BoxRec

What strategy would you recommend Mike Tyson employ against a 6'5'' powerhouse intent on survival through tying up Tyson's arms? He managed to win 12 of 12 rounds, so he was certainly doing something right. Please detail how he could have improved.

Tuan_Jim wrote:What strategy would you recommend Mike Tyson employ against a 6'5'' powerhouse intent on survival through tying up Tyson's arms? He managed to win 12 of 12 rounds, so he was certainly doing something right. Please detail how he could have improved.

Considering you say that.... how well do you think Tyson would of faired with the Klitschko's who were better than Bonecrusher?

The Klitschkos are far too slow for Mike Tyson. Wladimir doesn't have the heart or chin to survive the incessant Mike Tyson onslaughts. Bonecrusher needed all of his iron jawbone to endure some of the dingers Tyson planted on him. Vitali was spent after six rounds at a pace versus a fat, 40 year old Lennox Lewis, so the idea of him be able to go 12 rounds at young Mike Tyson's pace is demonstrably a fantasy.

Tuan_Jim wrote:The Klitschkos are far too slow for Mike Tyson. Wladimir doesn't have the heart or chin to survive the incessant Mike Tyson onslaughts. Bonecrusher needed all of his iron jawbone to endure some of the dingers Tyson planted on him. Vitali was spent after six rounds at a pace versus a fat, 40 year old Lennox Lewis, so the idea of him be able to go 12 rounds at young Mike Tyson's pace is demonstrably a fantasy.

I wholeheartedly agree - I always felt the fighter with quick footwork would be too much for both brothers. Tyson came to win of course and was intent on destroying. Although depends how much the brothers could get away with in terms of the holding etc...

Tuan_Jim wrote:The Klitschkos are far too slow for Mike Tyson. Wladimir doesn't have the heart or chin to survive the incessant Mike Tyson onslaughts. Bonecrusher needed all of his iron jawbone to endure some of the dingers Tyson planted on him. Vitali was spent after six rounds at a pace versus a fat, 40 year old Lennox Lewis, so the idea of him be able to go 12 rounds at young Mike Tyson's pace is demonstrably a fantasy.

I disagree. Because Bonecrusher Smith was nothing special. As a matter of fact, he ranks among the worst of alphabet title holders. He was a big, strong man. Nothing more or less. The Klitschko's on the other hand were genuine world class fighters, with skills and abilities far and away better than Smith's. You want to talk about Mike Tyson's speed.... and yet he didn't demonstrate none of it against Smith. Tyson had a weakness, and that was being a programmed fighter. If someone challenged that program, he resorted to fouling or would allow someone to muscle him around.

Tyson, despite popular myth, was not that effective against taller, rangier fighters with actual ability. Vitali was never dropped, let alone knocked out in his entire career and he faced some rather hard bangers in his career. He also fought men who were rather fast and elusive, and they couldn't keep away from him. Vladimir, for the most part, had rather fast hands himself and knew how to keep the distance, and was a master of clinching. I can't see Tyson doing a whole hell of alot with them. Maybe Vladimir, but certainly not Vitali. I'm not saying Tyson loses, but he does far worse against them than he did against Smith--- which in my opinion was Tyson's worst outing in his prime.

Think Tony Tucker, and how well he did against Tyson (with a broken hand no less). Tucker was tall, rangy, busy and knew how to clinch well and break Tyson's momentum. Much as I love Tyson, he was my favorite fighter for a long time, the Klitschko's were head and shoulders better than Tony Tucker. And that fight was very competitive.

I'd pick the Tony Tucker who boxed Tyson over the best Klitschko we ever saw. Steel chin, power in both hands, enormous frame and he could move for 12 rounds. Those ingredients are poison for a Klitschko, who need opponents to be in their 30s/40s and devoid of movement and technique.

Beating an A-class fighter in their prime is a lot different to beating an old fighter who was B-class in their prime, ala Shannon Briggs and Corrie Sanders. Mike Tyson beat A-class opponents. So did Tony Tucker. So did Bonecrusher Smith, for that matter. Neither Klitschko ever beat an A-class opponent.

dempseyfire wrote:I agree. The Tyson fans who can't admit he was in his prime for Douglas claim he lost a step after Spinks, but that's BS. He looked as good in Bruno I as he did vs Tucker, Smith, Holmes etc.

It wasnt a physical thing....put simply he wasnt training properly didnt have proper trainers......which manifested itself in slipping skills (significantly defence) and so began a cycle of fighting off memory while not training....obviously the distance between when he was training properly and had proper trainers was longer at the douglas point,than at the bruno and williams stage.

After the douglas debacle .....he started at least coming in a little more fit and giachetti was better than snowell and bright but.......heno longer cared the same,was still not training (3months between ruddock.fights)....forget tyson after 1991 its all meaningless

HomicideHenry wrote:The Klitschko's on the other hand were genuine world class fighters, with skills and abilities ...

i think vitali withstands the onslaught, while
wladimir folds quickly under the psychological
pressure of being bullied. grabbing would not
help for long against a raging tyson ...

polecateddy wrote:Bruno certainly had a huge sentimental following in the UK. I think at his peak he was in the second tier. Never really world top 5, but for a good few years hovering in the 6-10 banding. I would equate his ability to Mike Weaver perhaps. He had a reputation as a puncher but it's telling that in 5 world title fights he never scored a knock-down.

Agree wholly with 1st part.bruno was a big puncher in a 2nd tier sense ,his world title foes were tyson,mccall,spoon and lewis....the first 3 had some of the best hw chins in their prime in hw history over the last 40 years (accepting spoon threw smith 2nd fight and tyson after 91 isnt worth discussing),and lewis 2 abberations apart was a very very hard guy to hit and hurt, so the fact he didnt score knockdowns isnt that significant....knocking out williams,coetzee,tillis,bugner,ribalta,is not a bad body of work....but good 2nd tier.....he was a nice guy and didnt have hand speed for a cooney-norton type of kayo

Tyson himself says that before the Bruno fight, he stopped training properly. Why do some people ignore that and say Tyson was still at his best?

Mike Tyson was petty poor that night but still with his talent, knew he had Bruno's number which showed on the night.

HomicideHenry wrote:

Tuan_Jim wrote:The Klitschkos are far too slow for Mike Tyson. Wladimir doesn't have the heart or chin to survive the incessant Mike Tyson onslaughts. Bonecrusher needed all of his iron jawbone to endure some of the dingers Tyson planted on him. Vitali was spent after six rounds at a pace versus a fat, 40 year old Lennox Lewis, so the idea of him be able to go 12 rounds at young Mike Tyson's pace is demonstrably a fantasy.

I disagree. Because Bonecrusher Smith was nothing special. As a matter of fact, he ranks among the worst of alphabet title holders. He was a big, strong man. Nothing more or less. The Klitschko's on the other hand were genuine world class fighters, with skills and abilities far and away better than Smith's. You want to talk about Mike Tyson's speed.... and yet he didn't demonstrate none of it against Smith. Tyson had a weakness, and that was being a programmed fighter. If someone challenged that program, he resorted to fouling or would allow someone to muscle him around.

Tyson, despite popular myth, was not that effective against taller, rangier fighters with actual ability. Vitali was never dropped, let alone knocked out in his entire career and he faced some rather hard bangers in his career. He also fought men who were rather fast and elusive, and they couldn't keep away from him. Vladimir, for the most part, had rather fast hands himself and knew how to keep the distance, and was a master of clinching. I can't see Tyson doing a whole hell of alot with them. Maybe Vladimir, but certainly not Vitali. I'm not saying Tyson loses, but he does far worse against them than he did against Smith--- which in my opinion was Tyson's worst outing in his prime.

Think Tony Tucker, and how well he did against Tyson (with a broken hand no less). Tucker was tall, rangy, busy and knew how to clinch well and break Tyson's momentum. Much as I love Tyson, he was my favorite fighter for a long time, the Klitschko's were head and shoulders better than Tony Tucker. And that fight was very competitive.

Cant agree.
Tyson beat tall skilled talented fighters like tucker,bruno,ruddock, he outjabbed 6ft 6 ribalta ,massacred a holder and mover like holmes....figured out the tall classical boxer carl williams in 90 seconds, and dont forget pinklon and tyrell.

Tyson would knock both brothers out in under 6.neither have anywhere near the skills ,speed or fighting ability of some of those tyson victims,they just fight in a weaker era and are total proffesionals.the fact a 90s relic like briggs took vitali the distance and a slob like chisora proves my point.wlad is the programmed robot.for the first time he met a guy with movement in fury his machine blew a gasket