No Electricity like Tyson electricity

Comment

Comment by foripu on November 5, 2009 at 3:15pm

WORD UP!

Comment by J. Powell on November 5, 2009 at 3:08pm

I think much of Tyson's career was hyped, but it doesn't take away his accomplishments, fastest K.O's for a HW, youngest champion, etc. I think many people were looking for him to be the next big thing, and he lived up to that hype until Buster. I think his career wouldn't have been derailed if he had Cus D'Amato around him longer to help him stay on track!

Comment by foripu on November 4, 2009 at 1:08pm

when ever anyone speaks on mike tyson i only think about his accomplishments that's what made an impact on me. i fully understand what you're saying though, look at de la hoya he fought almost every body, very few what if in his career. i never liked byrd he cried way too much for a grown man.

Comment by BoxingWriter.co.uk on November 4, 2009 at 12:37pm

Tis true, if you want to now protect rather than revere him. But we must judge fighters in their entirety, for what they did, and did not do.

I reduce Bowe's standing on his willingness to bin the WBC belt rather than fight Lennox Lewis and similarly I have to bring Tyson fanatics, not that I'm suggesting you're that narrow minded, to task if they over-state either his accomplishments or ability to beat those of his, or other eras. His resume would have been richer and thicker with victories, no matter how easy they may have proven, against even the likes of Mercer, Morrison and Briggs let alone Bowe, Foreman or Moorer. And I haven't mentioned Byrd, Tua or Klitschko who were all viable contenders during his last reincarnation. He could have beaten some, if not all of them and they would have been richer, more credible victories than the smoke screens he did fight behind.

However, as you say, he wasn't mentally stable enough to be sure of victory.

Fine, but we cannot excuse the ommissions when considering is ALL-TIME place can we?

Comment by foripu on November 4, 2009 at 12:22pm

i understand the "era" you talking about, i'm saying mercer was that good to defeat a prime mike tyson. even mike said he career ended in 1990. i felt he should fought fall of them though, Moorer, Briggs, Bowe they kinda faltered mentally when the going got rough. would you have let tyson fight in the state he was in? etienne

Comment by BoxingWriter.co.uk on November 4, 2009 at 11:54am

Yes but the period I'm speaking of in the 1990's removes Mike from his prime, whether he was as physically pristine is immaterial, he failed to conjure a run of form to match his 1985-1988 pomp. So to suggest a match between Bowe and a prime Tyson isn't the point. I'm talking about the version of Mike who was feasting on Seldon and Bruno and proclaiming his greatness once more.

Why wasn't he tackling Foreman, Moorer, Briggs, Bowe....those guys? Because they were scared to put the cash cow in with a puncher.

The Holyfield fight drew the cash to force it and Holyfield was believed to be shot-to-shit after wars with Bowe.

He wasn't and the Tyson myth of the 1990's was exposed, twice. On his post Holyfield run, he was kept even further from harm but still managed to be outboxed by Franz Botha for 5 rounds. He was pencilled in to fight Mercer as a warm-up for Lewis, but he was too unstable and fragile for the match-up and got a pastry instead, was it Nielsen or Etienne, I forget.

I believe Bowe would have been very, very competitive with Mike Tyson of 94-95.

Comment by foripu on November 4, 2009 at 11:46am

medicated mike lol, do you think bowe would've beaten tyson? he would've ran like he did from lennox, and i'm not sayin mercer didn't want a piece out the people you just named i think he could've beaten a prime mike tyson. how many times did that lewis vs tyson fight fall through because of lennox's excuses. think about it if mike would've fought or beaten george it would've been another holmes/ali situation, nobody really consider george having a chance until he beat moorer. i know u remember the sports illustrated cover with a bloody foreman on front.

Comment by BoxingWriter.co.uk on November 4, 2009 at 11:08am

I'm not so sure it is that clear cut Fori. During what period was Lewis avoiding Tyson? The truth is Tyson never beat a resourceful, ambitious heavyweight after he lost to Douglas. His prime was a beautiful thing but it did expose him as a fighter with limitations despite its brilliance. I don't think he was invincible.

And it was preciously short, once he returned from the Douglas fight and incarceration he was never put in harms way until the cash-cow proved too big to resist. A Tyson v Foreman fight would have been HUGE. Are you telling me they didn't put that fight together to protect Big George? Bullshit.

Did Bowe, Lewis, Mercer, Foreman, Tua really duck and avoid Tyson? I don't believe so. And no, I don't believe Briggs would have beaten Tyson, but again the battle of the bad boys, the battle of New York would have been HUGE. And Briggs would have gone down punching.

Instead we had Seldon, Bruno, McNeeley, Botha, Norris, Etienne, Savarese et al. Hardly a murderer's row of punchers - Bruno aside, none of them could punch and none of them were legitimate threats to even an unmotivated, medicated Mike.

Comment by foripu on November 4, 2009 at 10:56am

everybody and they momma know lewis avoided tyson, they kept foreman away from him saying he was too old, they said tua was the next tyson, do really think briggs could've beaten tyson? what really beat him was all his problems outside the ring, when he was focused he was invincible. look how many people stepped up for the belt after he went to prison.