The young/prime Mike Tyson

[jaded]

He had it all...cat-like speed and reflexes with power...strong boxing skills/defense. One of the fastest heavyweights ever. A nice compilation of great moments. I miss those days.

[jiopsi]

Easily the best prime fighter in boxing history. Only Tyson could beat him, which he did.

[sonnyboyx2]

Mike Tyson was one of the greats of all times. Tyson was the most exciting heavyweight in history and invented PPV TV... In my opinion Evander Holyfield would have beaten Tyson had they fought back in 91, but the likes of Lennox Lewis, Danny Williams & Kevin McBride would all be first round KO victories for pre-1992 Mike Tyson... Drug addiction is what ruined Tyson, which can be said of many others. But none of the others had the superstar potential which Mike Tyson possessed.

[billeau2]

What everybody sees in prime Tyson is such that a lot of what Tyson did gets lost in the wash....Its sort of like when looking at a great painting, if you look very carefully, put the camera down! you start to notice another layer of skills, the way that painter handled the brush to get an effect, the use of a certain vanishing point to create an effect....

What is often lost on people with Tyson, when he is portrayed as a young, headstrong, criminally minded, youth... with an eye for male authority in the heirarchy of American con men and money makers....Is that Tyson studied film and technique with a polished eye. Tyson figured out how Jack went to work, he could look and analyze and subsequently create in his own explosive style, a way. This was Tyson's intellect at work. You can teach a fighter how to react, and how to box, but you can't teach a fighter how to adapt in the ring.

[young_robbed]

Easily the best prime fighter in boxing history. Only Tyson could beat him, which he did.

I don't get why he's 100% unbeatable in his prime.. he's a f&cking mortal.

[sonnyboyx2]

I don't get why he's 100% unbeatable in his prime.. he's a f&cking mortal.

Mike Tyson was very much beatable in his prime, i can name 6 or 7 boxers who would knock **** out of Prime Tyson. What is being said here on this subject is, how great Tyson was for the sport of boxing. How he transformed the sport into a PPV TV sporting event of the very highest magnitude. How exciting Mike Tyson was in terms of sporting excitement. Just how big of an attraction he was compared to champions before and after his reign as Champ. Mike Tyson personified excitement, beyond what any other fighter in history has been able to generate. including Muhammad Ali & Sugar Ray Robinson. Mike Tyson was Violence with a capital V.. his opponents were genuine contenders whose credentials entitled them to a shot at the champ, Yet Tyson took care of them in devastating fashion. Often in the opening round and always with a ferocity never seen before or since. Mike Tyson was the greatest thing to happen to boxing in the last half century. A True all time great fighter who's reputation will live on in the sport forever. I have followed this sport for over 50yrs and Mike Tyson is the most exciting fighter in my lifetime. Not the best, but the most exciting and one of the best at that.

[embryo]

I don't think anyone beats a prime Tyson, 86-90. (I jnow he lost to Douglas in 1990, but for that one fight, he was clearly in a world of **** and out of shape compared to previous fights, and Douglas's mother passing, Robin Givens, Don King, no Kevin Rooney, etc..)

That guy really gets so much crap for losing a couple of fights. It's really not fair. Ali lost 3 or 4 fights that he was given decisions for, which everyone knows he lost (Sonny Banks, Norton at least once, Jimmy Young, and you could probably add some more) but Tyson just gets torn apart for losing to Douglas when the planets just aligned for him to lost that fight. Then he lost to Holyfield after being in prison for 3 1/2 years and only having 4 warm up fights totaling 18 minutes in the ring, and then losing to a totally superior Lennox Lewis when Mike was fighting for ******* money, and those last 2 fights which were just the sad finale to his career. In his prime, nobody can touch Mike. If Sonny Banks and Ken Norton beat up Ali, I don't see how anyone gives Ali a chance against a prime Tyson.

[Scott9945]

I don't think anyone beats a prime Tyson, 86-90. (I jnow he lost to Douglas in 1990, but for that one fight, he was clearly in a world of **** and out of shape compared to previous fights, and Douglas's mother passing, Robin Givens, Don King, no Kevin Rooney, etc..)

That guy really gets so much crap for losing a couple of fights. It's really not fair. Ali lost 3 or 4 fights that he was given decisions for, which everyone knows he lost (Sonny Banks, Norton at least once, Jimmy Young, and you could probably add some more) but Tyson just gets torn apart for losing to Douglas when the planets just aligned for him to lost that fight. Then he lost to Holyfield after being in prison for 3 1/2 years and only having 4 warm up fights totaling 18 minutes in the ring, and then losing to a totally superior Lennox Lewis when Mike was fighting for ******* money, and those last 2 fights which were just the sad finale to his career. In his prime, nobody can touch Mike. If Sonny Banks and Ken Norton beat up Ali, I don't see how anyone gives Ali a chance against a prime Tyson.

Perhaps you're confusing Sonny Banks with Doug Jones? Banks dropped Clay in the 1st round and was dominated after that while suffering a 4th round KO loss. Jones lost a decision that was close and disputed by some.

[embryo]

Perhaps you're confusing Sonny Banks with Doug Jones? Banks dropped Clay in the 1st round and was dominated after that while suffering a 4th round KO loss. Jones lost a decision that was close and disputed by some.

Yes, I think you are correct, I confused Sonny Banks with Doug Jones. Sorry about that. I guess I won't bother going back to correct it since you did so in the next post. Thank you for correcting me and getting it right.

[Sugarj]

I don't think anyone beats a prime Tyson, 86-90. (I jnow he lost to Douglas in 1990, but for that one fight, he was clearly in a world of **** and out of shape compared to previous fights, and Douglas's mother passing, Robin Givens, Don King, no Kevin Rooney, etc..)

That guy really gets so much crap for losing a couple of fights. It's really not fair. Ali lost 3 or 4 fights that he was given decisions for, which everyone knows he lost (Sonny Banks, Norton at least once, Jimmy Young, and you could probably add some more) but Tyson just gets torn apart for losing to Douglas when the planets just aligned for him to lost that fight. Then he lost to Holyfield after being in prison for 3 1/2 years and only having 4 warm up fights totaling 18 minutes in the ring, and then losing to a totally superior Lennox Lewis when Mike was fighting for ******* money, and those last 2 fights which were just the sad finale to his career. In his prime, nobody can touch Mike. If Sonny Banks and Ken Norton beat up Ali, I don't see how anyone gives Ali a chance against a prime Tyson.

I know several friends who share this view too, but I'd confidently pick Ali over prime Tyson. The problem with prime Tyson was that he wasn't an incredible 12 round fighter. His technique was terrific and his workrate in the early rounds was exceptional, but this often did drop off after rounds 5 & 6.

Prime Tyson ended up going the distance with Green, Tillis, Bonecrusher, Tucker and Ruddock (these opponents won the odd round too!); but none of them came close to Ali in terms of skills, distance stamina or punch resistance. So I'd consider a Tyson stoppage win unlikely. I think he would give prime Ali a real fright for a few rounds, but would probably be picked off to a competitive decision loss.