Why there is not modern Mike Tyson in this era?

We all know big tall men get 9/10 knocked out when they fight short peek a boo fighter who can throw proper elite left hooks.

The last Mike Tyson style fighter who did well was Lamon Brewster. In this era there are Amir Mansour and Povetkin, but they are not even near the level what Tyson was.

 

Probably because Tyson was one of a kind troughout history. there wasn't a Tyson in the "golden era" either.

 

Lamont Brewster did not do well. Wlad was putting o beating on him while he was drugged, and then outclassed him in the rematch quite easily

 

9/10.....where did you get that statistic?

 

Well, you'll not get another Tyson but let's compare Tyson's era and you'll find out why you don't really get any similar.

First of all the size discrepancy is much bigger these days.

Mike's Stats: 5'10'' 71'' 220lbs (average)
Mike's opponents:

Lennox Lewis 6'5'' 84'' 249lbs
Andrew Golota 6'4'' 79'' 240lbs
Frans Botha 6'2'' 74'' 233lbs
Evander Holyfield 6'2'' 78'' 218lbs (2nd fight)
Frank Bruno 6'3'' 82'' 247lbs (2nd fight)
Donovan Ruddick 6'3'' 82'' 238lbs (2nd fight)
James Douglas 6'3'' 83'' 231lbs
Michael Spunks 6'2'' 76'' 212lbs
Tony Tucker 6'5'' 82'' 221lbs
Pinklon Thomas 6'3'' 77'' 217lbs
Trevor Berbick 6'2'' 78'' 218lbs

There were some bigger guys but none were at a decent level or McBride who fought a shot Tyson.

Now let's compare to today's heavy's. I'll pick around ten randomly.

Anthony Joshua 6'6'' 82'' 247lbs (average)
Deantay Wilder 6'7'' 83'' 220lbs (average)
Tyson Fury 6'9'' 85'' 260lbs (average)
Dillian Whyte 6'4'' 78'' 255lbs (average)
Luis Ortiz 6'4'' 84'' 240lbs (average)
Alexander Povetkin 6'2'' 75'' 225lbs (average)
Joseph Parker 6'4'' 74'' 245lbs (average)
Dominic Breazeale 6'7'' 81'' 260lbs average

That's discounting guys like the Klitschko's, Price, Joyce, Hughie Fury etc, the whole heavyweight landscape is just so much bigger now across the board that a guy like Tyson just won't come along and be able to walk through them for the same reason you didn't get guys like Salad, Muhammad, Czyz, Lampkin, Norris coming up and doing ****, just a bridge too far.

Not to say Tyson couldn't KO guys like Price but he'd be at a near foot disadvantage against a lot of guys today and the bigger guys just aren't as good on their feet, as swift with their hands, can fight at a higher pace etc as the smaller heavyweights of years gone by.

Simply put the heavyweight division is a different division to what it used to be.

 

I'm 6'4" send me your peak a boo short ass around my age (40-50) to batter senseless. Thanks.

 

Good post. The same argument applies for rugby union in the UK. All the "all-time greats" from the 70's were like 5'9 and 13 stone. They'd get chewed up and badly injured in todays game.

 

Tyson had freak athleticism. His proportions were unique. 5'10". No 5'10" boxer in history will have his dimensions again, that neck thickness in particular, with the ability to move still at lightening speed.

 

Plus he met one of the greatest trainers of all time, who in the final years of his life was waiting for someone exactly like Tyson to walk through his door to teach a style of fighting he was pretty much perfectly adapted for.

 

It takes a lot of natural talent along with a lot of hard work to perform like Tyson did. Tyson's style also required a lot of ring activity in order for him to be able to use the style effectively. Rooney insisted on Tyson fighting every 3-4 months, which Tyson got tired of by 1987 and eventually fired Rooney. In 89 Tyson's ring activity fell off a cliff. After the Spinks win Tyson didn't fight for 8 months before fighting Bruno, which was an awful performance by Tyson. Tyson then went on to beat Williams in one round, but then took another 7 month layoff before fighting Douglas. Even after he was fired by Tyson Rooney admitted that Tyson could still continue to dominate if he stayed active, since he was that good, but had a feeling Tyson would get lazy without him by his side.

Futch thought Tyson was not in condition for the match.

''He didn't seem to have the snap,'' Futch said. ''He seemed to tire early and fought in spurts. He was not in the kind of condition he normally is in. Those long layoffs are bad for him. Mike Tyson was most effective when he was fighting regularly.''

Inactivity also ruined Brewster. When he was active and fighting ever 3-5 months he was a beast. But, when he started fighting once a year he became a heavybag.

Povetkin on the otherhand was never active enough as a pro to ever reach his full potential in my opinion. Also, Atlas, who trained Povetkin admitted that Povetkin was lazy and was never 100 percent dedicated and would let himself down when the big fight came. Atlas was proven right when Povetkin under performed when he fought Wlad.


I know you didn't mention him, but Frazier is another fighter that had a style that required lots of ring activity. Futch mentioned that Frazier needed to be fighting every 3-4 months to be effective, but got lazy once the money started coming in. By 1970 Frazier's ring activity went way down and it showed in how he performed in the ring. After beating Ali Frazier had an 8 month layoff. He made two inconsequential defenses and then took another 8 month layoff before defending against Foreman.

Futch talking about Frazier before the Foreman fight.

"The closer the fight got, the harder I was on Joe. Joe was party-hopping. A few nights before the fight, Joe asked me if he could go out and check a party. He told me he’d be back in 10 minutes. I said alright. Well, after 15 minutes, he wasn’t back. I drove over to the club where Joe said he would be. When I went to check on him, there was Joe on stage, singing with his group, The Knockouts. Joe stained his sport shirt with sweat. I was so angry that I went up on stage, grabbed the microphone and hit him on the head with it. I got him out of there.”

 

His ass!

 

For the same reason we didn't have one before Mike Tyson's era: he had one-of-a-kind physique and talent, and also the only trainers who taught that style were Cus D'Amato and his successor Kevin Rooney.

1987 Tyson would KO or shut out any of today's heavies.

 

To have a Tyson you need a Cus D'Amato yes Tyson was the one getting in the ring but Cus was the brain the guy who came up with the game plan they where a team and as soon as tyson lost Cus he was never the same

 

A lot of today's heavyweight fighters have inflated heights. Also, to be fair Lennox Lewis was always 6'4" 1/2 and Holyfield was 6'1" at the most.

Luis Ortiz isn't 6'4". Here is Ortiz being towered over by Malik Scott, who is a legitimate 6'4" Ortiz is most likely 6'1" 1/2.
https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https://blogs-images.forbes.com/brianmazique/files/2016/11/111016scott00t.jpg

Believe it or not, Scott has the physical tools and boxing acumen to give Ortiz a problem. Both men are listed at 6'4", but if you see them standing next to each other, Scott is clearly a bigger man.

Ortiz was also shorter a little shorter than David Allen, who himself has said he is 6'2" 1/2.

Dillian Whyte also isn't 6'4". He was the same height as David Allen who is 6'2"1/2.
https://www.boxingnews24.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/whyte34.jpg

In the Olympics Wlad was listed at 6'4" 1/2, but had his height inflated to 6'6" for marketing.
https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/kl/wladimir-klitschko-1.html

Joshua and 6'4"1/2 Wlad standing next to each other. Both are virtually the same height. But, Joshua might just be slightly taller, but not by much. Also, its worth nothing that Joshua was always listed at 6'5" as an amateur, but started getting listed as 6'6" for marketing reasons as a pro.
https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/jo/anthony-joshua-1.html

Also, Fury isn't 6'9" and Wilder isn't 6'7". Espinoza described both as closer to their real heights. Fury at most is 6'7" and Wilder is 6'6".

"Wilder vs. Fury is a really intriguing fight both because of the styles in the ring and the personalities outside the ring," Espinoza said. "Deontay and Tyson are two of the most likable and most entertaining characters in boxing. . But all the entertainment aside, it is a high-level heavyweight fight between two of the top guys in the division and two huge athletes at 6-6 and 6-7, the two tallest and biggest guys in the sport today."

Fury standing next to 6'6" Carmelo Anthony
https://www.proboxing-fans.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/tyson-fury-carmelo-anthony.jpg

 

Well because like Lomachenko, like SRL and Ali he is a once in a generation talent that we will never see again, all of them had boxing styles and attributes never seen before and that made them unique