyson tried just the lead right hand. He tried the right to the body. problem was that tyson kind of fell into Holyfield when he lunged in with a right(just like holyfield lunged into bowe with his lead right in the first fight) and Holyfield countered with right uppercuts, didnt let him rest inside. Tyson also tried slipping the jab to the inside and coming with hooks to the body and then the head. Problem was everytime Tyson tried to slip to the inside Hlfield would follow up with a right hand which tysons head would be in the way of and then he'd shove him off balance.

Tyson wasnt prepared mentally for a tough fight which is why he looked like crap from round 2-middle of round 4. Then he settled into fighting but just ended up losing to the better fighter that night.
Holyfield did headbutt him and do some other dirty things but Tyson had done the same things to other opponents and should have been ready to deal with it. The second fight i thought the headbutt that opened Tysons eye was blatant, he even changed direction/trajectory of his body.

 

I agree with Contro, Tyson wasn't grossly under prepared like the Douglas fight. But he wasn't fighting fit, this was the level of preparation he would need to take an easy fight like McNeeley. Not Holyfield. The second time round he would have won if he kept it together, I honestly think that.

 

His level of preperation was adequate for what they thought was a shot Holyfield just showing up for a payday but beating Tyson was extremely important to Holyfield, and despite some health problems and inconsistencies in some fights he hadnt declined as much as some people thought and had actually gotten bigger, stronger, harder punching, smarter and a better defender which compensated for slowing down. IMO Holyfield of 96 had gotten better in some aspects compared to 1990 holyfield but obvioulsy was older slower and threw less punches but i think 1996 Holyfield was at least as well or maybe even better suited to beat 1996 Tyson than the more reckless, smaller pre Bowe version.
Tyson said in his book that he wasnt reay for the big fights after prison, he wanted to come back like Foreman did with many smaller fights to build him up but he had signed big fight contracts in jail and his hand was forced by his greed and contractual obligations