The man peaked in the late 1980's! He lost to Buster Douglas (not a typo) in early 1990. Since then, he's never been anything near as dominant in the ring.
I challenge any of you to list the year that Mike last beat a legitimate contender?
The point is, tha Mike is nowhere near the force in boxing that he once was. We all get old, and some fighters (like Mike Tyson) waste their talent and never reach their full potential.
He could beat a John Ruiz due to styles, but I really dont think he'd beat Chris Byrd (see Byrd vs an in shape David Tua tape) or Vitaly Klitscho.
He has not been the man in boxing for about 15 years now. Nor, at age 38 is he likely to do it again. His time has passed. Accept this truth.
chadk is correct.CASE CLOSED
Golota got blown out by Tyson because he had a nervous breakdown in the ring. Tyson has always done well against guys who were intimidated by him. Against Byrd, Golota had nothing to worry about in terms of any incoming damage.
Tyson is still a force if he can get in half decent shape(not tire after 3 rounds).
Slick, you cant compare these two fights, because Golota froze against Mike, and their styles are completely different.
Joe Frazier beat Ali once, and gave him life and death struggles in the other two bouts. George Foreman destroyed Frazier twice. Ali knocked out George. It all about styles. STYLES MAKE FIGHTS!!!
Mike hits hard, but he only throws one or two punches at a time. See the Tua fight for an idea of how badly Byrd would clown Mike. Tua came into that fight in great shape, and I think he would've beaten most other heavies that night, but he couldn't find Chris.
Tyson could beat Ruiz, but Don King would never allow that fight to happen for a multitude of reasons.
LOL. Power never leaves a man. Tyosn will ALWAYS be dangerous, especially versus people with mediocre boxing skills.
Oh boy, not another I challenge anyone thread;)
"LOL. Power never leaves a man. Tyosn will ALWAYS be dangerous, especially versus people with mediocre boxing skills."
The thing is... Chris Bryd has GREAT boxing skills. His problem is lack of natural size and heavyweight power. (He fought in the Olympics at 165lbs by the way) He is also left handed. He would outbox Mike.
Klitscho, though really awkward, also has decent boxing abilities, and his style would also beat Mike in my opinion.
Maybe 15 years ago, Mike could overcome the hurdles these two would present. Not in 2004.
chad:
I agree. I don't see a fight with Byrd going well for Mike. I also agree that Klitschko would most likely beat him.
However, I am thinking of the rest of the poor crop: Ruiz, Gomez, Rahman, Fres, Wladdy, etc. Most of the HWY division is in sad shape.
There's no better time than now for Mike.
As sorry as Ruiz and Byrd are, I don't know if Mike is sharp enough to beat them. Ruiz style is horrible, but his jab then immediately clinch style would drive Tyson nuts. Tyson falls into clinches easily anyway, and I think they'd both spend the entire fight in one long clinch. Tyson would have a chance of landing a big shot, but ever since Ruiz got blitzed by Tua, he's adopted a style that is ugly but effective. Byrd has looked vulnerable in the last couple of fights, so I could see Tyson beating him, but who knows.
The things some people will say to get you to read their thread.
Because the division is so weak, I wouldn't count
Tyson out. At the same time, he hasn't shown
much interest in boxing.
"The things some people will say to get you to read their thread."
CSC, try to understand my position. I get so... frustrated with people who are seemingly stuck in the late 80's, and believe that Mike is still the man. He's not.
He had his time, it was great, but it's over. Period. I'm not trying to insult any of his fans, but the fact is that Mike has not been a top ten heavyweight for many years.
True, his power makes him risky to almost anyone for a few rounds, but he is not likely to beat any top heavies. Not even in this relatively weak period.
I was counting on Dominick Guin to take over the division, but then he even lost to Monte Barret.The division is very weak right now.James Toney is a small heavyweight but definatly the most talented guy there now if Roy stays at light heavy.I look for him to step into the title picture real soon.
"CSC, try to understand my position. I get so... frustrated with people who are seemingly stuck in the late 80's, and believe that Mike is still the man. He's not."
I have no problem with your opinion, just wondering what prompted this ouburst? It's not like Mike is fighting tonight or anytime soon. I only see 1 other thread with Tyson's name in it. Seems like this came from nowhere...