When was Mike Tyson's prime?

This question has to be asked because some people are just straight up delusional when it comes to putting Mike's career into perspective.

I'm one of the biggest Tyson fans ever but I try to have an inkling of objectivity. Let's just look at what he did and the time in which he had done it. He steam rolled through the ranks and beat all of the guys he was supposed to beat. it's not his fault the division wasn't stocked with elite talent; he dominated the way you're supposed to do against that level of talent.

My problem has always been how these Tyson nutthuggers can't realize or just don't want to accept that he lost to Douglas, in his prime!

I don't think his prime was during his time in prison; even then, he still lost to Douglas before that. It kills me to hear people claim how every time he lost he wasn't in his prime. Mike would stop fighting then roll off a few solid wins, then the nutthuggers would come back out and make the claim of how "The Old" Mike Tyson is back.

I see some of the comments on youtube and how people who have no clue, claim how he was the greatest ever, PERIOD, as if there isn't even a small argument.

I agree he was a great talent but as great as he was against most of his opponents, I think it's safe to say he still did not fulfill his full potential. Mike was a mental midget, let's not forget that. He had a powerful body and punch but he could not handle adversity as some of the other greats had done, heavyweights and otherwise.

Look, the guy wasn't in the greatest era, yet, he only had two re-matches (Ruddock, Holyfield) and never avenged any of his losses (outside of his amateur loss to Henry Tillman). He quit more than Duran, yet people remember "no mas" more than any of Mike's numbers.

Finally, I'd be remissed if I did not mention the mental meltdown against Kevin McBride. I don't believe he was in too deep but, hey, who the hell am I? Anyway, when shit got deep, he went to the biting the thumb of his glove routine! Yeah, the same thing he did as an amateur when he was completely unsure of himself. If that's not a blast from the past, I don't know what is.


Guys can lose in their prime. Leonard, Hearns, Saad Muhammad, Duran, the list goes on. Why can't the nutthuggers accept the obvious?

 

1987-prison.

 

I can agree with that! How do you explain the nutthuggerdry that make people continue to say he still had "IT" after prison even though he stopped using combinations during the first Bruno fight?

 

My best guest? People see what they want to see.

 

HA HA!! AIN'T THAT A FUCKING GOOD ONE!!!!!!!!!

 

You know what I'm talking about.

 

Yeah I know...........People need to realize......Mikes prime was like 1986-1989.

 

I love the whole, "86-88," line his delusional fans spout. It's laughable. You wouldn't find one single article or report suggesting Mike Tyson was, "past his prime," in 1989. It's a joke.

He was in his prime when he faced Douglas. People just do not wish to accept it.

 

He lost that fight. He was obviously past his best.

 

Wonderfully convenient for all Tyson fans ::

 

Yet- and I am being sincere here- people will sit there with a straight face and tell you that "that wasn't the real Mike Tyson that night".:say:

 

Which is a crock, as I see it. I can accept he prepared himself poorly. I cannot accept, for even a minute, that he was, "past his prime."

Many of the excuses afforded to Tyson, in any event (marital, promotional, training problems), were common-place for literally an infinite number of fighters through history. No excuses there, & none for Tyson.

 

Mike Tyson Still HASN'T Reached his Prime...Just Wait, Mike's Gonna Get BACK w/Kevin Rooney, they're Gonna Go BACK to the Numerical Punch Sequencing System, Mike's Gonna Go BACK to Moving his Head AND he's Gonna REGAIN his Focus...

Just like the Guy Said in "The Hangover", Mike's "STILL Got It!!"



REED:hammert:

 

Mike also has to work his way in behind the jab. That's key.

 

Has there ever been a fighter with as much talent as Tyson who under-achieved in his career so drastically?

Probably there's been one or two, but he's one hell of an example.

 

Yeah, remember the crap Ali was dealing with before the Thriller in Manila? He had his wife AND mistress in the mix; at one point, he had his mistress introduced as his wife! :dunno:MILKA WAH????

 

There are literally countless examples. Not dozens, or hundreds, but countless. That's what bothers me about Tyson apologists. The whole scenario was nothing unique or special, much as they claim it to be.

Barney Ross, Ezz Charles, Archie Moore, Muhammad Ali, Benny Leonard, Joe Louis...on & on & on & on it goes. No one made excuses for them on their worst day. No one should make excuses for Tyson on his.

 

The Lone Star Cobra

 

Like I say, I'm sure there've been a few examples similar to Tyson, but I am hard-pressed to find a case which is clearly, inarguably worse than Tyson. He is one of the great under-achievers in all of history, yet even so, I would not have him anything worse than just a fraction outside my top-10 all-time Heavies (using head-to-head moreso than accomplishments, obviously).

 

Based on what? Every fighter that came to fight him and pushed him, he folded against.

 

Almost right... I think Ruddock came to fight Tyson and gave a good effort. He actually pushed Tyson and asked a few questions about Mike's chin and determination. Mike didn't fold.

And Ruddock was a relatively feared fighter at the time. He had walked right through several division mainstays like Bonecrusher and James Broad. He also almost decapitated Michael Dokes.

Nope, Tyson typically folded when he faced adversity but Ruddock was a good test and Tyson didn't collapse.

 

Otherwise: Buster would have beaten any HW ever that night.

 

I still remember when Art Rust Jr., A guy who I respect tremendously, stated on a documentary how the night Tyson beat Spinks in 91 seconds, "There wasn't anyone on the planet in history who could have beaten Mike that night"...WTF???

Based on what? Blowing out a former light heavy who was scared out of his wits before the first bell, or better yet, before the ink dried on the contract?

I never believed an old school guy would spew that while the jury was still out. What did Mike do that was so different than any of his other fights that night? He rushed out and tried to overwhelm his opponent like he always had done. What would Ali had done? What would Foreman had done? What would a prime Holmes have done? Shit, what would Jimmy Young had done?..... Hell, I'm almost tempted to ask what would Gerry Cooney have done!

 

Riddick Bowe is a far better example. He had the size and skill to be one of the very best HW's in history but his lack of determination and willingness to train turned him into a HW that would be largely forgotten if not for the battles with the smaller Holyfield and the low blow bouts with that Polish dude whose name I will never type.

When Eddie Futch says a guy had the most potential of anyone he ever trained, that is saying something.

 

The guy became the unisputed hw champion of the world. I'd hardly call that underachieving. Realistically, he reached the top of the mountain.

 

I don't see anyone saying he wasn't in his physical prime for the Buster fight, of course he was. But it is undeniable that he was undeprepared for Douglas

 

Thing is, are you still in your prime when all your physical attributes are intact but you're not willing to push yourself to the limit in training as you used too ??? That was more the problem with Tyson, he lost his focus with all the money, partying, drugs and celebrity status

 

Tysons downfall and training started to fall when he married Robyn Givens. He no longer had the hunger and desire to train like he had prior to living the "good life".

A & E documentary on Tyson:

"I watched Bruno rock Mike in the first round. ROCKED HIM! I saw a HUNDRED mistakes....a hundred." ---Kevin Rooney

I also believe Tyson betrayed the style that got him to the top of the sport. Head movement, combination punching, footwork. He became a plodding, one-punch-at-a time, badly conditioned heavyweight.

Same thing happened to Tito Trinidad. Its nothing new. instead of trying to gauge where and when Tyson lost his prime by looking at the calibur of his opponents, its easier than that. Look at the way hefought from one fight to another. Its pretty easy to see.

 

Tyson was in his prime between Nielsen and McBride fights. He had the experience in addition to his physical abilities then. Too bad the division and fighters had developed meawhile

 

aaaaaand we're back to 'Mike never lost in his prime'.

Glad to see we've all progressed since 2002.