Why do people try to downplay Holyfield's first win against Tyson?

It was a very good win. And Holyfield was indeed past his prime and an underdog. He was 34 years old, with on and off health issues and hadn't looked particulary good as of late. but Tyson was past his best too. He had lost 4 years of his career to a jail sentence and his style and physical attributes didn't make for lasting well into old age. That and he had abandoned a lot of the fundamentals that made him successful in the 80's. Still a very important fight for both men and for the fans. But neither of these guys were at their pinnacle nor even close.

 

Yeah, it was a good win for Holyfield.

Tyson certainly suffered from being 4 years away in jail and those quick wins did not mentally prepare him for a tough opponent.
But during that time Holyfield had been beaten up a couple of times by Bowe and even looked horrible against Moorer. He was damaged goods.

Truthfully, Holyfield was probably further from his prime than Tyson was.
Not sure why anyone would downplay Holyfield's win over Tyson in 1996. I know some Tyson fans like to 'erase' all his defeats, or excuse them, that might be it.

Frank Bruno was nothing special but I don't think anyone else at that time would have run through him so easily. :good

 

yes, totally agree, however, I don't really know who you are talking about when you say "people are downplaying the first fight" ??? I wasn't aware of that, I thought Holy was in total control of their first fight, that was why Tyson bit him, lol

 

yes he ate big shots, and he took them so well it was shocking, Holy's jaw was amazing :good

 

Great fight for Holyfield. It was a huge upset. When the fight was announced, it was met with a collective groan. I think Holyfield started out as a 20-something to one underdog, and it came down.

People thought Tyson would blow out Evander when Tyson was the champ in the late 80s. When they were scheduled to fight in 1991, Tyson was expected to stop him. Nobody had really ever expected Holyfield to win, even when Evander was at his best.

So, when he stopped Tyson in 1996, it was huge. HUGE!

 

I agree for the most part. Tyson may have lost a little something but he was still ferocious in '96. He tore Bruno to pieces, although it must be said that Bruno was always way too slow for Tyson.
In any event, Holyfield was considered well on the slide based on recent bouts as as you say, seen as easy pickings.

I have always maintained that Tyson was Holyfield's Everest. They had been destined to meet for years and Holyfield had studied Tyson like a textbook. He has said so many times. He even knew which punch Tyson always opened with, which is why he got surprised with the first punch Tyson threw because it wasn't the one he was expecting!

I thought both fought a pretty good fight but Holyfield got momentum when he dropped Tyson in the 7th. Mike lost something after that and Holyfield assumed control.

Some observations:

*Holyfield seemed quicker than Tyson.

*Tyson neglected the body and paid for it.

*Tyson usually turned passive in clinches. He was no different here. Was Holy actually outmuscling him or did Tyson just allow it?

I do think Tyson was intimidated (to a degree) in the rematch. Unlike most though, I saw the bite a sign of extreme frusration, stemming from the headbutts Holyfield was notorious for. This was carrying over from the first fight.

In my opinion, had it been a fear of
of losing he could have quit between rounds and claimed a bogus injury. For me, it was the sign of a man who had completely stripped and lost all rational thought.

Not condoning such a despicable act mind you, just giving my view.

 

I never called him " shot". I said that neither of these men were at their pinnacle nor even close. And you'd be hard pressed to find both an honest and knowledgeable fan or expert who would argue otherwise.

 

yeah it would me too,,,

I loved them both however, Holy just had Tyson's number both fights :thumbsup

 

Agreed. Which is precisely why he was such a big underdog and hence why I elaborated on his recent past.

 

I don't. Holy whipped Mike's ass

 

One can't make excuses for Mike here. He was nearer his prime, he was rampaging again and seemed destined for an 80's domination repeat, he looked in awesome shape etc.

For Tokyo you can make excuses (watch Foxy jump on this remark) but not here.