who could stop tyson back in the day?

[The Noose]

Teddy Atlas stated right before the rematch with Holyfield that if he was put up against a guy who would not back down or show weakness in there, Tyson would cede. He even went on to prophesy that Tyson if the going got rough would intentionally foul to get himself disqualified.

He openly admitted that he quit mentally against Douglas. He just said that sometimes people just break your will.

This is still Tyson without Rooney in his corner. Against stubborn opponents Rooney always was able to focus Tyson and tell him what he should be doing.

[Abe Attell]

The way I see it, beating Tyson isn't as ludicrous as some might state. Tyson was known to quit when he was stood up to, and prime Larry Holmes, Muhammad Ali, and Joe Louis were not about to back down from a guy like Tyson. I'd say that Tyson was alot more vulnerable mentally than many might be prepared to agree with, because he showed no weakness prior to the Douglas fight, save for brief moments early in the first Bruno encounter.

Ah, but why was he mentally weaker after he left Rooney?

Read my post, I stated it was about who was around him, he fed off of their personalities and their mental strength.

Guys like Cus D'amato, Jimmy Jacobs, Teddy Atlas, and Kevin Rooney, made Tyson feel strong...they pushed him forward and he felt extreme confidence with them.

You also have to factor this in, which goes along with what I said above:

When Tyson wasn't trained properly, he became weak. He knows enough about boxing to know when he is going to be in trouble.

He used to say all the time that he needed time to get back into things, but he seemed to cave into the pressure from the media, fans, and Don King that he needed to fight top level guys NOW.

The only chance Tyson had after prison to get back near his former self, was to get back with Kevin Rooney.

Tyson knew he wasn't the same fighter, he admitted it.

You could even see after the fight with the fat guy from Denmark, Jim Grey asks him how he felt he did, and Tyson wasn't pleased...he even looked back to see what his team was saying.

There was also a recent interview with Tyson on Donny Deutsch, where Tyson said some guy from the Gym (I think), was talking a bit of smack to him, but Tyson didn't bother to fight back like he would of back in the day. He said he knew he wasn't in physical shape so he wasn't as confident. It also has to do with his trying to get better as a person, changing from his old ways. It still shows you how you have to be mentally and physically at a higher level.

[Abe Attell]

Teddy Atlas stated right before the rematch with Holyfield that if he was put up against a guy who would not back down or show weakness in there, Tyson would cede. He even went on to prophesy that Tyson if the going got rough would intentionally foul to get himself disqualified.

He openly admitted that he quit mentally against Douglas. He just said that sometimes people just break your will.

Like I stated above in my previous post, Tyson for Douglas didn't have Rooney, wasn't in shape, and thought even with all that he would blast past Douglas...this was probably the first time he truly realized he was going to have trouble.

Tyson was getting his ass kicked from round 1, but did he quit? NO

If he had mentally quit, would he have been able to take punishment, and deliver the uppercut to knock Douglas down? No

You also have to note at this point, since Tyson was not in fighting shape, he was fatigued...After knocking down Douglas, the bell rang shortly after. The next round Tyson came out trying to land another one shot bomb, but failed, but did he quit? NO.

He kept taking his beating...just look at when he was stunned badly against the ropes, Tyson was throwing back, and if you had not noticed he was throwing the UPPERCUT...that is right, Tyson was throwing the UPPERCUT...Now why would he be throwing the UPPERCUT. BECAUSE HE STILL FELT HE COULD WIN...HE WAS STILL UNDEFEATED AND DESPITE GETTING HIS ASS KICKED FOR ABOUT 95% OF THE FIGHT, HE SAW THAT HE WAS ABLE TO KNOCK DOUGLAS DOWN WITH THE UPPERCUT, SO HE WAS DESPERATELY TRYING TO LAND ANOTHER.

Even before the finishing combo by Douglas, Tyson was leaning down/low a bit, almost as if he was trying to land another UPPERCUT. This is also, if I am correct, why it left him open to be tagged with Douglas's own uppercut...of course having a closed eye does not help either.

One more thing, if Tyson QUIT in that fight, WHY DID HE TRY TO GET UP AFTER BEING SENT TO THE MAT AFTER RECEIVING A BRUTAL BEATING AND A COMBO THAT WAS FILLED WITH BOMBS?

[Kid Achilles]

Tyson didn't outright quit but his spirits died down for most of that fight. Tyson was never as ferocious when he was getting hit as he was when he was on the attack. He was a frontrunner. The opposite of Frazier or Marciano who just fought harder and with more intensity when they were getting creamed.

[Abe Attell]

Tyson didn't outright quit but his spirits died down for most of that fight. Tyson was never as ferocious when he was getting hit as he was when he was on the attack. He was a frontrunner. The opposite of Frazier or Marciano who just fought harder and with more intensity when they were getting creamed.

Marciano wasn't facing a 6'3 1/2, 230+ man with a killer jab, a right to go with it, and inspired to win by the death of his mother. You want to talk about mental advantage, this is it, especially when comparing it with a fighter that is on top, is out of condition, partying with Giesha the night before, and is without his trainer.

But yes, I wouldn't put Tyson's heart and Frazier's in the same league, but come on, comparing Frazier's with most is unfair.

It is also hard to be "Ferocious" when being hit...you have to cover up to avoid getting tagged, so when you do hit back, you are conserving what you are throwing.


For the Douglas fight:

Tyson was fatiged, it is kind of hard to keep your mind and body at a high level when you see the other guy still going strong.
When you know you didn't train properly, it will hit you in those mid rounds.
A point made by Rooney was "If Tyson knew he wasn't in shape he should of gone out and tried to end it quickly"...the problem was, Tyson was probably never one to figure out things until it happened.

And I would still count this as a fight that showed Tyson's heart because like I stated before, despite getting his ass kicked for the majority of the fight, he still tried to land, although they were one shot at a time, he was sloppy as hell, his footwork was nill, etc.



"The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender."
Vince Lombardi

"Fatigue makes cowards of us all"
Vince Lombardi

You see, Tyson wasn't prepared for a hard battle, and in the end, it cost him.

Marciano and Frazier always came in shape.

[Verstyle]

Teddy Atlas stated right before the rematch with Holyfield that if he was put up against a guy who would not back down or show weakness in there, Tyson would cede. He even went on to prophesy that Tyson if the going got rough would intentionally foul to get himself disqualified.

He openly admitted that he quit mentally against Douglas. He just said that sometimes people just break your will.

where did he say that at.about the holyfield thing,ive never really heard him talk about the holyfield fights that much

[Verstyle]

to me u have heart and courage when your exhausted and still taking a beating round after round. most of u guys that have never boxed need to go spar and feel how it is to be tired after 3 rounds and still fight.now convert that to more then 8 rounds and u will have more respect for the man

[Abe Attell]

to me u have heart and courage when your exhausted and still taking a beating round after round. most of u guys that have never boxed need to go spar and feel how it is to be tired after 3 rounds and still fight.now convert that to more then 8 rounds and u will have more respect for the man

3 rounds, I'd say 3 minutes, most that never boxed will be wondering what they got themselves into.

[Verstyle]

3 rounds, I'd say 3 minutes, most that never boxed will be wondering what they got themselves into.

yeah true.three minutes is a lifetime in the ring especially if your getting your ass handed to u.

so for those talking about heart and all that ****,jump in the ring and see how u fare.

[LondonRingRules]

Tyson took punishment against Rudduck in both fights and won those fights in brutal fashion as he did against Bruno in their 2nd fight. Tyson took a big shot from Tucker early in their fight and got Tucker running for the rest of the fight.

Tyson tends to bring out the most banal, juvenile opinions of any fighter in history whether pro or con. He's such an exciting fighter that some members of the public suffer brain short circuits from the over load.