Tyson demise came well before his incarceration. It started the moment he signed with Don King and lost what got him there; Dedication, hardwork, passion and commitment to be the best he could be in the sport.
On the other hand, DK neglected him. He gave him the freedom to live a very fast and undisciplined lifestyle by providing him with certain perks without any supervision; Which eventually ruined his career and landed him in a lot of trouble outside of the ring in the process.
Was it Douglas, McNeely, Holyfield, Botha? Before any of these, after any of these?
I could tell he was losing it when he fought McNeely.
The Douglas fight is when the skills started to decline. Maybe if he had kept Rooney, Tyson would have been greater. A trainer can make a big difference. It's like if Floyd left his dada and Uncle to train with Freddy Roach would see the skills declining
Well, when he fought McNeeley he was well past his prime, did you guy notice he was coming from an incarceration in his one round fight vs Peter? But seriously I think I noticed his downfall after the Douglas fight, he didn't look good after that beating and yes he was shot after the Botha fight, no doubt
Was it Douglas, McNeely, Holyfield, Botha? Before any of these, after any of these?
I could tell he was losing it when he fought McNeely.
I wouldn't use the word shot but by the Frank Bruno fight Tyson had lost much of what made him spectacular. He didn't have his movement; his bob and weave and his jab was gone.
At the time I didn't know Tyson was never coming back. I hoped it was just a phase but ... it wasn't. It was the beginning of the end. He could have come back. He never would have fallen so far if he hadn't replaced qualified people with yes men, etc... But it did.
I would say he never came back. His peak was before Bruno. There was no post-jail Tyson that resembled his peak in any way.
I think that Mike Tyson was at his peak when he KO Michael Spinks in 90 seconds back in 1988. However since then, he had begun showing signs of decline, once he fired his manager Bill Clayton and trainer Kevin Rooney after the bout; Two of whom were the last lineages of the Cus D'Amato legacy.
From there, things started to go downhill for him as he had begun to lose guidance, discipline, focus and his sense of purpose. Which was evident in his subsequent bouts with Frank Bruno in 1989, where he was rocked and in his subsequent bout with James Buster Douglass two fights later, where he was KO in Tokyo. It was almost like, he was a lost sheep wandering and had gone astray.
I think that Mike Tyson was at his peak when he KO Michael Spinks in 90 seconds back in 1988. However since then, he had begun showing signs of decline, once he fired his manager Bill Clayton and trainer Kevin Rooney after that bout; Who were two of the last lineages of the Cus D'Amato legacy.
From there, things started to go downhill for him as he had begun to lose guidance, discipline, focus and his sense of purpose. Which was evident in his subsequent bouts with Frank Bruno in 1989, where he was rocked and in his subsequent bout with James Buster Douglass two fights later, where he was KO in Tokyo. It was almost like, he was a lost sheep wandering and had gone astray.
I don't think Tyson was truly shot before after Lennox Lewis.
He was over the hill for sure, but he could still fight. After that fight he was done. And it was sad.
Tyson looked "shot" against Lewis but before that fight there was no indication he was shot but we all knew he was done at the highest level. I for one expected a tougher fight but Tyson looked ready to go and just wanted to absorb as much punishment as possible, maybe looking for redemption.
Not "Shot", but past prime evidence my friend spoke with me on this once and he suggested the Mathis fight. Mike may have finished him off, but he was missing and rhythm was all over the place at times...I think he had a point.
Mike began the downside of his peak when Rooney was outed, we all know that, I would say his post-prison period was his 'past prime but still very dangerous' phase.
As far as Mike being shot, I think his last few years are where you would say he was shot. The guy that fought Danny Williams, Kevin McBride etc was a complete and utter ghost of a peak Iron Mike.
Being shot and past prime are two different things.
Do you mean past it or completely shot? Because he certainly wasn't shot when he fought McNeely, he went on to beat Bruno, Seldon (no great achievement but hey ho - a B level fighter - , Botha and gave Holyfield a very good fight the first time around.
And I don't believe any version of Tyson does particularly well against Holyfield (or Lewis) for that matter.
Past his prime, the McNeely fight he started showing (for me.)
When he sacked kevin Rooney that's when it all spiralled out of control the head movement disappeared n buster Douglas ko'd him. The head movement is what made tyson so good he was able to make you miss and make you pay viciously.
The Botha fight. He should've been able to KO him within 2 rounds, instead he gets embarrassed for nearly half the fight before landing probably the deadliest straight right hand I've ever seen.
Being shot and past prime are two different things.
Do you mean past it or completely shot? Because he certainly wasn't shot when he fought McNeely, he went on to beat Bruno, Seldon (no great achievement but hey ho - a B level fighter - , Botha and gave Holyfield a very good fight the first time around.
And I don't believe any version of Tyson does particularly well against Holyfield (or Lewis) for that matter.