****yzing Mike Tyson's title defenses

Tucker could have been so much better, watching him in the Tyson fight.
He just lacked something....i don't think he had the desire or mentality to be great. Physically he had it all. Kinda like Douglas, but Douglas put it together one night in Tokyo.

 

Maybe he played it safe to avoid counters? Who knows. To me, Tucker looked like he fought to the level of his opposition.

 

One of the best HW title runs, no doubt. Think the OP made a balanced break-down.

 

I don't know.
I've never been able to make much sense of Tucker's management/promoter/trainer changes.
He had his father involved as a trainer and a manager for a lot of the time.

I suspect Steward couldn't moved him anywhere in the heavyweight division. Steward had a lot of fighters closing in on world titles then, possibly didn't have the time or energy to train a heavyweight who inevitably would have to work to Don King's schedule if wanted to get anywhere.

 

It was the prefect fight to build off.
If he had been put in the ring again a few months later and stayed active in 1988 and into '89 against decent opponents he could have been a solid rival and threat to Tyson, Holyfield, Bowe, Lewis and whoever.
He would have been a big name like them as well, capitalizing on the Tyson fight. He was in his prime.

Instead he disappeared, did a load of drugs, and resurfaced as an 'old' fighter.

 

Exactly, he all the size and talent to be another Lewis. Poor management and/or lack of desire.

Him and Holyfield would have been a great fight 88-90. And I think he would have handled himself vs Bowe too.

If he'd played his cards right, it could have been him causing the upset in Tokyo and not Douglas.

 

Yeah, haven't watched the fight in a long while, but I remember thinking he more or less quit trying to win and went into survival mode after a good opening three rounds. He said he hurt his right hand (broke it I think). Maybe that's why.