BoxRec

Syntax Error wrote:

montrealsuper wrote:Remember the days when fighters were warriors and champions were men to be admired and revered.

Half of today's beltholders are seemingly protected frauds or coward ducks.

Mike Tyson said it best. "Today's fighters are businessmen. I was a KILLER."

If only another Mike Tyson would come along and boxing would be great again. Boxing needs a Face of Boxing like a Tyson. Thank God we got Tyson and got to live through his reign of destruction. For those who were born too late to experience Tyson, if you only knew...

Tyson shouldn't be kidding himself, he was a businessman too, especially when his team paid Lennox Lewis to step aside in order that Mike could defend his titles against the supposedly easier & far more lucrative option of Evander Holyfield.

King orchestrated Tyson to pay Lennox step aside in order to face Seldon with the promise that Lewis would get next shot. But of course King and Tyson broke that promise and handpicked Holyfield. Lewis was out in the cold though he did win the vacant WBC title vs McCall (rematch) and then finally got Holyfield in the ring in 99. King knew Lennox was too good for Tyson and Holyfield and this engineered both Tyson and Holy to dodge Lewis for as long as possible. King's scheme almost worked. Lewis lost to Rahman but avenged in the rematch and got back on track to hunt down the fleeing Tyson and Holyfield. Remember Lewis needling Holy by calling him "Evader."

Tyson was a shell of a shell of himself in the later 90s and early 2000s and this explains his ducking or allowing King to protect him. he was also deep in debt. But the prime monster Tyson would have fought Godzilla, King Kong, Jaws and Mighty Joe Young all in the same year. Prime monster Tyson never came close to dodging anyone. True greats don't want or need protection.