Tyson was never the same after he got out of jail

[boxing_great]

I know this is obvious to everybody, but it is very clear from the way he fought after he was released that he was so much worse as a fighter.

He became so flat footed, and lost ALL his head movement. He was just a sitting target, very very flat on his feet, much slower, and less agile. All he did was just stand face to face with his opponents, and trade punches. No footwork whatsoever. He didn't bop and weave either, didn't duck under hooks , and come on top with a left hook of his own, or slip punches like he used to.


I wonder what sort of longevity he would have had, if hadn't gone to jail.
86-89 were his prime years, could he have prolonged that past 1995 perhaps?or would he have been on downslide after that.

When you compare footage of him before and after jail, it does become very apparent to the eye that he was just a shadow of his former self.

[Dice]

He woulda cracked regardless. In jail he at least got to get his thoughts together and slow down that fast life. Once he got out, he was right back to his money, to his celebrity, to his b!tches, and to the drugs. Jail or not, he was on a downward spiral cuz he stopped training hard and lost that hunger and was more focused on having a good time

[mojack]

I know this is obvious to everybody, but it is very clear from the way he fought after he was released that he was so much worse as a fighter.

He became so flat footed, and lost ALL his head movement. He was just a sitting target, very very flat on his feet, much slower, and less agile. All he did was just stand face to face with his opponents, and trade punches. No footwork whatsoever. He didn't bop and weave either, didn't duck under hooks , and come on top with a left hook of his own, or slip punches like he used to.


I wonder what sort of longevity he would have had, if hadn't gone to jail.
86-89 were his prime years, could he have prolonged that past 1995 perhaps?or would he have been on downslide after that.

When you compare footage of him before and after jail, it does become very apparent to the eye that he was just a shadow of his former self.

Yeah his head movement should have been better, he had plenty of practice giving good head movement to his prison inmates.

[Pecs]

He was still a good boxer after jail, but just didn't get back to his prime....

[Silencers]

He was never the same after he left Kevin Rooney.

[Benny Leonard]

He was never the same after he left Kevin Rooney.

Boxing Historian Herbert G. Goldman

HG:
Another man-- a shame what’s happened to him, and I’d say the only man who could have beaten him eventually did beat him, and that was himself—Mike Tyson. Now Mike Tyson’s style—talking about a boxer learning from boxers of the past—and it’s amazing that more has not been made of this. Mike Tyson’s style is Jack Dempsey, completely. The way he comes in quickly with a bob and weave, ducks down low and comes up with a smashing left hook to the larger man’s head and face, that’s Jack Dempsey. When Tyson turned pro he even came into the ring with the sides of his head shaven in emulation of Jack Dempsey. There is no doubt about this. No socks, low shoes, black trunks. This was a young man who studied old fight films like crazy. And he found that the style of Jack Dempsey was more conducive to his own abilities than any other style. And that’s what he developed.

KD -- I always felt that Tyson was a small heavyweight and he was often misunderstood and under-rated in terms of the level of genuine skill that he brought into the ring.

HG -- That’s right. A lot of people did not understand what they were watching when they saw Mike Tyson. He was not some slugger as such.

KD -- He was not a super-power in terms of his physical strength

HG -- Oh no. One thing about Mike Tyson that I don’t think a lot of people understand because of, let’s say his psychological-social problems, a lot of people think he’s some kind of ****** brute. He’s not. He happens to be, as far as I can see-- and I don’t know the man but I have had a couple of conversations with him-- an intelligent young man. He’s probably one of the most intelligent fighters, certainly in terms of boxing, that we’ve seen. His emulation of the Jack Dempsey’s style. His knowledge of boxing history is considerable, by the way, and when you listen to him, this is not a ****** man. He’s a very misunderstood boxer, and people also do not understand that his skills eroded after a certain period. People will say Ah he was never anything,. They start to question him all the way back. No. He peaked when he knocked out Michael Spinks in the first round. But beginning about a year after that he really started to go down hill.

KD -- That was a period when he had separated from Rooney, his remaining D’Amato trainer, and he no longer had a real trainer who understood his style.

HG -- Right. Tyson was a fighter who needed a certain edge. He needed to be on edge. And when he lost that he lost a tremendous amount. He still has too much power and over-all ability for ninety or ninety-five percent of all the fighters out there. There’s no question about that. But at his peak I can’t imagine—and I say this with all respect and deference for Evander Holyfield—but at his peak I can’t imagine Tyson being defeated by Holyfield. At his peak he would have been a terrific fight even for the peak Muhammad Ali.

[Silencers]

Boxing Historian Herbert G. Goldman

HG:
Another man-- a shame what’s happened to him, and I’d say the only man who could have beaten him eventually did beat him, and that was himself—Mike Tyson. Now Mike Tyson’s style—talking about a boxer learning from boxers of the past—and it’s amazing that more has not been made of this. Mike Tyson’s style is Jack Dempsey, completely. The way he comes in quickly with a bob and weave, ducks down low and comes up with a smashing left hook to the larger man’s head and face, that’s Jack Dempsey. When Tyson turned pro he even came into the ring with the sides of his head shaven in emulation of Jack Dempsey. There is no doubt about this. No socks, low shoes, black trunks. This was a young man who studied old fight films like crazy. And he found that the style of Jack Dempsey was more conducive to his own abilities than any other style. And that’s what he developed.

KD -- I always felt that Tyson was a small heavyweight and he was often misunderstood and under-rated in terms of the level of genuine skill that he brought into the ring.

HG -- That’s right. A lot of people did not understand what they were watching when they saw Mike Tyson. He was not some slugger as such.

KD -- He was not a super-power in terms of his physical strength

HG -- Oh no. One thing about Mike Tyson that I don’t think a lot of people understand because of, let’s say his psychological-social problems, a lot of people think he’s some kind of ****** brute. He’s not. He happens to be, as far as I can see-- and I don’t know the man but I have had a couple of conversations with him-- an intelligent young man. He’s probably one of the most intelligent fighters, certainly in terms of boxing, that we’ve seen. His emulation of the Jack Dempsey’s style. His knowledge of boxing history is considerable, by the way, and when you listen to him, this is not a ****** man. He’s a very misunderstood boxer, and people also do not understand that his skills eroded after a certain period. People will say Ah he was never anything,. They start to question him all the way back. No. He peaked when he knocked out Michael Spinks in the first round. But beginning about a year after that he really started to go down hill.

KD -- That was a period when he had separated from Rooney, his remaining D’Amato trainer, and he no longer had a real trainer who understood his style.

HG -- Right. Tyson was a fighter who needed a certain edge. He needed to be on edge. And when he lost that he lost a tremendous amount. He still has too much power and over-all ability for ninety or ninety-five percent of all the fighters out there. There’s no question about that. But at his peak I can’t imagine—and I say this with all respect and deference for Evander Holyfield—but at his peak I can’t imagine Tyson being defeated by Holyfield. At his peak he would have been a terrific fight even for the peak Muhammad Ali.

Interesting read, I agree with him about leaving Rooney, Tyson needed a guy who understood his style and a guy that could keep teaching him how to get better, unfortunately he lost that when he left Rooney.

[boxing_great]

Yeah his head movement should have been better, he had plenty of practice giving good head movement to his prison inmates.

:hehe

[Clegg]

He’s probably one of the most intelligent fighters, certainly in terms of boxing, that we’ve seen. His emulation of the Jack Dempsey’s style. His knowledge of boxing history is considerable, by the way, and when you listen to him, this is not a ****** man.

About 10 years ago, a friend lent me a video tape of Mike Tyson reviewing the heavyweights of previous eras and showing footage of them. I think it was recorded in the late 80s. It was very interesting and showed a side to him that most people aren't aware of.

[iron_boy]

anyone who has followed tysons career knows that and anyone who says that is not true obviously hasent followed his career enough