Is it Riddick Bowe, who was shot at 29?
Is it Mike Tyson, who could have retired at 90-0 maybe?
Is it Vitali Klitschko, who lost the two big fights he was in?
Is it Andrew Golota, who ... well, you know?
Gerald McClellan
Michael Watson
Ike Ibeabuchi
Riddock Bowe
All coulda been great except for Watson...Though he woulda been very good!!! :boxing:
i agree......these are my picks too, very sad stuff with Watson and McClellan.
I wondered if Cus saw the unbriddled terror in Tyson as being shortlived and wanted to push him, or if he knew that kid had to be pushed to succeed? I think that Cus understould Mike better than Teddy did. however Teddy had a good point about his disciplin. He did rush, two fights a month until he became champion was a killer pace. But I do often wonder how great he could have been. Say if you gave him Holyfields tenacity, and disciplin. Or the wits of Ali. Tyson's career is the one that sadenns me the most. Generations before me had a great HW to look up to Mine was Mike Tyson. You can say what you want to about him, but he had all the tools to be truly great. 90-0???
I don't know about that, but an undefeated record, maybe.
Hadlewis, Holyfield, Morrer, a coming back George Foreman or any of the current champs faced the Tyson who decimated the likes of Berbick and Spinks not to mention hall of famer Larry Holmes They would have looked just as bad against that hell fire.
Cus was old...every day could be your last...Cus was able to fix Floyd and Jose, I don't see any reason if Cus was alive until Mike was about 25, that Mike wouldn't have been able to be a "success", Cus D'amato's version of Success.
Every time somebody died on Mike, if it was his Mother, Cus, Jimmy, his Sister, etc. it must have hurt.
The boxing business is full of deception, that is to much to deal with when on your own without the help of people that you can trust protecting you.
I dont know if its sad for me.. But for all of boxing in general.. Mike Tyson ... With the right people I am sure he would have been the Greatest of all time
It was supposed to be 50-0, then retire...that's supposedly what Jimmy Jacobs and Bill Cayton had in mind...They thought Tyson could reach that point by 28 years old or so...plans don't always work out.
Atlas said on ESPN before that he was disappointed with Tyson because he was supposed to have an impact on society/youth, like the Ali of his day...No other fighter of Tyson's generation had the ability to have such an impact, Tyson had the World's attention, especially the troubled kids in the ghetto, but he couldn't live up to what "they" had in mind. I don't blame him though, D'amato and Jacobs died and Tyson wanted to call it a day...but even before that, I think Teddy was right, Tyson should of been disciplined more, but since D'amato was in his last days, Cus wanted to push as fast as he could...People say it doesn't mean that if Cus had stayed alive that Tyson would of been fine, but just look at the other example of Cus's students, Floyd Patterso, and Jose Torres...Patterson and Torres was the finished product of Cus...Cus once said something on the lines of, "I am a success only when I am able to create both a Chamion and a person who can stand on his own two feet, when the person doesn't need me anymore, I am a success"
I wondered if Cus saw the unbriddled terror in Tyson as being shortlived and wanted to push him, or if he knew that kid had to be pushed to succeed? I think that Cus understould Mike better than Teddy did. however Teddy had a good point about his disciplin. He did rush, two fights a month until he became champion was a killer pace. But I do often wonder how great he could have been. Say if you gave him Holyfields tenacity, and disciplin. Or the wits of Ali. Tyson's career is the one that sadenns me the most. Generations before me had a great HW to look up to Mine was Mike Tyson. You can say what you want to about him, but he had all the tools to be truly great. 90-0???
I don't know about that, but an undefeated record, maybe.
Hadlewis, Holyfield, Morrer, a coming back George Foreman or any of the current champs faced the Tyson who decimated the likes of Berbick and Spinks not to mention hall of famer Larry Holmes They would have looked just as bad against that hell fire.
I feel sad for any of the boxers who were dramatically effected by boxing after they left it. Like Meldrick Taylor. Riddick Bowe has some slurred speech, along with Tommy Hearns.
For some reason Hagler, he was pretty pissed in the end. I would've felt a little better if he would've gotten knocked out, then no one could've cheated him.
I think he could of made it to 50-0 too if things went as planned...that doesn't mean that I think he could of been undefeated in a "Fantasy" tournament, but that's a different discussion.
It's all about having a great team around you, without that, you are going to have major problems
It was supposed to be 50-0, then retire...that's supposedly what Jimmy Jacobs and Bill Cayton had in mind...They thought Tyson could reach that point by 28 years old or so...plans don't always work out.
Atlas said on ESPN before that he was disappointed with Tyson because he was supposed to have an impact on society/youth, like the Ali of his day...No other fighter of Tyson's generation had the ability to have such an impact, Tyson had the World's attention, especially the troubled kids in the ghetto, but he couldn't live up to what "they" had in mind. I don't blame him though, D'amato and Jacobs died and Tyson wanted to call it a day...but even before that, I think Teddy was right, Tyson should of been disciplined more, but since D'amato was in his last days, Cus wanted to push as fast as he could...People say it doesn't mean that if Cus had stayed alive that Tyson would of been fine, but just look at the other example of Cus's students, Floyd Patterson.
I think Tyson could have easily been 50-0. I think if Jacobs would have lived Mike would be a different man now. I always thought he had a great influence over Tyson.
Tyson could have retired at 90-0? Is that a joke?
It was supposed to be 50-0, then retire...that's supposedly what Jimmy Jacobs and Bill Cayton had in mind...They thought Tyson could reach that point by 28 years old or so...plans don't always work out.
Atlas said on ESPN before that he was disappointed with Tyson because he was supposed to have an impact on society/youth, like the Ali of his day...No other fighter of Tyson's generation had the ability to have such an impact, Tyson had the World's attention, especially the troubled kids in the ghetto, but he couldn't live up to what "they" had in mind. I don't blame him though, D'amato and Jacobs died and Tyson wanted to call it a day...but even before that, I think Teddy was right, Tyson should of been disciplined more, but since D'amato was in his last days, Cus wanted to push as fast as he could...People say it doesn't mean that if Cus had stayed alive that Tyson would of been fine, but just look at the other example of Cus's students, Floyd Patterso, and Jose Torres...Patterson and Torres was the finished product of Cus...Cus once said something on the lines of, "I am a success only when I am able to create both a Chamion and a person who can stand on his own two feet, when the person doesn't need me anymore, I am a success"
tell me bowes story
Bowe is probably one of the biggest underacheivers in Heavyweight history. His infighting skills were unbelievable. No way could Tyson have been 90-0 with his style. He was made for a short shelf life. I think it is nessecary for a fighter to lose it makes you as a fan know why you are a fan. I have been physically sick when fighters have lost before after putting so much into writing them letters and being a fan. It shows they are human.