The Myth That Mike Tyson Was "Unbeatable In His Prime"

[StarshipTrooper]

Who in the hell was going to beat him on the night he fought Spinks? Not Holyfield, Bowe, Buster, or anybody else, IMO.

Ali, Foreman, Liston, PRIME Holmes, Holyfield come to mind. TBQH there is something of a mythos that has cropped up among Tyson fans about the Spinks fight. The truth is he was no better that night than he was against, say, Tucker. The difference is that Spinks froze and went down from the first meaningful punch that landed and ran up a white flag.

Poet

[CarlosG815]

Ali, Foreman, Liston, PRIME Holmes, Holyfield come to mind. TBQH there is something of a mythos that has cropped up among Tyson fans about the Spinks fight. The truth is he was no better that night than he was against, say, Tucker. The difference is that Spinks froze and went down from the first meaningful punch that landed and ran up a white flag.

Poet

And the fight was a total mismatch. Spink's really had no chance against a pitbull brick house pressure fighter like Tyson. I don't see anyway he could have won that fight.

But in my post I was referring to fighters of the time that could actually snap his undefeated streak, not past ATG's (aside from Holy).

I should rephrase "Who in the hell could have beat him in that division at that particular time." And the answer to that, IMO, is nobody.

[StarshipTrooper]

And the fight was a total mismatch. Spink's really had no chance against a pitbull brick house pressure fighter like Tyson. I don't see anyway he could have won that fight.

But in my post I was referring to fighters of the time that could actually snap his undefeated streak, not past ATG's (aside from Holy).

I should rephrase "Who in the hell could have beat him in that division at that particular time." And the answer to that, IMO, is nobody.

I would pick Holyfield and give Bowe a 50/50 shot at it. And in shape Witherspoon too.

BTW, I don't deny Tyson was ONE of the greats and that is based soley on his pre-prison career.....to me, post-prison doesn't factor in. If Rooney had maintained that Tyson would be ONE of the greats if he had stayed with him then I'd agree with him.....hell, Tyson IS one of the greats primarily off his time with Rooney. Where I get off the bus is Rooney claiming Tyson would be the GOAT: That's just hubris on Rooney's part.

Poet

[CarlosG815]

I would pick Holyfield and give Bowe a 50/50 shot at it. And in shape Witherspoon too.

BTW, I don't deny Tyson was ONE of the greats and that is based soley on his pre-prison career.....to me, post-prison doesn't factor in. If Rooney had maintained that Tyson would be ONE of the greats if he had stayed with him then I'd agree with him.....hell, Tyson IS one of the greats primarily off his time with Rooney. Where I get off the bus is Rooney claiming Tyson would be the GOAT: That's just hubris on Rooney's part.

Poet

Assuming he stayed with Rooney and never gone to prison and went on to beat Bowe, Lewis, Holyfield and Witherspoon and retire undefeated before 1995, would you consider him the GOAT?

[paulsinghnl]

He wasn't unbeatable it just took a top notch ATG fighter to take him out.

Foreman and Ali are what come to mind, and maybe even Holy, prime for prime. Holyfields game plan was great, he put on some muscle so he could stay in the pocket with Mike...and we all know what Tyson does in the pocket, he just holds on!

did u just say inside the pocket, Tyson just holds on? the original style as he learnt it (being small and muscular, not to mention very fast) was to get on the inside and beat you from there. the left hook to the body and uppercut combination (tyson's favorite) are short distance punches, u can't be too far from someone to effectively use those punches.

yes, against Holyfield.. he did not do that. but a prime for prime fight? i don't know.. would've been one hell of a fight!

[JAB5239]

Assuming he stayed with Rooney and never gone to prison and went on to beat Bowe, Lewis, Holyfield and Witherspoon and retire undefeated before 1995, would you consider him the GOAT?

I certainly might. But fighters have to be looked at as a whole. Im sure he would have been better off with Rooney, but there isn't any guarantee he still wouldn't have lost it psychologically. Fame and fortune change people and Mike was never the most stable guy to begin with. To bad because we very well could have been calling him the best ever had he a better head on his shoulders.

[paulsinghnl]

I certainly might. But fighters have to be looked at as a whole. Im sure he would have been better off with Rooney, but there isn't any guarantee he still wouldn't have lost it psychologically. Fame and fortune change people and Mike was never the most stable guy to begin with. To bad because we very well could have been calling him the best ever had he a better head on his shoulders.

i agree, i think that's the whole discussion in a nutshell

[Scott9945]

Rooney is being self-serving though because what he's always maintained that if Tyson had stuck with him then Mike would have been the GOAT.

Poet

Of course. Old trainers always spin things like that. The truth is that Tyson won plenty of big fights afterwards, while Rooney never trained the winner of a major fight again. He became a drunk and a ******** addict.

[JAB5239]

Of course. Old trainers always spin things like that. The truth is that Tyson won plenty of big fights afterwards, while Rooney never trained the winner of a major fight again. He became a drunk and a ******** addict.

Vinny Paz, baby!!! The Dele fight was HUGE.....at least in Providence!

[CarlosG815]

Of course. Old trainers always spin things like that. The truth is that Tyson won plenty of big fights afterwards, while Rooney never trained the winner of a major fight again. He became a drunk and a ******** addict.

It's also true that after Rooney he took a lot more punishment, his head movement was null, and he didn't throw combinations but was more of a head hunter.

This can not be disputed. He was a different fighter post Rooney, and it was for the worst.