Did Mike Tyson reach his full potential?

[IronDanHamza]

He achieved about as much as he could have.

[The D3vil]

Obviously not.

The peak/prime version of Tyson was 22 years old in 1988

Think about that.

At that point he was P4P #1 in the sport, & the undefeated, undisputed HW champ, & had run through most of The Ring's Top 10 HWs

Then, his life & career falls a part.

The Robin Givens debacle, Don King debacle, he goes from fighting 4 & 5 times a year to fighting once or twice a year, he gets into the drugs & alcohol, he surrounds himself with vultures.

Then, comes Buster Douglas, the **** charges, & prison.

He was past his best by the time he got to Razor Rudduck at 25

Like Wilfred Benitez, we saw who they could've been for a glimpse & then they just fell apart.

[DeeMoney]

He may have reached his peak in terms of raw athletic ability, but? He did not reach his peak in terms of experience and feats achieved 'Mike Tyson could have so easily beaten Buster Douglas II in a rematch or maybe Evander Holyfield in their very first original fight back during the early 90's. Which would have added more impressive feats to his resume'.

When athletes first turn professional, they are in reality? Not really far from their athletic peak. Absolute peak is not just about athletic ability; it is about all round game. Mike Tyson was in terms of athletic ability; very close to his peak when he disappeared from the game due to his unfortunate circumstances outside the boxing ring.

Note: But Mike Tyson's overall game was still improving i.e. his technical ability, and experience 'knowing how to prepare for fights, and tactically approach each opponent. Mike Tyson was still in the process of accumulating data on all of those competitive fight situations. And that experience in my opinion was only going to make him a more formidable and improved fighter with the correct team around him'.

To conclude: So overall? It is absolute nonsense in my opinion when certain folk in the boxing community 'claim Mike Tyson reached his peak in the late 1980's. Just like Muhammad Ali, and even Tyson Fury? Mike Tyson's peak was abruptly disrupted, and impeded by circumstances outside the boxing ring'.

But regardless of this, Mike Tyson still achieved a lot as a heavyweight Champion 'In my opinion, since he became the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. Only really Lennox Lewis, can really be rated above him. Evander Holyfield may have beaten Mike Tyson, but overall he was not a better heavyweight fighter but it was close. Holyfield does have some great individual wins, but as a Heavyweight Champion he was not as dominate as Mike Tyson'.

I don't rate any current heavyweight fighters, above Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, or Evander Holyfield 'and I consider Wladimir Kiltschko as one of the last great Heavyweight Champions in terms of defending his titles against all comers' etc.

When folks claim this, they are saying that he reached the very best he would become, which is different than potential (which is what you seem to be implying). Even if someone doesnt reach their full potential they all end up having a peak- which is the best they ended up becoming irrespective of any shortcomings relative to potential.

[Theshotyoudontsee]

True story. I was 12 years old in 1990 and there was a Sports Illustrated at my grandma's house, my uncle who lived there had a subscription. There was an article about Tyson and in it the writer reported that Tyson had been knocked down and hurt in sparring. Also said that Mike wasn't training with a whole lot of intensity.

My dad and I had watched a dozen Tyson fights together. I loved Mike. For anyone who wasn't alive at the time, he was a phenemenon, an absolute force to witness. After reading the article I told my dad that I was scared for Mike and that he might lose. Dad laughed and said, yeah, I'm not so sure. A few weeks later we witnessed the shock of the century.

Dunn is right. D'Amato kept the hanger ons away from Mike and he was like a father to him. If Cus had lived Tyson could have been one of the best fighters all time. His confidence faded post D'Amato and he became much more of a head hunter then what he really was. A guy with world class feet and head movement who had one punch ko power in both hands.

We saw a tiny bit of prime Tyson, but had D'Amato lived, we probably would have seen a HW who compared to Ali in terms of greatness. JMO.

[NihonJim]

Yes he absoloutley maxed his potential

Very talented but always beatable fighter, Holyfield always was chasing after Tyson because he saw through the smoke and mirrors and knew he could beat him

His style was never going to age well either, even when he was in his prime his output dropped as the fight went on.

Most mythical fighter ever.

[NoConcoms]

Yes he could have achieved a lot more his problems were mental and emotional. He was drinking and doing coke and training half ass. If he lived up to his peak he doesn't loose to Douglas and he makes it into the 90s no prison time and look at all the names there were in the 90s to fight and really make a legacy

This is exactly what I was going to say. He never really matured mentally or emotionally throughout his career. He was always having problems inside and outside the ring.

[SouthpawRight]

Yes he absoloutley maxed his potential

Very talented but always beatable fighter, Holyfield always was chasing after Tyson because he saw through the smoke and mirrors and knew he could beat him

His style was never going to age well either, even when he was in his prime his output dropped as the fight went on.

Most mythical fighter ever.

True story. I was 12 years old in 1990 and there was a Sports Illustrated at my grandma's house, my uncle who lived there had a subscription. There was an article about Tyson and in it the writer reported that Tyson had been knocked down and hurt in sparring. Also said that Mike wasn't training with a whole lot of intensity.

My dad and I had watched a dozen Tyson fights together. I loved Mike. For anyone who wasn't alive at the time, he was a phenemenon, an absolute force to witness. After reading the article I told my dad that I was scared for Mike and that he might lose. Dad laughed and said, yeah, I'm not so sure. A few weeks later we witnessed the shock of the century.

Dunn is right. D'Amato kept the hanger ons away from Mike and he was like a father to him. If Cus had lived Tyson could have been one of the best fighters all time. His confidence faded post D'Amato and he became much more of a head hunter then what he really was. A guy with world class feet and head movement who had one punch ko power in both hands.

We saw a tiny bit of prime Tyson, but had D'Amato lived, we probably would have seen a HW who compared to Ali in terms of greatness. JMO.

This is exactly what I was going to say. He never really matured mentally or emotionally throughout his career. He was always having problems inside and outside the ring.

Given how emotionally unstable Mike was he overachieved

consistency is the key to success

he went far for a crazy guy

decades later still the most beloved combat athlete despite the mainstream popularity of ufc

Mike is immortal an American Pop Culture Icon