When was Tyson's exact prime?

No fighter even remotely of Tyson's style has an 11 year prime. Look at Frazier, Marciano, Dempsey... I would say 86-90. After that he lost focus, then prison. He relied on so much movement, speed and agility, with such an expenditure of energy, that once he was out of the bloom of youth, it was over. He was never going to recapture that magic for more than a few rounds before becoming a stationary one-two fighter.

 

Prime years are 85-91.

Absolute peak has to be berbick through spinks.

 

says it all really

 

'87 - Pinklon Thomas, Tyrell Biggs fights

 

Tyson also was a technical mess and had reduced stamina post-prison.

It's not only "the energy sapping youth-oriented style" that made him look past prime faster than most fighters.

 

May 8th 1986 at 2:00pm.

 

atsch ****ing hell, Tommy. That's Foreman Hook. You're acting like a complete noob, mate. Making a thread over a Foreman Hook statement on Tyson...:rofl You might as well do one being all incredulous about a Frankenfrank post regarding Tua.

 

You get the prize! These two fights..Tyson was sublime..just great.

 

:rofl

 

:-( I bet he passed a note about you at play-lunch with a silly moniker too.

 

Around 87 .Maybe in the Tucker bout.

Mike showed he was a disciplined fighter with an excellent jab and very difficult to hit clean.

 

I felt his peak was from Holmes to Spinks and then the decline. Not an age decline, but a decline from not studying the sport as much and getting distracted. Im 1988 he could have beaten most anyone in history.

 

86 - 88 he was at his absolute best. But I still think he was a hell of a fighter even after that, except for the Douglas fight, all the way up to the second Ruddock fight.

Post prison he could still really punch, but I think even his punch was not quite as crisp and short as it was pre-prison. I especially noticed the drop off in pace, versatility and consistency, and certainly his defense and legs were not the same. What most struck me about Tyson is that I saw him get pushed and bulled back on several occasions, which is something I never saw in a prime Tyson. Still pretty good, but you can notice the drop off if you watch carefully.