Would Mike Tyson Be Simply Too Small, To Be Successful Now?

I know exactly what you mean.

Modern Fighter A gets rocked for 5 seconds for the first time in 30+ fights and within 5 minutes there are dozens of tweets, YouTube videos, and threads with people saying their "glass jaw is exposed" and that "it's just a matter of time before a world class fighter knocks them out". God forbid they lose even 1 fight no matter how competitive, then seemingly everyone writes them off even if it was to a good opponent.

Fighters are expected to be perfect and the moment they struggle or show a hint of weakness people see that as proof we shouldn't have gotten our hopes up.

 

And if they stay undefeated it just proves that they cherrypicked.

 

To be fair this can be the case with clever matchmaking, but often if someone has a long career facing the biggest names, this accusation has less and less merit.

It's a huge red flag when someone blames a fighter for things beyond their control. Like if an opponent they beat reveals they had an injury they didn't disclose.

 

Like Briggs bringing up his "phantom asthma", leaving Teddy Atlas completely flabbergasted (Atlas had sat by his bedside in the hospital and never heard a single word about asthma, and apparently no one else in his circle either...until Briggs lost lol!).

 

No, Teddy Atlas is full of **** and burned a bridge with another fighter.

Briggs had a TUE for corticosteroids, used for asthma.

 

This was 2003 and Tyson was thirteen years out of his prime. The question, as I see it, is can a Tyson, in his prime, do to say Joshua (long enough to get the knock out) what he was able to do Lennox for a round, thirteen years outside his best?

I don’t see an era in boxing where someone with the physical gifts of speed and power Tyson had, with the pedigree of D’amato behind him not being a champion at some point.

He would most likely hold a belt for a year or two.

 

I don’t think anyone today gives Tyson to hard a time except Joshua. Most of his opponents were pretty close in size to today’s guys. Wilder is pretty light but he’d be knocked out in one. Fury would do about as good as Holmes. Povetkin would have probably been his biggest hurdle (prime one not today). If you could control distance and had an iron chin you could survive Tyson. There is no one today that he wouldn’t at least be favored against when In his prime.

 

The guy who got stopped by a fat quick-fisted combo puncher who isn't in the same league as Tyson in those respects fares the best?

Please....

 

You must mean grandpa Holmes.

 

I do not take anything away from a man that has earned his championship in the ring as long as he defends his title, but this guy prefers snorting the white illegal powder than defending his belt. I cannot compare him to past greats, they fought often, did not blow hot air. Look st Muhammad Ali and those that came after him, they all fought, giving fans their money's worth. He is not going to fight Deontay Wilder, or Anthony Joshua, by that time, it will be 2024, those guys will be enjoying their well deserved retirements. I will believe Fury will fight again, when I see it happen. Maybe it will happen when pigs fly.

 

oink oink, Lol I like bacon, Ha Ha.

 

To beat Wlad in a dull methodical boring fight and clear enough to get the decision in Germany was quite impressive, just for the fact that "dull methodical boring" boxing was Wlad's own game.

It's not a great win in the true sense, but it hinted towards Fury having a well above-average "ring IQ".

 

Yes, there's definitely something more premediated aboutt the steroid use compared to foul tactics in fights.

I will say, for most of the 1990s no one really cared about steroids in boxing, testing was ineffective or completely neglected.
Like you allude to, many PED users are dabbling or justifying their use with injuries, are not 'juiced to the gills' ..... but there's that grey area. I tend to think most long-time elite pros have used something on the banned list from time to time.