Why was Tyson's prime so early?

Obviously he could have done better without his head being ****ed so badly. But no excuses.

 

He possessed a body type and the talents to excel at a certain style that doesn' t have a long shelf life, but certainly he could have lasted longer at the top. Too much, too soon, and lacking a reliable support network and mental stability to maintain his success.

 

His entire style was based on speed and timing.

 

Absolutely not. He could've maintained that level for longer if things didn't fall apart, but I can't see him being better than he already was. He was a phenom.

 

well I disagree on that, his technique was amazing. To me someone who is all about timing is someone like Carlos Monzon or Alexis Arguello, not Mike Tyson.

 

Because he went to prison.

Contrary to fan boy belief or insistence, he was very much in his physical prime when he lost to Douglas, sporting a filthy good 37-0 (33 KO) record, had individually unified the titles, was undisputed champ of the world, had made 9 defenses of his WBC title, 8 of his WBA and 6 as World. He basically had a HOF caliber career at this point at 23 years old. What type of training or lack there of he did for a particular fight is another matter. One would be inclined to argue his skills began to diminish after leaving Kevin Rooney and it'd be factual. However, they weren't in such decay that he couldn't of beaten Evander Holyfield in Nov 1991. The Tyson that came out to fight in his four post-Douglas fights before prison started to become more and more of headhunter and less of a complete fighter, but he was definitely one mean son-of-a-*****, and his speed was still intact to go with the power.

He wasn't going to get better in terms of skills, but the prison sentence basically cut the circuit on any lengthly second title run he had in mind or could've achieved.

 

Yeah i didn't mention every attribute that Tyson was dependent on. of course his technique was important (his short punching and combinations specifically

 

Also important to note that while on top, Tyson had a very legitimate argument as the best fighter in the world, pound-for-pound, and was actually No. 1 on The Ring's inaugural, official rankings in 1989. Highly doubtful it would've been much different in 1988 (widely considered his absolute peak) or 1987 (when he added the WBA and IBF titles). 1986 he was much more active and won the WBC title in November of the year in dominant fashion.

 

Horrible habits, a bad lifestyle, and an overrated defense.

His head movement was terrific, but pure head movement while constantly moving forward is never an awesome way to not take punches. He was often hit, even in fights where he rolled over guys.

Amazing, dynamic destroyer, but his very style wasn't tailored to last long. Had everything gone perfectly, I'm reasonably sure Cus would have had him retire around 30.

 

It's really amazing how fast he flew off the rails after making his deal with the devil. Can't help but shake your head when you watch stuff like this:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_VML2f7SaY&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_VML2f7SaY&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/ame]

After losing the title, in March 1991:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-QYvrVKVZ4&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-QYvrVKVZ4&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/ame]

 

I always noticed this which always led me to believe the whole Cus peekaboo thing was more effort than it was worth, and at best essentially a young man's style, for a fighter who had energy to burn. Despite all that movement, he still got tagged, even in fights he would dominate.

I've been rewatching a lot of Dempsey lately... well, everything that is available. What are your thoughts on his very offense oriented bob and weave?

 

Jack Dempsey had lead in his fists, and was full of **** and vinegar. His defense was, based on the film I've seen, fairly poor. He swings wide, hands down, always on the attack. The Firpo fight is a great example: His every effort, every breathe, in the ring was to finish his opponent. All the opponent had to do to hit him back was have the wherewithal to swing. Dude was ruthlessness embodied in a boxer, not brilliant. I've not seen Dempsey footage where his opponent doesn't hit him pretty regularly, or with big shots. Even Willard was getting work done in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, despite his face no longer existing.

Cus is a great trainer, but his style of fighting is overrated. There is a reason he latched on to the greatest of athletes under his charge. He needed those kids to be that good to make his style effective. Its utterly exhausting, and defensively unsound. Sure does set up the hook nice, though.

 

Thanks for your response, a thanks no less sincere because you verified to a T my thoughts on the subjects.

 

First off he was naturally big for his age, at 15 he was huge and already well developed.

Second he was a very angry young guy, the kind of anger that when focused becomes a wrecking machine. Cus gave him focus, a way to channel his fury.

With the money, fame and lifestyle the hunger dissipated and when then leaves you're left with Tyson post 91', good but not great.