Was Tyson really any good without Rooney?

[rightsideup]

Wheater it was tysons ego or the loss of rooney or a combination of both He started to deterate after the spinks fight. First to go was his head movement and defense and I noticed this when I saw the first rudduck fight live. He needed strong positive influnces in his life and don king certainly was not one.

[Mintcar923]

Funny thing is Aaron Snowell turned out to be a pretty respected trainer. I don't know what he was thinking when he went in unprepared against Douglas. But, he will tell you that Mike wasn't into it at all in Tokyo and thought he was there for the taking. Still I'm sure the team thought Buster would be a cakewalk. With all due respect it seemed like with Rooney/Lott even if Mike wasn't into it they'd make him train very hard regardless.

[Capaedia]

The difference is NOT overstated at all. Tyson with Rooney = Great and a serious challenge to any ATG Tyson post Rooney was simply not the same fighter.

Tyson with his original team is presented as some mythical beast who would knock out whoever was in the opposite corner in the early rounds.

Liston? Yep. Louis? Yep. Ali? Yep. Holmes, Foreman, e.t.c.

He never proved he was capable of doing that against great opposition. His fame and reputation precedes him.

[Scott9945]

Funny thing is Aaron Snowell turned out to be a pretty respected trainer. I don't know what he was thinking when he went in unprepared against Douglas. But, he will tell you that Mike wasn't into it at all in Tokyo and thought he was there for the taking. Still I'm sure the team thought Buster would be a cakewalk. With all due respect it seemed like with Rooney/Lott even if Mike wasn't into it they'd make him train very hard regardless.

At that point nobody was going to make Tyson do anything. It's convenient to blame Don King, but it was Tyson who fired those guys.

Mike Tyson destroyed Mike Tyson. Not evil promoters or incompetent trainers.

[Anthony342]

Still, Tyson was never the same. So then, what should probably be said is had Tyson stayed with Rooney and listened to him and his team he already had, he wouldn't have self destructed and would've kept working hard.

[Daddy T]

It's shocking to know that those idiots didn't even have inswell in the corner when Tyson fought Douglas. I still don't know what that was they used for Tyson's eye. It looked like a cross between a water balloon and a condom.

I actually think Tyson took more punishment in Ruddock 2 than from douglas (excluding the end of the 9th and the devastating shots in the 10th obviously) but because they had no idea how to deal with it in no time at all he had swelled up something awful in the douglas fight, that and the fact that he was out partying and ****ing **********s instead of training in the days leading up to the fight meant he had virtually no chance of beating a determined douglas.

on the original topic even by the Bruno fight Tyson had gone downhill quite a bit, his head movement which was perhaps his greatest weapon pretty much disapeared and he just turned into a slugger who would stand and trade and rely on his power and decent chin.

[TysonBomb]

Tyson actually showed signs of improvement even up to the Spinks fight with Rooney

But after that he stopped growing as a fighter ... he was still elite until the Douglas fight

[CarlosG815]

Tyson actually showed signs of improvement even up to the Spinks fight with Rooney

But after that he stopped growing as a fighter ... he was still elite until the Douglas fight

I thought he looked superb in his fights with Razor Rudducok.

[Mintcar923]

I actually think Tyson took more punishment in Ruddock 2 than from douglas (excluding the end of the 9th and the devastating shots in the 10th obviously) but because they had no idea how to deal with it in no time at all he had swelled up something awful in the douglas fight, that and the fact that he was out partying and ****ing **********s instead of training in the days leading up to the fight meant he had virtually no chance of beating a determined douglas.

on the original topic even by the Bruno fight Tyson had gone downhill quite a bit, his head movement which was perhaps his greatest weapon pretty much disapeared and he just turned into a slugger who would stand and trade and rely on his power and decent chin.

I remember even as a thirteen-year old when I saw the first round of Bruno 1 I said he wasn't the same fighter. I think he got more fierce when Giachetti joined the camp. Check out the Stewart, Ruddock 1-2, and umm Holyfield II and you will see what I mean!! I don't know if that was because of his presence or not. But, he was a much better tactical fighter with Kev in his corner.

[Daddy T]

I thought he looked superb in his fights with Razor Rudducok.

he was physically fit and strong but his head movement wasn't half as good as say the holmes fight for example. He took alot of shots that the tyson of the rooney years would have slipped. I think the tyson that faced ruddock was the best post rooney tyson and would prob have edged out douglas but he was not the same fighter that took on spinks/holmes/berbick/biggs/frazier etc