Sad.....
- Thread starter the rusty tromb
- Start date
Somewhat agree with the first statement, absolutely agree with the second. Part of the problem in people accepting Ali's fighting style is that no one had ever moved like he did in the heavyweight division. Big men weren't supposed to do that. His change of direction when moving around the ring often had a staccato feel to it, but most times was not what I would call awkward. He was the most fluid mover for a boxer his size the ring has seen, or likely will see.hdog said:
Ask 100 people who the best boxer was in the 1980s. 99 will say Tyson. And the 1 hardcore boxing afficianado will say someone else whose name nobody recognizes.hdog said:
Tyson MADE boxing in the 1980s. I don't care whether you think he was a thug, or if his technique was poor, or whatever other bullshit you can come up with. Everyone loves boxing b/c they loved seeing Iron Mike knock people on their asses.
No. Because I don't look to boxing magazines to rate my favourites. And I'm not talking about all-time boxing greats; I'm talking about Tyson and his era. When Tyson was in his prime, he was untouchable.Kev said:
And yeah I know all the Tyson-haters cringe when they read this.
Ok, so he already has declared bankruptcy. So why's he still fighting if all the money he makes (and will make) is going to creditors? It doesn't make sense. He owes so much he should know he'll never pay it all off. I guess he just doesn't know what else to do with his life...
Joe-six-pack who sees 3 fights a year is the bread-and-butter of boxing. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't be seeing half the fights you do.hdog said:
But now that I know you're one of those old-timer, elitist boxing fans, I couldn't care less what you think of Tyson.
For what it's worth, the entire boxing panel on Sportsnet Live ALL put Tyson in the top 10 of all-time boxing greats; and that included the guy (whose name escapes me at the moment) who is a boxing nut and publishes books on the subject. Even the athlete guest respected Tyson for his athletic ability.
To say Tyson is nothing but a thug is to lie to yourself. You may not have liked the guy or his bizarro actions, but he was THE top-notch boxer of his time.
I wish Ali had been around in 1985 so Tyson could have smashed him out cold in the first round...
I am not a boxing elitist... nor do I claim to be an expert. I don't have the time to research boxing history... but I don't think that there was a boxer in his prime that was as dominant as Mike Tyson (before the Buster Douglas fight).Keebler Elf said:Joe-six-pack who sees 3 fights a year is the bread-and-butter of boxing. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't be seeing half the fights you do.
But now that I know you're one of those old-timer, elitist boxing fans, I couldn't care less what you think of Tyson.
For what it's worth, the entire boxing panel on Sportsnet Live ALL put Tyson in the top 10 of all-time boxing greats; and that included the guy (whose name escapes me at the moment) who is a boxing nut and publishes books on the subject. Even the athlete guest respected Tyson for his athletic ability.
To say Tyson is nothing but a thug is to lie to yourself. You may not have liked the guy or his bizarro actions, but he was THE top-notch boxer of his time.
I wish Ali had been around in 1985 so Tyson could have smashed him out cold in the first round...
Yes it was a weak heavyweight division at the time, and any other claims that people want to make.... but the guy just destroyed people.... I am not nor was I ever a Tyson fan. I thought he was completely over-rated.. But after a while, I was in awe of his punching power, and his ability to take fighters out in 2 or 3 rounds...
Tyson was/is a thug... but he also had alot of ability and power... While the heavyweight division was weak in talent, there was no shortage of toughness.
They don't recruit heavyweight boxers from the golf course or the ballet classes. They take them off the streets of NY, LA, Detroit etc..
IMHO, a thug comes out and attachs until there is only one person standing. This type of attacking strategy will work... for 1, 2 10, 20 fights. But to have gone 40 fights+ without someone getting in one or two lucky punches leads me to believe that there was a bit more to Tyson than just brutality and strength.
I don't know if he belongs in the one time greats... but in the past 30 years, no one has dominated the sport in such a fashion as Tyson..
