To Everybody That Says Tyson Has Never Fought Anyone.

[damien590]

Donovan "Razor" Ruddock. The 91' version. This guy was BEAST &
actually was more heavy-handed than Mike. He reminded me of an
earlier Ike Ibeabuchi. After Tyson finished with him he was no good
anymore because it took alot out of him, I believe that's why he looked so
poorly against Lewis in 92' because he was physically shot from those
Tyson wars.

Everybody even questioned Tyson's stamina. There you have it with these
2 fights. The 1st bout ended in the 7th & the rematch went a full 12.
Tyson showed me alot fighting Ruddock & I believe he would've been
highly prepared for Holyfield had they met as scheduled. I'm not saying
Mike would beaten Holyfield but what I am saying is that it would've
been more competitive because Mike was fighting regularly & still had
his killer instinct & was only still 24yrs old.

[wlvrne]

Damien, isn't this the fight where Tyson hits Ruddock on top of his head and just drops him?

[evndrbsn]

Donovan "Razor" Ruddock. The 91' version. This guy was BEAST &
actually was more heavy-handed than Mike. He reminded me of an
earlier Ike Ibeabuchi. After Tyson finished with him he was no good
anymore because it took alot out of him, I believe that's why he looked so
poorly against Lewis in 92' because he was physically shot from those
Tyson wars.

Everybody even questioned Tyson's stamina. There you have it with these
2 fights. The 1st bout ended in the 7th & the rematch went a full 12.
Tyson showed me alot fighting Ruddock & I believe he would've been
highly prepared for Holyfield had they met as scheduled. I'm not saying
Mike would beaten Holyfield but what I am saying is that it would've
been more competitive because Mike was fighting regularly & still had
his killer instinct & was only still 24yrs old.

Donovan Ruddock was a joke. Sure, he could hit hard and he was tough, but his chin was pretty weak. Overall, a pretty average heavyweight with an above average punch. Hit harder than Tyson, though? I don't think so. The fact that he was KO'd by David Jaco (father of light heavyweight Aaron Jaco) speaks volumes of Ruddock's ability. I would say he lost to Lennox Lewis because Lewis threw Ruddock's fine china on the ground and stepped all over it.

All this fight showed was that Tyson was a limited fighter. He was quick and powerful, but he was easily lulled out of his gameplan and lost to almost every fighter who stood up and fought back (almost, since McNeeley did indeed TRY to brawl with Tyson). James "Quick" Tillis almost beat him in '86, only six months before he destroyed Trevor Berbick for the WBC title. Tillis had lost his last three bouts, among them an embarrassingly one sided decision to Gerrie Coetzee and a points loss to Marvis "Thirty Seconds" Frazier.

The only shred of dignity Tyson can hold on to is by claiming that he would have destroyed Holyfield in his prime, but realistically, Holyfield of '91 would have embarrassed him to no end. History was kinder to Tyson that he thinks. If he had lost to Holyfield in '91, he would have been considered washed up and always overrated. Now he can use the fact of what DID NOT happen to make himself feel better when he cries himself to sleep at night

[wlvrne]

Wrong again, Evnd. Tyson's claim to fame is to be the youngest fighter to unify the heavyweight belts.

[evndrbsn]

Wrong again, Evnd. Tyson's claim to fame is to be the youngest fighter to unify the heavyweight belts.

Wrong again, Wlvrne. I did not say anything about Tyson's claim to fame. I said that the only shred of dignity he can cling to regarding his legacy is the belief that he could have bested Holyfield back in '91 before he was incarcerated. I was making the point that if Tyson fought Holyfield in '91, he would have been exposed as an overrated fighter years before his next defeat (which would haved discredited the notion that the Buster Douglas loss was an abberation).

[dalek]

Wrong again, Evnd. Tyson's claim to fame is to be the youngest fighter to unify the heavyweight belts.

when tyson beat spinks had he surpassed pattersons age?

[Seamus]

Razor Ruddock lost to Dave Jaco because he had an asthma attack during the fight.

[kick asner]

I give Tyson some credit for having a good run. I think what happend is the rest of boxing eventually caught up with him. That is what usually happens when you keep fighting the same way whithout changing much or making adjustments. Fighters figured out if you could stop his left hook and right uppercut that the rest of his arsenal was more ordinary than it appeared. He did get a lot of mileage out of those two punches.

[Tantum]

when tyson beat spinks had he surpassed pattersons age?

Yes.

Tyson's claim to fame is Mike Tyson's Punch-Out.

[heartandsoulofboxing]

Holyfield would have beaten Tyson in 1991 or at anytime.

[Controversial]

Donovan "Razor" Ruddock. The 91' version. This guy was BEAST &
actually was more heavy-handed than Mike. He reminded me of an
earlier Ike Ibeabuchi. After Tyson finished with him he was no good
anymore because it took alot out of him, I believe that's why he looked so
poorly against Lewis in 92' because he was physically shot from those
Tyson wars.

Everybody even questioned Tyson's stamina. There you have it with these
2 fights. The 1st bout ended in the 7th & the rematch went a full 12.
Tyson showed me alot fighting Ruddock & I believe he would've been
highly prepared for Holyfield had they met as scheduled. I'm not saying
Mike would beaten Holyfield but what I am saying is that it would've
been more competitive because Mike was fighting regularly & still had
his killer instinct & was only still 24yrs old.

The fact remains that the best fighters Tyson fought beat him....Lewis and Holyfield....and by knock-out.

I think Tucker was Tysons best opponent, undefeated, decent power and good boxing skills. But Tucker isn't any great shakes and wouldn't be in anybodys top 30 best fighters so what does that say about Tysons opponents.

Ruddock was a decent puncher, a dangerous fighter but Tyson hardly blew him away, if my memory is correct the 1st fights stoppage was thought to be slightly controversial. In the rematch Tyson was taken the distance.

Holmes was past it and hadn't fought for two years and Spinks fought best at light-heavyweight. He beat Holmes controversially when Holmes was on the decline. Spinks over heavyweight wins were over poor opposition.

[silkov]

Donovan "Razor" Ruddock. The 91' version. This guy was BEAST &
actually was more heavy-handed than Mike. He reminded me of an
earlier Ike Ibeabuchi. After Tyson finished with him he was no good
anymore because it took alot out of him, I believe that's why he looked so
poorly against Lewis in 92' because he was physically shot from those
Tyson wars.

Everybody even questioned Tyson's stamina. There you have it with these
2 fights. The 1st bout ended in the 7th & the rematch went a full 12.
Tyson showed me alot fighting Ruddock & I believe he would've been
highly prepared for Holyfield had they met as scheduled. I'm not saying
Mike would beaten Holyfield but what I am saying is that it would've
been more competitive because Mike was fighting regularly & still had
his killer instinct & was only still 24yrs old.

But Tyson was fighting more regularly when he finally met Holifield than he was in '91 and he was in better shape too. Also I don't buy it that Ruddock was 'ruined' by Tyson, he was just not as good as the fights with Tyson made people think he was. Fact is most of the people Tyson beat during his 80s heyday were past their best and Mike finally had his flaws exposed by Douglas and then Holifield and then never got over the first Holifield fight which really finished him.

[dempseyfire]

Ruddock was a dangerous guy, HUGE left uppercut and decent but not great chin.

HOWEVER, once he learned he had a punch his boxing skills went out the window. He hardly threw ANY combinations, NO left jab, very poor defense. A very one-dimensional fighter and yes the Tyson fights elevated his stature far more then it should've been elevated.

I think Razor in Ruddock 1 gets the award for worst corner advice EVER in the history of world-class heavyweight prize-fighting. You are a big tall guy. Fighting a shorter pressure fighter. Why didn't they say "Razor, throw the fornicating left jab or we are going to leave you here on your own."

Pathetic.

[silkov]

Ruddock was a dangerous guy, HUGE left uppercut and decent but not great chin.

HOWEVER, once he learned he had a punch his boxing skills went out the window. He hardly threw ANY combinations, NO left jab, very poor defense. A very one-dimensional fighter and yes the Tyson fights elevated his stature far more then it should've been elevated.

I think Razor in Ruddock 1 gets the award for worst corner advice EVER in the history of world-class heavyweight prize-fighting. You are a big tall guy. Fighting a shorter pressure fighter. Why didn't they say "Razor, throw the fornicating left jab or we are going to leave you here on your own."

Pathetic.

True... Tysons always been vulnerble to the jab. Ruddock had pretty poor stamina too I think he had ashma...

[KOJOE90]

Ruddock had pretty poor stamina too I think he had ashma...

Ruddock blames his early career lose to journeyman David Jaco on a asthma attack.

[Professor X]

Ruddock was as one-handed of a fighter as you'll ever see. He rarely used his right hand. I wasn't so impressed by Tyson-Ruddock...Mike couldn't KO a one armed fighter...it made me even more sure than I already was that Holyfield would beat Tyson, and maybe even badly at that.

Tyson-Tucker showed me more about the real Mikey than Tyson-Spinks did.

[wlvrne]

>>Damien590 wrote," Donovan "Razor" Ruddock. The 91' version. This guy was BEAST &
actually was more heavy-handed than Mike. He reminded me of an
earlier Ike Ibeabuchi."<<

Who was Ike Ibeabuchi?

[evndrbsn]

>>Damien590 wrote," Donovan "Razor" Ruddock. The 91' version. This guy was BEAST &
actually was more heavy-handed than Mike. He reminded me of an
earlier Ike Ibeabuchi."<<

Who was Ike Ibeabuchi?

Ike Ibeabuchi was a fighter who patterned himself pretty well after Tony Ayala, Jr.

[Arsenal]

Tyson never avenged his defeats, one mark surely of a truely great champion. He never KOed anyone decent and all the big decent fighters either beat him or went the distance. The first Ruddock fight if anyone actually watched it was a farce. The ref stopped the fight and Ruddock was on the ropes saying 'what the f**k are you doing'. So it begs the question name one quality fighter Tyson beat? Holmes? Overated and was a champion in an era that was worse for heavyweight boxing than Lewis or Tyson's. Tyson came along at the right time. He was different and exciting. But there were hardly any decent fighters out there. I think he would have beat Spinks and Holmes after 5 fights. He beat most of the guys before he even steeped in the ring. That was his most lethal weapon. Mentally he had guys beat. The ones who stood up to him made him look beatable. For God's sake Bruno even wobbled him and if he hadn't bottled it, stood a punchers chance. He was a crap boxer but could dig a bit. The way to beat Tyson was easy if you had half a brain. Jab, straight right, clinch, lay on him, tire him out. The occasion uppercut would do nicely as well.

[wlvrne]

>>Damien590 wrote," Donovan "Razor" Ruddock. The 91' version. This guy was BEAST &
actually was more heavy-handed than Mike. He reminded me of an
earlier Ike Ibeabuchi."<<

Who was Ike Ibeabuchi?

Ike Ibeabuchi was a fighter who patterned himself pretty well after Tony Ayala, Jr.

Weren't these two in different weight classes?

[RazorKO]

Donovan "Razor" Ruddock. The 91' version. This guy was BEAST &
actually was more heavy-handed than Mike. He reminded me of an
earlier Ike Ibeabuchi. After Tyson finished with him he was no good
anymore because it took alot out of him, I believe that's why he looked so
poorly against Lewis in 92' because he was physically shot from those
Tyson wars.

Everybody even questioned Tyson's stamina. There you have it with these
2 fights. The 1st bout ended in the 7th & the rematch went a full 12.
Tyson showed me alot fighting Ruddock & I believe he would've been
highly prepared for Holyfield had they met as scheduled. I'm not saying
Mike would beaten Holyfield but what I am saying is that it would've
been more competitive because Mike was fighting regularly & still had
his killer instinct & was only still 24yrs old.

Donovan Ruddock was a joke. Sure, he could hit hard and he was tough, but his chin was pretty weak. Overall, a pretty average heavyweight with an above average punch. Hit harder than Tyson, though? I don't think so. The fact that he was KO'd by David Jaco (father of light heavyweight Aaron Jaco) speaks volumes of Ruddock's ability. I would say he lost to Lennox Lewis because Lewis threw Ruddock's fine china on the ground and stepped all over it.

All this fight showed was that Tyson was a limited fighter. He was quick and powerful, but he was easily lulled out of his gameplan and lost to almost every fighter who stood up and fought back (almost, since McNeeley did indeed TRY to brawl with Tyson). James "Quick" Tillis almost beat him in '86, only six months before he destroyed Trevor Berbick for the WBC title. Tillis had lost his last three bouts, among them an embarrassingly one sided decision to Gerrie Coetzee and a points loss to Marvis "Thirty Seconds" Frazier.

The only shred of dignity Tyson can hold on to is by claiming that he would have destroyed Holyfield in his prime, but realistically, Holyfield of '91 would have embarrassed him to no end. History was kinder to Tyson that he thinks. If he had lost to Holyfield in '91, he would have been considered washed up and always overrated. Now he can use the fact of what DID NOT happen to make himself feel better when he cries himself to sleep at night

Idiot, Ruddock was not KO'ed by Jaco. Razor suffered an astma attack in the middle of the ring and STILL JACO COULDNT PUT HIM AWAY. Ruddock was gasping for air for the whole round but still fought - you have to have tremendous heart to do that.

[KOJOE90]

Idiot, Ruddock was not KO'ed by Jaco. Razor suffered an astma attack in the middle of the ring and STILL JACO COULDNT PUT HIM AWAY. Ruddock was gasping for air for the whole round but still fought - you have to have tremendous heart to do that.

I started a thread on this very subject last year and it lead to some lively debate.

http://www.boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23731

[Ambling Alp]

>>Damien590 wrote," Donovan "Razor" Ruddock. The 91' version. This guy was BEAST &
actually was more heavy-handed than Mike. He reminded me of an
earlier Ike Ibeabuchi."<<

Who was Ike Ibeabuchi?

Ike Ibeabuchi was a fighter who patterned himself pretty well after Tony Ayala, Jr.

wolverine,
Ibeabuchi was a heavyweight from nogeria. He won a close decision over David Tua and knocked out Chris Byrd. He was undefeated.The rest of his wins were pretty much agfainst no-names. He is now in jail (like Ayala was) for sexual assault or rape.
Some people think he would have been a great fighter, but who knows.

[evndrbsn]

Idiot, Ruddock was not KO'ed by Jaco. Razor suffered an astma attack in the middle of the ring and STILL JACO COULDNT PUT HIM AWAY. Ruddock was gasping for air for the whole round but still fought - you have to have tremendous heart to do that.

"Idiot." Nice way to have your betters recognize that you wish to start an intelligent conversation. Sorry, but someone with the name 'RazorKO' is obviously biased in favor of Ruddock. There is no way someone with a bias as clear as yours can objectively state true opinions about "Ring Stealer" Ruddock's ability as a prizefighter.

From what I heard, Ruddock also had an asthma attack in his fifth pro fight. He proved his heart and iron will by repelling the unshakable onslaught of "Painstaking" Phil Brown to secure a draw over six heats. He also would have gotten up and KO'd Lennox back in '92, but alas, another asthma attack took hold and he had to look out for his best interest.

[RazorKO]

If Lewis would of gone to Ruddock's backyard than Ruddock would of knocked him out.

It is lauable you call Razor a 'Average fighter with an above average punch' His left hook was the HARDEST punch in the 90's and we know that the 90's was a talented era. Tyson said Razor hit him harder than anyone and you cant be average if you go the distance with Tyson and beat 4 former world champions - Razor ko'ed Dokes brutally and that was the same Dokes who went life and death with Holyfield.