Here's a theory: Tyson's problem was purely confidence issues.

[Crazy Dude]

If you're getting knocked out by Kevin McBride I don't think its purely a confidence issue.

He made his name in a weaker era than let his focus go and his skills erode.

[CoLd_WaVE]

good write KA...

Mike was the man!!! too bad, there was too many issues that got in his way...

[American_Ninja]

I believe it was a lethal combination of both the people surrounding Tyson and Tyson's own inferiority complex that ultimately led to his demise within the sport. Cus was the only man on the planet who could've kept Tyson going, and who knows what Tyson's legacy would've been had Cus lived a few more years than he did.

After Cus died it was obvious Tyson had lost any confidence he ever had in himself, I think he believed he needed Cus around to be great, and without him, there was no hope. I've seen interviews with trainers of Tyson who touched on his inferiority complex many times. It manifested itself in various ways, both in and out of the ring. Be it the look on his face mid-fight when he'd given up, or the numerous times he'd openly state that he thought he was ugly.

I think it was on the "Beyond the Glory" about Mike Tyson in which he referred to himself as a "big dumb ugly ******". Kinda gives you some insight into the mental state of Tyson after Cus' death.

Be it as it may, Tyson is a truly tragic story within the sport. I can never think about Tyson, watch a Tyson fight, or hear about Tyson without dwelling on his emotional state for a bit. And everytime I do, I always think of what could've been....Sad, truly sad. I'll always carry a weight for Tyson. If he'd only been more confident and surrounded himself with better people, he could've been something far greater than the sum of his parts.

I too think of what could have been. If he never went to prison. I don't know that he could have eclipsed Ali, but to think of what could have been is awesome.

[American_Ninja]

If you're getting knocked out by Kevin McBride I don't think its purely a confidence issue.

He made his name in a weaker era than let his focus go and his skills erode.

U crazy dude.......lol

[phallus]

im not going to lie. im not a very confident person myself.ahaha. when i get hit like 10times a round its disappointing and i think of what the **** i did and can i improve.and it seems like my parents dont give a **** about me in boxing, but when i tell them to go to a meet they go but they dont give me advice in training and stuff like that.but they r supportive but i dunno i dont feel to confident really.

but for tyson it maybe that no1 believed in him until he started punching and ppl saw what he had.but when ppl started using him and telling him lies and knowingly feeding his ego he started realizing.Tyson was only confident with ppl he could trust and feel comfortable with as in telling them things in my opinion.

when i was an amateur my parents never knew about it, i kept it secret from them because i knew what they thought of me - not very much. the mental aspect of boxing is really one of the most interesting, i never believed in myself when i had the goods. i've always wondered if i could have made a good pro - i think so, given what some of the guys who trained me said, that i had surprising handspeed and power. anyway at the time when i had the greatest potential i didn't believe in myself, a guy i knew who didn't like me - he was surprised when he saw me training and admitted i'd make a good boxer. it was only years later i realized what i had, when i remembered some of the fights i'd had. but when i should have been taking it seriously i didn't train, didn't eat properly, was out partying all night. i'll always feel sorry for tython because i know where his head is at sometimes, how it ****s up your potential

[Kid Achilles]

Great post Dr. Filth, sometimes we're our own worst enemies.

[jason100x]

I agree 100%. If Tyson had Ali's or Marciano's confidence in himself he would have been unbeaten probably until around now, as he's turned 40. Actually...considering the weak division...

I've actually felt that way for a long time. He fell apart in the head and he just couldn't get it back again.

[AllEyesOpen]

Wouldn't you say he also was unable to deal with adversity in the ring, once a fighter would cancel out his power with the proper technique, he wouldn't be able to adust(& would usually get desperate & start fouling). That probably has to do with the confidence issue tho. IMHO tho I don't think he could have been as great a HW as Ali, I think Tyson always had the flaws that a skilled fighter could capitalize on, even when he was the most feared man in boxing.

[Pork Chop]

I definitely know where you're coming from vers...

Growin up my folks treated my younger brother like a golden child, they went to all his basketball games, they got to know all his friends, almost anything he did they supported it fully, hell they acted like he was "cool"- my mom would gush over anything he did.

I was the older brother and I was good at school. The only time they ever noticed me was when I was causing trouble. My brother used to blame me for everything to the point of my dad kickin my ass on a pretty regular basis. Gave me a real complex that I was a bad person, folks never let me build up that big brother confidence.

My folks have never really supported me in anything I've done. i went to college in a podunk town, studying a major that was way hard, just for their approval - because that's what they wanted me to do, and I've spent most of my adult life regretting it.

Sometimes you gotta do without.

In my case, I usually supplant them with close friends.
Lost most of my close friends by moving out here to Texas to get married. Unfortunately, my ex-fiancee was my closest friend, the only one i had left, and she damn near killed me in 2006 by lying, cheating, stealing, and blaming it all on me.

My boxing/fighting interests are kind of on the backburner now. I'm going back to the drawing board and re-figuring out what I want to do with my life. Had to go out and get a social life too; boxing is a pretty lonely sport (for me in Texas at least) & the isolation was really pushing me over the edge.

That's not to say I'm not boxing, I'm just not making it the center of my life. I gotta figure out what makes me happy and use it to keep me on track for boxing. An actual decent chick would help out real nice but the kind of girls i like are few and far between here in Texas.

I think you gotta figure out what keeps you happy, confident, and content- then use that to fuel yourself in boxing. If it's a girl, if it's a trainer you've clicked with, if it's a younger brother/sister who looks up to you, whatever it is- fight for it.

[-Antonio-]

Yeah, scratch that, he'd still be undefeated. Klitschko, Toney, Briggs, Peter, and even Valuev would get a swift ass-kicking from Mike.

No way. He was physically shot before the Lewis fight. I dont care if he had all the confidence in the world, the Tyson that fought Lewis would be merely a contender today. He threw no combinations, his power wasnt there, and he had a lot of years of ware and tare on his body. When you are fighting guys so much bigger than you over the course of 15 years, it is going to take its toll on you physically.

The style he had made him use a lot of energy. The head movement, the slipping punches, etc. When he threw punches he had to use his whole body to get power. He use to turn into all of his punches. Do you expect a guy at 35 let alone 40 to be able to do that over the course of 12? Not gonna happen.