every time i watch tyson...

[Welter_Skelter]

Tyson was second to none at one time....During his peak.. he would have beaten just about anyone in history...

Things changed.. Tyson slowed down a bit.. and Stopped being a Boxer... Always instead looking for the KO.. when it didnt always come.. he got discouraged..

He beat himself more than anything...

[Jim Jeffries]

He definitely would have been a monster to some degree, had he stayed on course.However, once James Tillis laid out the blueprint, someone was sure to pick up, especially if they had no fear of Mike.

I'll never be convinced that a prime Foreman or Liston wouldn't have crushed Tyson and of course Ali and even Lennox Lewis would have given him all he could handle.

[MindBat]

What could've been...

Yeah, Mike beat himself, alright.

Think about it.

He grew up with nothing but the survival instincts from the streets which didn't offer much in the way of true satisfaction from either the streets, his family or his peers, and only led him to various "lock ups" where his freedom was stifled.

By serendipitous luck, he landed in an environment with people that offered him love, respect, and wisdom, and the hope that one day he could become the heavy weight champion of the world, with all of the rewards one could ever hope for. But with only one condition...

He had to promise to keep that vision in mind and develop such a laser like focus and concentration on his goal, that all he had to do was eat, sleep, and **** boxing. Everything else would be taken care of by his new family.

Even in this new environment, he had to obey and respect certain rules, and his freedom was limited to certain specific daily tasks. If he deviated, he would be sternly reminded.

It was either one way, or the highway.

He chose wisely, cause he had no other choice.

With time, he gained confidence in his abilities and celebrated his successes while surrounded by a family who rewarded him and supported him 100%.
A family who also offered comfort, support, and encouragement when he cried out of fear because doubted himself at times.

And he couldn't have asked for much more.

He couldn't have even imagined how his fairy-tale life was turning out to be.
I'm sure he thought to himself many times: "I can't believe this is happening. This is just too good to be true. How long can this last"?

Then...

His world started to crumble... Bit by bit...

Starting with the death of his mentor and father figure, who did what no one else had done for him: provided shelter, food, comfort, guidance, respect, wisdom, and advice. To Mike, Cus was firm but fair, but most importantly, someone he could, finally, trust. His all time hero.

This is the point where he started to question if all he had accomplished was worth all the effort. The pain of such a loss became unbearable at times. He felt betrayed.

After all, he had lost the most important part of his life that he knew he was never going to get back. Not even all the wealth he would eventually accumulate, could bring Cus back.

That's the missing piece of his life that could never bring complete comfort to his soul.

That's when the downward spiral began.

Such is life.

[Migs]

Yeah, Mike beat himself, alright.

Think about it.

He grew up with nothing but the survival instincts from the streets which didn't offer much in the way of true satisfaction from either the streets, his family or his peers, and only led him to various "lock ups" where his freedom was stifled.

By serendipitous luck, he landed in an environment with people that offered him love, respect, and wisdom, and the hope that one day he could become the heavy weight champion of the world, with all of the rewards one could ever hope for. But with only one condition...

He had to promise to keep that vision in mind and develop such a laser like focus and concentration on his goal, that all he had to do was eat, sleep, and **** boxing. Everything else would be taken care of by his new family.

Even in this new environment, he had to obey and respect certain rules, and his freedom was limited to certain specific daily tasks. If he deviated, he would be sternly reminded.

It was either one way, or the highway.

He chose wisely, cause he had no other choice.

With time, he gained confidence in his abilities and celebrated his successes while surrounded by a family who rewarded him and supported him 100%.
And he couldn't have asked for much more.

He couldn't have even imagined how his fairy-tale life was turning out to be.
I'm sure he thought to himself many times: "I can't believe this is happening. This is just too good to be true. How long can this last"?

Then...

His world started to crumble... Bit by bit...

Starting with the death of his mentor and father figure, who did what no one else had done for him: provided shelter, food, comfort, guidance, respect, wisdom, and advice. To Mike, Cus was firm but fair, but most importantly, someone he could, finally, trust. His all time hero.

This is the point where he started to question if all he had accomplished was worth all the effort. The pain of such a loss became unbearable at times. He felt betrayed.

After all, he had lost the most important part of his life that he knew he was never going to get back. Not even all the wealth he would eventually accumulate, could bring Cus back.

That's the missing piece of his life that could never bring complete comfort to his soul.

That's when the downward spiral began.

Such is life.

The thing is he did deviate from these "rules" and Cus was so obsessed with making him champion that he bent rules for him and got him out of all sorts of trouble. This is where Tyson got the attitude of doing whatever he wanted to do because he never had repercussions. The only person that ever put Tyson in his place was Teddy Atlas.

[MindBat]

I agree...

The thing is he did deviate from these "rules" and Cus was so obsessed with making him champion that he bent rules for him and got him out of all sorts of trouble. This is where Tyson got the attitude of doing whatever he wanted to do because he never had repercussions. The only person that ever put Tyson in his place was Teddy Atlas.

That is true. However, I'm pointing out the fact that losing the main person he looked up to in his life, up to that point, was what ultimately led to his downfall.

Teddy was a major influence, no doubt. He also gets credit for helping to develop Mike's character and skills.