I've always been intrigued by his ongoing story. I worked in Indiana when he was incarcerated there. His E60 story is in now.
He's a champion. A criminal. A character. A scared little boy. A scary monster. A predator's victim.
Wondering, do a lot of people view him sympathetically today?
As with many people, a mixed bag, up to everyone to judge him their own way. My opinion, a legendary boxer, turned out to often be a piece of shit as a person, driven to some degree by alcoholism and drug addiction, but give him credit for at least trying to write a more positive ending to his story
I was a kid growing up in the 80s and one of my closest friends was a huge boxing fan. He was all over Tyson before many were so I was looped in Tyson's early career. Tyson was the very embodiment of 1980s Americana. Just a wrecking ball of excitement and fury. He was much watch tv.
As I got a little olderTyson reached his peak. When he lost to Douglas it all but ended an era in pro sports and American pop culture. 1000 years from now when a timeline is being viewed of American and world history the date 2-11-90 should be bolded and underscored.
He's flawed but my gut feeling is Tyson isn't a bad guy. I think he was railroaded on numerous occasions, including the rape conviction.
As a fighter, lot of early. round knockouts. But whenever he fought better fighters of his time who weren't scared out of their minds, he lost. A prime and motivated Douglas beat him. Holyfield kicked his ass once and frustrated him so much mentally that Tyson bit him. Lennox Lewis dominated him. Tyson was most successful when he was training hard under Cus, Rooney, and Atlas. Most of his victories, guys like Berbick and Spinks were beaten before the bell rang. Yes, he beat a legend like Larry Holmes but Holmes was past his prime and coming off a two year retirement. Every time you want to view Tyson in a positive light, the sentence always starts with, "if Cus didn't die...". Without Cus, his head movement and defensive skills went to hell and he became a guy hoping to hit the lucky knockout punch.
There was the story that he helped carry a granny's groceries home, then when he got her alone in her elevator, beat her and took her cash.
Lots of stuff to despise in Tyson's life. He did bite Holyfield's ear on television, y'know.
People are complicated. Nobody is all one thing. There are lots of accounts of his good side. I'm sure it's real. I wouldn't want that guy in my life, or near my family, though.
I was a kid growing up in the 80s and one of my closest friends was a huge boxing fan. He was all over Tyson before many were so I was looped in Tyson's early career. Tyson was the very embodiment of 1980s Americana. Just a wrecking ball of excitement and fury. He was much watch tv.
As I got a little olderTyson reached his peak. When he lost to Douglas it all but ended an era in pro sports and American pop culture. 1000 years from now when a timeline is being viewed of American and world history the date 2-11-90 should be bolded and underscored.
He's flawed but my gut feeling is Tyson isn't a bad guy. I think he was railroaded on numerous occasions, including the rape conviction.
Good summary djm. I do recall, but don't remember where so don't have a link and don't have the exact quote, but in an interview with Tyson once he claimed he was innocent of the rape charge, but had gotten away with a lot of other things in his past.
I really don't think he was a rapist - unless I've totally missed it, I don't know of any other rape accusations against him - and IMO most rapists don't just do it once. For most of his life, let's be honest Tyson hasn't had any trouble getting girls to say yes quite willingly. But it's not a stretch to imagine him being violent towards women at times (and others too). Robin Givens had the bruises to show for it way back when. Being a violent maniac was his life for a long time, something he's now admitted to as being part of his problem, during times of aforementioned sober honesty.
A friend of mine met him just a few weeks ago as part of a business deal, and described him as quite friendly and willing to chat and take pictures.
Personally, I agree I think there really is a good guy beneath the monster persona he lived for so long - which in his own words was fueled by the violence required of his chosen profession plus a lot of booze and coke added to the mix.
but, and again, not coming from a boxing expert, I thought much later looking back that the technically sound boxers would give him trouble, you know someone who could weather the storm and tire him out. He was something like 25 - 0 as a pro as a 20 year old before he was taken past the 6th round.
live and let live
There was the story that he helped carry a granny's groceries home, then when he got her alone in her elevator, beat her and took her cash.
Lots of stuff to despise in Tyson's life. He did bite Holyfield's ear on television, y'know.
People are complicated. Nobody is all one thing. There are lots of accounts of his good side. I'm sure it's real. I wouldn't want that guy in my life, or near my family, though.
That's a fair take.
Don King was ignoring us and Mike just said not to pay any attention to that asshole. The feeling I got during that time was although Don King was part of Mike's problem, he know what Don King was about.
This was just as or after he was getting divorced from Robin and well before he go the tramp stamp tattooed to his face. Billy Martin was at that charity event too so that should tell you how long ago this was.
That said, he was a childhood hero of mine in the 80s, we have some close connections and my family did business with him back in the day.
Is a crazy world.
As a fighter, lot of early. round knockouts. But whenever he fought better fighters of his time who weren't scared out of their minds, he lost. A prime and motivated Douglas beat him. Holyfield kicked his ass once and frustrated him so much mentally that Tyson bit him. Lennox Lewis dominated him. Tyson was most successful when he was training hard under Cus, Rooney, and Atlas. Most of his victories, guys like Berbick and Spinks were beaten before the bell rang. Yes, he beat a legend like Larry Holmes but Holmes was past his prime and coming off a two year retirement. Every time you want to view Tyson in a positive light, the sentence always starts with, "if Cus didn't die...". Without Cus, his head movement and defensive skills went to hell and he became a guy hoping to hit the lucky knockout punch.
A lot of this re: his boxing legacy is revisionist history.
The Douglas fight is one of the biggest upsets in the history of all sports. Tyson wasn't prepared and obviously didn't take the fight seriously.
The rest of the fights occurred after Tyson had been in jail for several years. There's no telling how his career and legacy would be remembered now if things worked out a little differently.
Not trying to make excuses for him but, I think life screwed him .. a bit. The only person (including his Mother)that seemed to have his best interests in mind , died on the threshold of Tyson's superstardom. And, then once "Leech" King got a hold of him .... it was over.
He walks in with a wearing a towel with a hole cut out for his head, Black sneakers, no socks and wrecked everyone, no messing around, no dancing, went right to business.
Plus he was not a big fighter 5'11 and would just get inside of bigger fighters and destroy them with that upper cut.
I always wonder what would have been if Cus didn't pass so early in his career also if Don King never got his claws in.
Would he be the mess he is today?
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If you're a beautiful woman, why are you going to a man's hotel room at 2 am? Yes, he may have forced himself on her and that shouldn't happen. Or perhaps she lied and that shouldn't happen either. But, it is naive to think that she was just going to meet him and watch a little tv. At the time, the guy was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. At that level, I guarantee you women were lining up to be a notch on his belt.
As a fighter, lot of early. round knockouts. But whenever he fought better fighters of his time who weren't scared out of their minds, he lost. A prime and motivated Douglas beat him. Holyfield kicked his ass once and frustrated him so much mentally that Tyson bit him. Lennox Lewis dominated him. Tyson was most successful when he was training hard under Cus, Rooney, and Atlas. Most of his victories, guys like Berbick and Spinks were beaten before the bell rang. Yes, he beat a legend like Larry Holmes but Holmes was past his prime and coming off a two year retirement. Every time you want to view Tyson in a positive light, the sentence always starts with, "if Cus didn't die...". Without Cus, his head movement and defensive skills went to hell and he became a guy hoping to hit the lucky knockout punch.
A lot of this re: his boxing legacy is revisionist history.
The Douglas fight is one of the biggest upsets in the history of all sports. Tyson wasn't prepared and obviously didn't take the fight seriously.
The rest of the fights occurred after Tyson had been in jail for several years. There's no telling how his career and legacy would be remembered now if things worked out a little differently.
It wasn't Cus' death. It was the firing of Rooney. Yes, Cus was "inventor" of his "Peek-a-boo" style, but Rooney improved it, mostly by adding more movement and particularly footwork.
There is a clear line where Tyson went from being an all time great to being a very good, but flawed heavyweight- and that is when Rooney was fired.
For evidence, watch any Tyson fight up to and including the Spinks fight and compare that with every fight afterwards. The head movement decreases dramatically as does the lateral movement. With both of those gone, it becomes more difficult for Tyson to get inside where his hand speed, flurries, and vicious uppercuts can do their damage.
Maybe Tyson stays with Rooney if Cus or Jacobs doesn't die. Who knows? It isn't like Cus was able to control him very well either. There are examples of plenty of fighters that fire their flesh and blood fathers in the sport- and most of them have much more stable personalities than what Tyson had at the time, so there really isn't anything to say that Cus or Jacobs being alive would have been able to keep King from stealing Tyson away.
I'm speaking really only of how great of a fighter he is/was.
How do I view him now as a person? My opinion has changed over the years. I thought he was a piece of shit throughout the 90's. Lately, though? He seems to have finally found some semblance of peace and happiness in his life. Listening to interviews with him nowadays is pretty amazing, IMO.
Remember Buster got up off the deck to end up knocking out Tyson. Most of Tysons opponents just stayed down.
2) Even early on when he was obliterating people, he was an outstanding defensive fighter. His head movement was outstanding and he was lightning quick. Big guys couldn't hit him.
3) His best punches were actually illegal, as he followed his upper cut and his hook to the head with his elbow.
4) I always thought Douglas was knocked out. The count started very late. That said, after that point, Douglas knocked the snot out of Tyson. Tyson was not prepared for that fight at all; he barely trained. But, even in terrible shape, he still nearly won early. I agree with the comment earlier that Douglas getting up had a psychological effect on Tyson.
5) I agree Ali would have beaten him. I do not think Foreman would have. He was the slow, lumbering fighter that Tyson would have gotten inside on and wrecked him. Ali, besides a great chin and fearlessness, was also just the kind of fighter that would have given Tyson trouble. Vintage Ali's movement would have flustered Tyson and Ali's devastating jab would have kept Tyson on the outside.
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In comment 13536806 PetesHereNow said:
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If you're a beautiful woman, why are you going to a man's hotel room at 2 am? Yes, he may have forced himself on her and that shouldn't happen. Or perhaps she lied and that shouldn't happen either. But, it is naive to think that she was just going to meet him and watch a little tv. At the time, the guy was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. At that level, I guarantee you women were lining up to be a notch on his belt.
As a fighter, lot of early. round knockouts. But whenever he fought better fighters of his time who weren't scared out of their minds, he lost. A prime and motivated Douglas beat him. Holyfield kicked his ass once and frustrated him so much mentally that Tyson bit him. Lennox Lewis dominated him. Tyson was most successful when he was training hard under Cus, Rooney, and Atlas. Most of his victories, guys like Berbick and Spinks were beaten before the bell rang. Yes, he beat a legend like Larry Holmes but Holmes was past his prime and coming off a two year retirement. Every time you want to view Tyson in a positive light, the sentence always starts with, "if Cus didn't die...". Without Cus, his head movement and defensive skills went to hell and he became a guy hoping to hit the lucky knockout punch.
A lot of this re: his boxing legacy is revisionist history.
The Douglas fight is one of the biggest upsets in the history of all sports. Tyson wasn't prepared and obviously didn't take the fight seriously.
The rest of the fights occurred after Tyson had been in jail for several years. There's no telling how his career and legacy would be remembered now if things worked out a little differently.
It wasn't Cus' death. It was the firing of Rooney. Yes, Cus was "inventor" of his "Peek-a-boo" style, but Rooney improved it, mostly by adding more movement and particularly footwork.
There is a clear line where Tyson went from being an all time great to being a very good, but flawed heavyweight- and that is when Rooney was fired.
For evidence, watch any Tyson fight up to and including the Spinks fight and compare that with every fight afterwards. The head movement decreases dramatically as does the lateral movement. With both of those gone, it becomes more difficult for Tyson to get inside where his hand speed, flurries, and vicious uppercuts can do their damage.
Maybe Tyson stays with Rooney if Cus or Jacobs doesn't die. Who knows? It isn't like Cus was able to control him very well either. There are examples of plenty of fighters that fire their flesh and blood fathers in the sport- and most of them have much more stable personalities than what Tyson had at the time, so there really isn't anything to say that Cus or Jacobs being alive would have been able to keep King from stealing Tyson away.
I'm speaking really only of how great of a fighter he is/was.
How do I view him now as a person? My opinion has changed over the years. I thought he was a piece of shit throughout the 90's. Lately, though? He seems to have finally found some semblance of peace and happiness in his life. Listening to interviews with him nowadays is pretty amazing, IMO.
Funniest show on that many people aren't aware of
As a fighter, very exciting run
As a great all time fighter, I just don't see it. The main reason I don't think it would have been a fight was that Ali had a 10 inch reach on him. Liston a 13 inch reach on him. Both had difficult jabs. And neither of those guys was going to be remotely afraid of Tyson. Lewis was too much. Shavers and Norton and prime Foreman.
But the fight that would have been the most brutal I can imagine was peak Frazier and peak Tyson. Wow
He couldn't fight going backwards, lost all his leverage. That's one reason they never put him in with Foreman.
And then you have to question his heart. he was a bully and an intimidator. He was not a fighter.
"Bite again and I'll disqualify you", so he bit again.
That's not an accident. Holyfield was going to make him fight, there was nothing intimidated that man. Bully's are not tough guys and Tyson needed a way out. He found it.
Ali, Frazier, Marciano those were tough guys and no way they quit.
So in the end, in a sport I know alot about, I'm not rating him as a great fighter. First guy that stood up to him he was going to quit. First guy that forced him backwards, he was going to lose.
This. Buster Douglas was the only guy who didn't quiver in fear and just kept pumping jabs into his face.
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Came up with a bunch of bums in a weak time in the boxing world. Won most of his fights on intimidation. If he came up in the era of Ali/Frazier he would have been like Ken Norton at best.
This. Buster Douglas was the only guy who didn't quiver in fear and just kept pumping jabs into his face.
Not entirely true. Tyson fought a few fightsw pre Douglas that went close to 10-12 rounds. He won those fights too.
He was a great fighter until he wasn't a great fighter. Simple as that. All you have to do is watch the guy during the 80s. He was flawless. I think peak Tyson would have been a problem for any of the all time greats. And I think those greats would have brought out the best in Tyson. That's usually how boxing works.
Once Douglas beat Tyson the end was nigh. Prison, age, and bad habits loomed.
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In comment 13537109 PatersonPlank said:
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Came up with a bunch of bums in a weak time in the boxing world. Won most of his fights on intimidation. If he came up in the era of Ali/Frazier he would have been like Ken Norton at best.
This. Buster Douglas was the only guy who didn't quiver in fear and just kept pumping jabs into his face.
Not entirely true. Tyson fought a few fightsw pre Douglas that went close to 10-12 rounds. He won those fights too.
He was a great fighter until he wasn't a great fighter. Simple as that. All you have to do is watch the guy during the 80s. He was flawless. I think peak Tyson would have been a problem for any of the all time greats. And I think those greats would have brought out the best in Tyson. That's usually how boxing works.
Once Douglas beat Tyson the end was nigh. Prison, age, and bad habits loomed.
Like who? Boneclutcher Smith? Who just clinched for 12 rounds and refused to exchange? I think Tyson was a classic bully. Once the intimdation factor wore off he was done. His own saying described him best:"Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth". Once he got he he had no answer.
Smokin' Joe and Tyson would have been a good matchup.
Ernie Shavers clocked him and had his eyeballs spinning on the canvas but he got up and won.
As a person? Hard to feel both sorry and unsorry for him. He was a victim in so many ways, and ultra-exploited... but how much of his problems and transgressions are on his own personality? Tough to know.
It's too bad Cus passed on so early in Mike's career. All anyone can do now is speculate and wonder what more could have been.
I understand but don't agree with this argument. He fought who was there. By the time he fought Douglas he was a partied out shell who didn't fight the way he was taught anymore. He never regained the style that made him so formidable. He NEEDED that style to be so successful. I saw him fight live, I saw quite a few fights back then actually... I never heard a bodyshot like what Tyson threw. It literally sounded like a cannon going off... lol. In his prime under D'Amato you literally felt like someone may die in the ring against him. I never felt that way watching any other fighter (in person or no).
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Mike Tyson Mysteries
Funniest show on that many people aren't aware of
Yup, love that show!
I'd say there was nobody worthy in his day. He's sort of like Larry Holmes.Can't get credit for how good you are because the competition wasn't there
As a fighter, he was a one punch wonder as demonstrated in his short career.
Who was there to beat? I'm sure you have the answer.
I'll wait.