What made Mike Tyson so popular ?

Explosive little beast with social problems

 

Anyone born in the 80's or before saw some Tyson. Highlights at the very least - and this is long before Youtube or even the Internet.

Boxing used to be bigger (although even by Tyson's time, it was declining as one of the premier sports in the US media). He was the last real guaranteed household name, as in no matter who you ask they've not only heard of Tyson but seen him land a knockout punch on someone at some point...even if they were not at all boxing fans.

He was a monster in the ring and interesting outside of it. LOTS of media coverage, disproportionate to how little boxing was already getting anymore by his era.

 

i was watching old Tyson footage right after he destroyed Spinks. - Larry Merchant was raving about the victory and he was discussing with a panal about how Mike Tyson may well be the greatest boxer of all time, and doubting wether anyone could ever have beated him. He was only about 21 at the time.

The guy has one of the most unique stories in all of Boxing, EVER!

 

Badass image, explosive knockouts, crazy antics, celebrity drama, cannibalism.

 

Excitement.

The easiest boxer for casual fans to warm to from the off.

 

Explosiveness and excitement in the ring.

A train wreck outside-----------that is until he started biting like a ***** late in his career, then they all blended into one massive implosion.

 

Probably because of the hype that surrounded him during his (short) prime.

He was as active as the old timers, even as a champion he fought with very small intervals and it didn't seem to bother him.
The question wasn't if he would beat his next opponent, but in wich round.
Mainstream media helped a lot with hyping him up. Even in countries like my own where boxing is very small.
Even my grandmother knew who he was, and she didn't even like boxing.
Mondays at school you totally missed out if you hadn't seen last fight (victim) cause that was the main topic for a few days at least.
And his fights were full of action... if you believe Haye was "exciting" then you surely haven't seen a Tyson fight.

 

When he unleashed, you could almost feel the pain he would deliver. I'd spar with De La Hoya, Mayweather, even Pac. You couldn't pay me enough to spar with Tyson. I would fear death when he was prime. He is the most explosive fighter ever IMO. The torque on those punches was devastating.

 

lots of KO1s

 

Tyson is so well known becuase he was so good!

He was one of the most famous people in the world long before Desiree Washington or the eat biting. He did not have a great personality like Ali, he was simply so famous becuase he was a wrecking machine. Nobody since Ali was as big as Tyson and nobody since Tyson has been anywhere near as big as he is/was.

This is why when people claim he was overrated, becuase their view is tainted by that shadow of a fighter we saw from Douglas onwards, that they need to realize, that if he wasn't really that good, why was he so much bigger than anybody before or since? It was because of what he did in the ring!

 

these...^

 

Punch out

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I miss the eighties

 

because of his gung ho style and because he was a maniac