BoxRec

Back in 85 a young lad named Mike Tyson made his heavyweight debut, knocking out Hector Mercedes in one round. I doubt any of us UK fans who are possibly in their late 40's plus by now remember the fight as I very much doubt it was shown in the UK or satellite anywhere. I'm also not sure when I very first saw him in action could well have been the Conroy Nelson fight however, What was your first impression of Tyson back in the early days before his title shot against Berbick?

The reason im asking this is because I would like to think someone might say that they were not that impressed, or on the other hand thought that this kid was the new saviour to take the world of boxing by storm and wrap up all titles.

I'm sure someone is going to choke on their tea here with my next comment, but I think that Anthony Joshua is the next kid who is going to take boxing by the balls and clean up in the division, im not making any comparison with Joshua and Tyson. In my opinion you will never ever see another fighter who scared the chit out of opponents before the bell rang. But heavyweight boxing has been waiting a long few years to see the next generation of boxer who is going to walk though most of his opponents to a title shot. I'm sure along the way there are going to be scares and a few phews.

I would imagine there were some folks that thought that Mike would not make the top of the tree so im hoping that there is just the fan here that thought that way.

Tyson was good at blowing away guys who were put there to be blown away. He was flattered by the quality of opponent and people look back at him with rose tinted glasses on, as some sort of saviour of the HW division. As soon as he came up against a real live opponent who wasn't scared of him, he struggled.

Joshua has been good so far at beating people put there to be beaten, thats all we know so far.

He's no division conqueror yet and won't be for a good few years, they need to milk the cow first before they take any risks.

Whats gonna happen to this Tyson fella when someone stands up to his digs? or hows his stamina?

I bet he cant a punch,,hows his temprement? Time will tell


He's no Ali

Think in 85 the focus was more on pedroza defending his title against an Irish upstart, at least in the uk it was !

i first read about tyson in the boxing news before i see him fight and when i first see him fight i was blown away here was a 220 pound fighter that fought like a middle weight throwing lots of powerful shots ,who had great head movement ,speed and power the time i really fought this is the real deal was when he fought a tall white fighter (can't remember the name) who threw lots of punches at tyson who bobbed under them all the came up with a big left hook to floor the guy . i knew then that tyson would be a great fighter . i haven't seen a fighter since that has been that exciting watch . as for joshua i must admit i'm starting to think he could be special ,he seems to have it all i guess time will tell .

World Of Sport had a Tyson montage on and he was absolutely different to the others boxers in the heavyweight division. Anyone who saw him thought he was the business - the montage was knockout after knockout and was fantastic marketing and promotion. People I knew were on about his 19 inch neck and how mean he was. The heavyweight division was moribund at the time.

I was about 13 when Tyson was showcased by The Ring (which I read like it was sent from heaven) and KO and World Boxing.

It felt like he was going to be the great HW of my time. I'd read about Jeffries, Johnson, Dempsey and Louis... Seen bits of Ali and Frazier... But Tyson was for my generation.

He seemed so likeable too. But I do remember one writer for KO suggesting that Tyson wasn't the nice guy he seemed. He mentioned an interview where Tyson had behaved badly. But it was soon forgotten and forgiven.

I believe greatness comes from adversity and knew Mike's tests were going to come in fights when he was hurt or losing...

Back then unifying the division was great. Holmes had ushered in the IBF and was looking for easy fights to beat Marciano's record. Tyson seemed like a great thing for the sport.

I wonder if the fact that ITV World of Sport showcased Tyson and by the time the Berbick fight came around free to watch on ITV he already had a massive following, I wonder if Joshua will ever attain a following if his fights are going to on PPV ?

tony1234 wrote:I wonder if the fact that ITV World of Sport showcased Tyson and by the time the Berbick fight came around free to watch on ITV he already had a massive following, I wonder if Joshua will ever attain a following if his fights are going to on PPV ?

I knew all about Tyson, and I was nine.

Tyson was promoted amazingly by Jim Jacobs & Bill Cayton. I remember reading a 4 page spread about Tyson in the free magazine that came with the NotW when he was about 12-0. They sent highlight reel after highlight reel to so many media outlets.

On the UK front there was no satellite tv then and boxing was more mainstream with many papers having a dedicated boxing writer. Most casuals (to use a current term) could name half a dozen champions too.

I remember so many people waiting for him to fight for the title & then unify it. He truly was considered a saviour of the sport by many. Especially after the doldrums of the early 80's. I remember watching him fight on a big screen in Covent Garden at about 3am on a chilly rainy night. There were shitloads of people there.

I'm not feeling the same about Joshua although I was a teenager then & I'm a jaded old fcuk now. I still tense up when he leaves his chin hanging out after throwing punches (although he is getting tidier).

I am feeling confident about the state of the heavyweight division though with Joshua, the Furies, Wilder, Ruiz, Parker and a possibly a few others all looking to provide fireworks rather than the humdrum style we've seen in the division recently. Whether any of them turn out to be any good is another matter though.

When Tyson lost it made the front pages how many other fight results not involving a tragedy can you remember on the front page ?

I started boxing in 83 so he around at just the right time for me.Before I'd clocked him I never watched the heavies, either too uninspiring or too fat, gave the impression they were stealing a living. Tyson came along and despite what some have said he was the saviour of the division not only cos of his peformances in the ring but by the way he saturated himself with knowledge on the noble art and the respect he had for fellow fighters past and present(not inc opponents!) Not the best but certainly up there.

It wasn't really until 1986 that Tyson began to attract real press attention, particularly after he crushed Marvis Frazier in a 30-second warning. He was a breath of fresh air as he carved his way through the bigger, slower pretenders on the way to that unforgettable win over a previously unbeaten Mike Spinks. The man was another Jack Dempsey.

Mike was creating waves within around 6 or 7 fights, I first heard about him through Graham Houston in Boxing News, and already he was being touted as definitely one to watch.
I seem to remember his eye popping knock outs had already turned him in to a local cult figure in N.Y, and no wonder, electrifying is the word. Plus his media savvy managers were sending out VHS comps of his ko's to news writers from the off.

I think his big TV debut was against Ferguson, not the greatest win but made news due to his on air comments after, about trying to drive the bone of his opponents nose into his brain ( nice ).

I started to get tapes of his fights around then, and it was his win against Reggie Gross that really convinced he was going to be big. Gross was a dangerous puncher, and had just beat Bert Cooper. He came to win and tried to take Mike's head off in the first, even landed a big punch but Mike ducked and weaved and came back with a left hand bomb for a KO1. Sensational stuff.

Mike was sensational in the early part of his career, knocking out tomato cans. Mitch blood green was his first big test and the first opponent that did not 'fall over'.

Who will be anthony Joshuas 'mitch green' ?

Shannon Briggs?

Dereck Chisora?

I doubt that Joshua will be in with a live opponent in a 60/40 fight until mid 2015. Probably 4 or 5 fights from now. Or will Eddie test him sooner.

I remember watching the Tillis and Green fights on free TV. There was considerable buzz about him before then as he'd been knocking everyone out.

I always wondered what would have happened to him had he not signed with King.

I was in the states in 85 and watched Tyson v Frazier live and was blown away! I got home and raved about Tyson to my father who was a big fight fan. ITV a few weeks later showed the Tyson V Mitch Green fight and my father was not impressed one bit. He was won round in the end.

AJ reminds me more of Bruno than Tyson

I recall reading about his 19 inch neck in a boxing mag and thinking aloud "Wow, if his neck is 19 inches, imagine the size of his schlong". I was only 12 years old at that time and prone to worrying thoughts of a sexual nature and incessant bouts of rabid masturbation.

I saw a highlight reel of him shortly after and thought he was amazing. It was the speed and the visciousness that struck me first. He looked like he enjoyed taking the other guy`s head off (I see that in Joshua now too)

The 19 / 20 year old Tyson would have been a real handfull for any heavyweight in history. His speed and power were fantastic. One has to factor in that in the early fights he was facing cannon fodder, but what he did to Berbick, Holmes, Spinks and Thomas show that he could carry it up.

If you stood up to the guy (no mean feat) like Mitch Green and Smith did, then his menace was nullified to a certain degree. He was a bully in the ring who thrived on his opponents fear, feeding on it and exploiting it to the point where some opponents were simply done before they set foot in the ring.

Still the most exciting fighter I can think of when he was in his prime. I was in shock when Douglas beat him. I read it on teletext and thought "How can Tyson be knocked out". It was a massive upset, but his life was spiralling by that time and by rights Douglas should have lost the fight on the long count he took a round or two earlier.

forcefraser wrote:I recall reading about his 19 inch neck in a boxing mag and thinking aloud "Wow, if his neck is 19 inches, imagine the size of his schlong". I was only 12 years old at that time and prone to worrying thoughts of a sexual nature and incessant bouts of rabid masturbation.

I saw a highlight reel of him shortly after and thought he was amazing. It was the speed and the visciousness that struck me first. He looked like he enjoyed taking the other guy`s head off (I see that in Joshua now too)

The 19 / 20 year old Tyson would have been a real handfull for any heavyweight in history. His speed and power were fantastic. One has to factor in that in the early fights he was facing cannon fodder, but what he did to Berbick, Holmes, Spinks and Thomas show that he could carry it up.

If you stood up to the guy (no mean feat) like Mitch Green and Smith did, then his menace was nullified to a certain degree. He was a bully in the ring who thrived on his opponents fear, feeding on it and exploiting it to the point where some opponents were simply done before they set foot in the ring.

Still the most exciting fighter I can think of when he was in his prime. I was in shock when Douglas beat him. I read it on teletext and thought "How can Tyson be knocked out". It was a massive upset, but his life was spiralling by that time and by rights Douglas should have lost the fight on the long count he took a round or two earlier.

Douglas got up on the count of nine though,if it was a slow count,it wasn't his problem was it,just saying

mercman wrote:

palooka wrote:World Of Sport had a Tyson montage on and he was absolutely different to the others boxers in the heavyweight division. Anyone who saw him thought he was the business - the montage was knockout after knockout and was fantastic marketing and promotion. People I knew were on about his 19 inch neck and how mean he was. The heavyweight division was moribund at the time.

That takes me back. I remember watching that same montage - sensational, it was. Everybody was excited about Tyson, he really captured the public imagination. Tyson was young, powerful aggressive and all action when he came bursting onto the scene which, at the time, was populated mainly uninspiring fighters. He really mad an impact coming through.

Likewise, I had it taped as well so it had repeated viewings, he looked an absolute beast. He may have been fighting stiffs but it was they way he was destroying them, when he often was a lot smaller, that made everyone take notice. I'd heard of him through boxing news reviews prior to that but I think that montage was the first i'd seen of him.

bigjack wrote:

forcefraser wrote:I recall reading about his 19 inch neck in a boxing mag and thinking aloud "Wow, if his neck is 19 inches, imagine the size of his schlong". I was only 12 years old at that time and prone to worrying thoughts of a sexual nature and incessant bouts of rabid masturbation.

I saw a highlight reel of him shortly after and thought he was amazing. It was the speed and the visciousness that struck me first. He looked like he enjoyed taking the other guy`s head off (I see that in Joshua now too)

The 19 / 20 year old Tyson would have been a real handfull for any heavyweight in history. His speed and power were fantastic. One has to factor in that in the early fights he was facing cannon fodder, but what he did to Berbick, Holmes, Spinks and Thomas show that he could carry it up.

If you stood up to the guy (no mean feat) like Mitch Green and Smith did, then his menace was nullified to a certain degree. He was a bully in the ring who thrived on his opponents fear, feeding on it and exploiting it to the point where some opponents were simply done before they set foot in the ring.

Still the most exciting fighter I can think of when he was in his prime. I was in shock when Douglas beat him. I read it on teletext and thought "How can Tyson be knocked out". It was a massive upset, but his life was spiralling by that time and by rights Douglas should have lost the fight on the long count he took a round or two earlier.

Douglas got up on the count of nine though,if it was a slow count,it wasn't his problem was it,just saying

And the ref did the same thing on Tyson's knockdown, which is often overloked. Douglas got up, Tyson didn't, nothing remotely dubious about that result.

I've always seen it as a count of 10 rather than a count of 10 seconds, even if your following the timekeeper its still very hard to count out 10 perfect sconds

forcefraser wrote:I recall reading about his 19 inch neck in a boxing mag and thinking aloud "Wow, if his neck is 19 inches, imagine the size of his schlong". I was only 12 years old at that time and prone to worrying thoughts of a sexual nature and incessant bouts of rabid masturbation.

I saw a highlight reel of him shortly after and thought he was amazing. It was the speed and the visciousness that struck me first. He looked like he enjoyed taking the other guy`s head off (I see that in Joshua now too)

The 19 / 20 year old Tyson would have been a real handfull for any heavyweight in history. His speed and power were fantastic. One has to factor in that in the early fights he was facing cannon fodder, but what he did to Berbick, Holmes, Spinks and Thomas show that he could carry it up.

If you stood up to the guy (no mean feat) like Mitch Green and Smith did, then his menace was nullified to a certain degree. He was a bully in the ring who thrived on his opponents fear, feeding on it and exploiting it to the point where some opponents were simply done before they set foot in the ring.

Still the most exciting fighter I can think of when he was in his prime. I was in shock when Douglas beat him. I read it on teletext and thought "How can Tyson be knocked out". It was a massive upset, but his life was spiralling by that time and by rights Douglas should have lost the fight on the long count he took a round or two earlier.

Mitch Green lost pretty much every round, in fact, I think Smith did actually lose every round.

They survived, but neither of them gave him much of a fight. Smith basically should have been disqualified, he held Tyson's arms at every single opportunity and pinned them so he couldn't hit him. I remember being really disspointed, because Smith was a real puncher, and I thought he might give Tyson a real scare, especially after what he did to both Bruno and Witherspoon - but he basically cacked his pants and turned up for the payday.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

forcefraser wrote:I recall reading about his 19 inch neck in a boxing mag and thinking aloud "Wow, if his neck is 19 inches, imagine the size of his schlong". I was only 12 years old at that time and prone to worrying thoughts of a sexual nature and incessant bouts of rabid masturbation.

I saw a highlight reel of him shortly after and thought he was amazing. It was the speed and the visciousness that struck me first. He looked like he enjoyed taking the other guy`s head off (I see that in Joshua now too)

The 19 / 20 year old Tyson would have been a real handfull for any heavyweight in history. His speed and power were fantastic. One has to factor in that in the early fights he was facing cannon fodder, but what he did to Berbick, Holmes, Spinks and Thomas show that he could carry it up.

If you stood up to the guy (no mean feat) like Mitch Green and Smith did, then his menace was nullified to a certain degree. He was a bully in the ring who thrived on his opponents fear, feeding on it and exploiting it to the point where some opponents were simply done before they set foot in the ring.
Still the most exciting fighter I can think of when he was in his prime. I was in shock when Douglas beat him. I read it on teletext and thought "How can Tyson be knocked out". It was a massive upset, but his life was spiralling by that time and by rights Douglas should have lost the fight on the long count he took a round or two earlier.

Mitch Green lost pretty much every round, in fact, I think Smith did actually lose every round.

They survived, but neither of them gave him much of a fight. Smith basically should have been disqualified, he held Tyson's arms at every single opportunity and pinned them so he couldn't hit him. I remember being really disspointed, because Smith was a real puncher, and I thought he might give Tyson a real scare, especially after what he did to both Bruno and Witherspoon - but he basically cacked his pants and turned up for the payday.

Smith caught Tyson with a good punch with about 20 seconds left in the last round and seemed to hurt him,but apart from that he was dreadful.