Does Anyone Agree With Teddy Atlas' Latest Take on Mike Tyson?

[ShoulderRoll]

All I can add is that there was for me an aura of invincibility that Tyson projected especially after the Quick Tillis fight which I feel could have gone either way. Then he went on an impressive run after that fight and KO'd some pretty durable fighters in Berbick, Pinklon Thomas and tubby Larry who was a tough one to dominate and KO. Then Don King swooped in I think in 1988 and it was never the same for him. He simply lost that eye of the tiger which Douglass exploited and he was NEVER close to the same again.

Don King screwing him over, along with Robin Givens and her mother taking advantage of him, pretty much ruined Tyson. They were tougher blows to overcome than anything that was ever dished out to him in the ring I suspect.

Still, with all that going on plus a lax training camp and an incompetent corner team he almost came back and beat Buster Douglas anyway. That, along with the beating he endured against Lennox Lewis before succumbing, showed me he had more heart than some want to give him credit for.

[BKM-]

All I can add is that there was for me an aura of invincibility that Tyson projected especially after the Quick Tillis fight which I feel could have gone either way. Then he went on an impressive run after that fight and KO'd some pretty durable fighters in Berbick, Pinklon Thomas and tubby Larry who was a tough one to dominate and KO. Then Don King swooped in I think in 1988 and it was never the same for him. He simply lost that eye of the tiger which Douglass exploited and he was NEVER close to the same again.

I don't see it at all. Nothing changed in his mentality pre-prison. The KO's kept coming against the same level of opponents, then much later The Ruddock fights weren't exactly a breeze for him and he toughed it out twice, though he was always in control of the situation there.

Can't pin everything on Don King, ex wife, catskills team etc etc. we've heard this broken record too many times. What this does is it's trying to minimalize the Douglas loss.

[tokon]

It's not Tyson's fault if he fought Holyfield after three years in jail, and Lewis during the twilight of his career, when he was penniless and full of drugs.

Yes, it is.

[Tatabanya]

Yes, it is.

I expected this kind of reply from someone, to be honest.

What do you think would have happened, had he fought the pair in his prime?

[BKM-]

I expected this kind of reply from someone, to be honest.

What do you think would have happened, had he fought the pair in his prime?

How is he wrong? Tyson was too busy raping girls and getting himself locked up and constantly postponing the Holyfield fight pre prison, and rejecting a Lewis fight in the 90s. So how the hell is it not his own fault.

[Slugfester]

I wasn't aware Tyson recaptured a heavyweight title, or I had forgotten.

[tokon]

I expected this kind of reply from someone, to be honest.

What do you think would have happened, had he fought the pair in his prime?

He didn't. Largely because of how his character and psychological flaws affected his life and career.

Imo Lewis and holyfield would almost certainly have still beaten him as they weren't intimidated by him.

I'm not saying Tyson wasn't "great" but those two that you mentioned were better. Thanks.

[QueensburyRules]

- - Not even a decent trainer. Cus tolerated him very short time before kicking him out.

What happened next is him using that abbreviated Tyson/Cus experience to remake himself into a loose screw boxing expert so astute that he ruined every fighter he took on.

[BKM-]

He didn't. Largely because of how his character and psychological flaws affected his life and career.

Imo Lewis and holyfield would almost certainly have still beaten him as they weren't intimidated by him.

I'm not saying Tyson wasn't "great" but those two that you mentioned were better. Thanks.

It's true. The sad thing is, Tyson for lewis and EVander wasn't even in their top 5 most difficult career opponents. Prime this prime that, the gap would be too much for Tyson to overcome based on their fights. That gap becomes even bigger when you realize both Evander and Lewis were past their own primes when they faced him too.

[Tatabanya]

Imo Lewis and holyfield would almost certainly have still beaten him as they weren't intimidated by him.

The intimidation factor has become a commonplace when it comes to Tyson.

There were several opponents besides Lewis and Holyfield that were not intimidated by him, tried to fight him for real, and got beaten just the same. I'm randomly thinking Reggie Gross, Tony Tucker, Pinklon Thomas, Tyrell Biggs, James Tillis. And I'm speaking of prime Tyson.

We'll never know how those fights would have ended prime for prime. Perhaps Holyfield and Lewis would have won, perhaps they would have been knocked out, or outpointed. Younger Tyson could fight in various ways, and was much quicker too.