Thats just crazy to imagine, he fought as much as 3 times a month his first year in the pros.
Now that was a guy on a mission to make a name for himself quickly.
Fight resume from March 1985 - March 1986
1986-03-10 Steve Zouski
1986-02-16 Jesse Ferguson
1986-01-24 Mike Jameson
1986-01-11 David Jaco
1985-12-27 Mark Young
1985-12-06 Sammy Scaff
1985-11-22 Conroy Nelson
1985-11-13 Eddie Richardson
1985-11-01 Sterling Benjamin
1985-10-25 Robert Colay
1985-10-09 Donnie Long
1985-09-05 Michael Johnson
1985-08-15 Lorenzo Canady
1985-07-19 Larry Sims
1985-07-11 John Alderson
1985-06-20 Ricardo Spain
1985-05-23 Don Halpin
1985-04-10 Trent Singleton
1985-03-06 Hector Mercedes
It's great that he was so active but it did just seem like glorified sparring matches I suppose.
Then again, like the others have said, if it was keeping him in a "constant training camp" which allowed for as little distraction as possible it was definitely working for him.
Just wonder how Tyson would have done if he had never fell in with the likes of King, etc. Still don't think he beats a prime Lewis but it would have been interesting to see.
It's how many fighters should be groomed. When you're a prospect without a fanbase, fighting journeymen and hasbeens you don't need 8 week training camps.
You should be in constant camp, ready to fight all the time. Nowadays, there's too big an emphasis on shows, and money and tv dates etc. I hate that with a passion.
Jim Jacobs, his manager at the time, had a very old school mentality where he wanted to keep him active and get as many fights as possible into his first 12 months like a lot of the old timers did.
What's your opinion about this method, Iron?.
I remember reading about D'Amato wanting Tyson to stay busy so that to keep him away from distractions, and basically have him in a 'permanent training camp'.
Of course, in spite of the level of competition, fighting so often is risky, bad nights happen.
On the other hand, I find it a very good method to have a young fighter constantly evolving, both technically and mentally.
I love Mike but alot of guys can do the same thing. Its just sorta like a substitute for sparring, etc...
Same thing about guys sweating everyone in the past who have 80-100 wins. Most of them were against nobodies. Its just different eras but dont act like guys today couldnt do that also if they wanted to
That is impressive. Wladimir Klitschko fought 13 times in the year 1997. He won 11 by ko and the other two by D.Q. in 6 rounds or less. In December 1997 he had three fights in three weeks winning all three by KO.
A bum a day is no problem for an elite fighter , you cant fight top comp like this this only once or twice a year , why are young fans are so into numbers on face value , dig into what the numbers mean !
19 is pretty grand for a guy who should have been in high school before summer.
And its 19 early KOs, and more emphatically, the early KOs kept coming when he stepped up at the age of 20.
Tommy Morrisson had the same kind of resume in his 1st year : 19 (18 ko)-0 !
Lewis and both Klitschko fought 12 times theirs 1st years, not bad too.
Now, an active HW fight 6x a year at best.
Jim Jacobs, his manager at the time, had a very old school mentality where he wanted to keep him active and get as many fights as possible into his first 12 months like a lot of the old timers did.