Mike Tyson: A Greater Quitter Than Hitter

[ProBox1]

Mike Tyson (50-6) quit on his stool last night in his fight against Kevin McBride (33-4-1). Tyson's surrender against the unranked McBride marks the fourth loss in a row that he has said "No Mas." Funny, last week when asked about what he thought of McBride, Tyson said "He doesn't look like he punches hard," after previously referring to him as a "Tomato can." What's that say about Mike Tyson throwing in the towel and sitting on his stool to end his fight against him. It says exactly what Tyson has always been, a front running bully who backed down every time he was challenged and met with resistance. [details]

[eleonard]

You are so wrong

I read this article and am so frustrated, it hurts. Let me address (and refute) the claims in the article, point by point:

1) "Funny, last week when asked about what he thought of McBride, Tyson said "He doesn't look like he punches hard," after previously referring to him as a "Tomato can." What's that say about Mike Tyson throwing in the towel and sitting on his stool to end his fight against him. It says exactly what Tyson has always been, a front running bully who backed down every time he was challenged and met with resistance."

*** Actually it says that Tyson is over-the-hill and cannot compete at the top or even journeyman level of the division anymore. It doesn't define who he was as a fighter. He certainly did not "back down every time he was challenged and met with resistance." It is true that in virtually every fight prior to his incarceration, where he lost his awesome form, Tyson did not need to show intestinal fortitude. But there were a few fights in which opponents put up resistance, and he responded. In one of his early fights, against James "Quick" Tillis, Tyson was confronted with a slick boxer who gave him fits at times. Tyson didn't throw in the towel, but was patient and pounded his way to a unanimous decision. Against Buster Douglas, Tyson never quit, but took his beating like a man, always looking for an opening to catch Buster and turn the tide (which he did, in the 8th round). Buster beat the (some say long) count, and Tyson lost like a true champion, on the canvas. After an easy tuneup, he fought two rugged fights against Razor Ruddock, in which Ruddock met Tyson's bombs with his own. Tyson did not quit, but pounded out victories on both occasions.

2) "In reality Tyson adds another piece of evidence showing why it was a pipe-dream to ever mention him as one of the all-time great heavyweight champs."

Please explain what the evidence is. That he lost to a lesser caliber fighter than what he was at his best? Excuse me, but Muhammad Ali lost to Trevor Berbick at the end of his career, George Foreman lost to Shannon Briggs, Joe Frazier drew with a guy named Jumbo Cummings, Sonny Liston lost to Leotis Martin, and your favorite, Evander Holyfield, recently lost to Larry Donald.

3) "Today Tyson is more known for his loses than his wins. Name one other great that can be said about."

How about Joe Frazier (losses to Muhammad Ali and George Foreman), Ken Norton (losses to Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes), Michael Spinks (loss to Mike Tyson), and Thomas Hearns (losses to Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard) to name a few?

4) "Yet he lost in his prime by knockout to a fighter who never beat a top heavyweight before or after he knocked Tyson out."

Makes you wonder whether this happened because Tyson was not at his best that night as he certainly had beaten better fighters than Douglas before that night.

5) "However, knockouts against second tier journeymen conned a lot of boxing fans, writers, historians and Television executives. This is mainly due to the fact that those who watching boxing from a far are scared and fearful of hard punchers."

At the time (and today), no one in their right mind would consider Jose Ribalta, Trevor Berbick, James "Bonecrusher" Smith, Pinklon Thomas, Tony Tucker, Mitch Green, Tyrell Biggs, Carl "the Truth" Williams, Larry Holmes (who was only 38, and well after his fight with Tyson, achieved some success and never got beaten the way he did by Tyson), Michael Spinks, Tony Tubbs, Razor Ruddock, Andrew Golota, and Frank Bruno "second tier journeyman." These guys, like it or not, were at the top of the game, and at least Thomas, Tucker, Ribalta, Biggs, Holmes, Spinks, Tubbs, Ruddock, Green, and Smith weren't guys who were scared of getting hit. Tyson made them scared in the ring.

6)"As hard as this may be for some to accept, Tyson's lack of toughness, a by product of a great fighter, is what identifies him most as a fighter. Yes, more than his power and hand speed. History lesson, no fighter knocks out every opponent. If you're a fighter dependent on your punch, you better have something to fallback on when confronted by that opponent you can't knockout. Tyson didn't last night just like he never had it on any other night he needed it."

It says something about Tyson, doesn't it, that he never NEEDED to fall back on anything until after coming back from a three-year jail term. He fought his hard out on a bad night against Douglas and almost won, and fought a tougher fighter in Ruddock, and dug deep to win. What's wrong with you?

7) "How about Tyson having the type toughness that Ali and Frazier showed in Manila. The pounding Foreman took from Holyfield at age 42. Or Willard from Dempsey, Marciano from Walcott in their first fight. Here's one, Joe Frazier got up six times against George Foreman before the fight was stopped. How many times does Tyson get up, that's if he shows up for the fight."

See Tyson's fights against Douglas, Holyfield I, and Lennox Lewis. If that wasn't heart that Tyson showed, what was it? Against Williams, he fought with a serious injury until dropped. In this fight against McBride, he was prepared to get pounded in the head until his trainer wisely stopped it. Look at Ali today -- I know you hate Tyson, but he doesn't deserve that fate. No boxer does.

[JABIZZLE]

anybody that takes respect due to tyson is a ******. the mans been through hell and back and if he could only keep his head in the game would dominate all

[PanterA]

I think Tyson is laying down in these fights. He could be the Pete Rose of boxing. Maybe he's taking these fights, then putting cash down on the underdog. The past couple of years has been all about money, not boxing.

Next to Ali,Tyson was the best boxer I have ever seen. When Cus D'Amato died, Tyson died with him,Tyson was done.
Deaths of his mother Lorna, his sister Denise, his guardian D'Amato and his first manager Jimmy Jacobs all had a profound impact on him.

I don't agree with everything he has said and done,he brought it all upon himself,that being said,he is still one my all-time fav fighters behind only to Ali.

As one of his "few" fans,I really,really hope he retires,the circus has gone on long enough.

[buff_mike10]

Tyson died with Cus? Cus D'amato died in 1985, that was before Tyson won any of his three title belts. I'm sure if Cus were still around Tyson would have been undefeated all through his career. If he died with anyone it was his manager Jim Jacobs, Tyson went down hill after that along with firing Kevin Rooney. You can thank Don King for that.

[sanjayint]

u know what, i would love to see Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson,(maybe bernard hopkins) team up, and train together, in the same camp, as one team, i really dont wanna see those lot go, they were my favourite, and i wanna see VK get beaten up!!! he reminds me of Ivan Drago from rocky, scareyyyy

all the above wud never happen in a million years, but thats how i feel,

[PanterA]

Tyson died with Cus? Cus D'amato died in 1985, that was before Tyson won any of his three title belts. I'm sure if Cus were still around Tyson would have been undefeated all through his career. If he died with anyone it was his manager Jim Jacobs, Tyson went down hill after that along with firing Kevin Rooney. You can thank Don King for that.

Good point....Tyson was one of my favs,it's sad to see how everthing turned out for him.

There is NO LEGIT HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHTER out there these days... boxing needs a young fighter like Tyson WAS when he first came to the sport... No excitement anymore!!!

[ricecrispi]

Tyson died with Cus? Cus D'amato died in 1985, that was before Tyson won any of his three title belts. I'm sure if Cus were still around Tyson would have been undefeated all through his career. If he died with anyone it was his manager Jim Jacobs, Tyson went down hill after that along with firing Kevin Rooney. You can thank Don King for that.

He didn't go down hill after Cus died. When Cus died, basically no one reinforced what he taught Tyson or watched out for him. Tyson ended up forgetting what Cus taught him. He lost most of the tools he got from Cus becuause of all the KO's and quick fights. he lost the head movement, lateral movement, footwork, weaving and counter punching. How to jab, starting off and throwing combos. All the tools to supplement his increible punching power. You see old footage of Iron Mike it is just sick watching him. He's 1000000000 times removed. Young Mike would killed old Mike. No one to keep him sharp and tell him even though he was the best, he could've be better.

The firing of all his management and trainers was because Don King want to make more money and pretending to look after Mike.
He was getting a bigger cut. This was when Mike started to getting into trouble. If the reason why Mike never reached his potential it was because of Don King ruining him. Tyson said it himself, his career ended in 1990. The time he lost to Buster Douglas. He couldn't box anymore.

Ever since his return from jail time, he has been trying to pay off debts. He didn't know he had to pay taxes, he assumed some took care of it. King was also withholding millions of $$ from Mike during his 2nd run after the prison sentence.

[Dynamite76]

I read this article and am so frustrated, it hurts. Let me address (and refute) the claims in the article, point by point:

1) "Funny, last week when asked about what he thought of McBride, Tyson said "He doesn't look like he punches hard," after previously referring to him as a "Tomato can." What's that say about Mike Tyson throwing in the towel and sitting on his stool to end his fight against him. It says exactly what Tyson has always been, a front running bully who backed down every time he was challenged and met with resistance."

*** Actually it says that Tyson is over-the-hill and cannot compete at the top or even journeyman level of the division anymore. It doesn't define who he was as a fighter. He certainly did not "back down every time he was challenged and met with resistance." It is true that in virtually every fight prior to his incarceration, where he lost his awesome form, Tyson did not need to show intestinal fortitude. But there were a few fights in which opponents put up resistance, and he responded. In one of his early fights, against James "Quick" Tillis, Tyson was confronted with a slick boxer who gave him fits at times. Tyson didn't throw in the towel, but was patient and pounded his way to a unanimous decision. Against Buster Douglas, Tyson never quit, but took his beating like a man, always looking for an opening to catch Buster and turn the tide (which he did, in the 8th round). Buster beat the (some say long) count, and Tyson lost like a true champion, on the canvas. After an easy tuneup, he fought two rugged fights against Razor Ruddock, in which Ruddock met Tyson's bombs with his own. Tyson did not quit, but pounded out victories on both occasions.

2) "In reality Tyson adds another piece of evidence showing why it was a pipe-dream to ever mention him as one of the all-time great heavyweight champs."

Please explain what the evidence is. That he lost to a lesser caliber fighter than what he was at his best? Excuse me, but Muhammad Ali lost to Trevor Berbick at the end of his career, George Foreman lost to Shannon Briggs, Joe Frazier drew with a guy named Jumbo Cummings, Sonny Liston lost to Leotis Martin, and your favorite, Evander Holyfield, recently lost to Larry Donald.

3) "Today Tyson is more known for his loses than his wins. Name one other great that can be said about."

How about Joe Frazier (losses to Muhammad Ali and George Foreman), Ken Norton (losses to Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes), Michael Spinks (loss to Mike Tyson), and Thomas Hearns (losses to Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard) to name a few?

4) "Yet he lost in his prime by knockout to a fighter who never beat a top heavyweight before or after he knocked Tyson out."

Makes you wonder whether this happened because Tyson was not at his best that night as he certainly had beaten better fighters than Douglas before that night.

5) "However, knockouts against second tier journeymen conned a lot of boxing fans, writers, historians and Television executives. This is mainly due to the fact that those who watching boxing from a far are scared and fearful of hard punchers."

At the time (and today), no one in their right mind would consider Jose Ribalta, Trevor Berbick, James "Bonecrusher" Smith, Pinklon Thomas, Tony Tucker, Mitch Green, Tyrell Biggs, Carl "the Truth" Williams, Larry Holmes (who was only 38, and well after his fight with Tyson, achieved some success and never got beaten the way he did by Tyson), Michael Spinks, Tony Tubbs, Razor Ruddock, Andrew Golota, and Frank Bruno "second tier journeyman." These guys, like it or not, were at the top of the game, and at least Thomas, Tucker, Ribalta, Biggs, Holmes, Spinks, Tubbs, Ruddock, Green, and Smith weren't guys who were scared of getting hit. Tyson made them scared in the ring.

6)"As hard as this may be for some to accept, Tyson's lack of toughness, a by product of a great fighter, is what identifies him most as a fighter. Yes, more than his power and hand speed. History lesson, no fighter knocks out every opponent. If you're a fighter dependent on your punch, you better have something to fallback on when confronted by that opponent you can't knockout. Tyson didn't last night just like he never had it on any other night he needed it."

It says something about Tyson, doesn't it, that he never NEEDED to fall back on anything until after coming back from a three-year jail term. He fought his hard out on a bad night against Douglas and almost won, and fought a tougher fighter in Ruddock, and dug deep to win. What's wrong with you?

7) "How about Tyson having the type toughness that Ali and Frazier showed in Manila. The pounding Foreman took from Holyfield at age 42. Or Willard from Dempsey, Marciano from Walcott in their first fight. Here's one, Joe Frazier got up six times against George Foreman before the fight was stopped. How many times does Tyson get up, that's if he shows up for the fight."

See Tyson's fights against Douglas, Holyfield I, and Lennox Lewis. If that wasn't heart that Tyson showed, what was it? Against Williams, he fought with a serious injury until dropped. In this fight against McBride, he was prepared to get pounded in the head until his trainer wisely stopped it. Look at Ali today -- I know you hate Tyson, but he doesn't deserve that fate. No boxer does.

Mitch Green wasn't as scared as Mike as so much he threw that fight because of out-of-the-ring occurances.

[tommyhearns804]

Great article Rick but no matter how many great points you make these little Tyson fan boys will always make excuses for him.Tyson was 38 when he quit to Mcbride who is a complete bum.Foreman was fighting guys like Morrison,Holyfield,Briggs,Savarese,Moorer ect ect when he was past 40.Foreman wasn't knocked down or quit on his stool to either of these guys and they are all better than Mcbride or Williams.
They will tell you well Tyson in his prime was unbeatable.Funny stuff but who did Tyson fight when he was younger?Nobody.Mitch Green,James Tillis who almost beat him.Mike Spinks a blown up Light Heavyweight,Marvis Frazier a blown up cruiserweight with no chin or punch.Wait how about a old Larry Holmes?Did beating him make Tyson great?I doubt it.
Tyson has always been a coward.He had a chance to fight a 40 plus year old Foreman but ducked him.He had a chance to fight at first but he chosed to fight Holyfield and still got knocked out.He ducked Bowe,He ducked any fighter he knew he couldn't beat.Tyson was stopped 5 times in his career which is more than any other heavyweight champion besides "Buster" Douglas but his little fans will tell you he has a great chin because it took more than one punch to drop him.Cute but Douglas can't punch so i don't care how many punches it took he still knocked Tyson out.Holyfield wasn't much of a puncher at heavyweight.Evander landed more punches against a old slower weaker Foreman and couldn't knock him down or out and this was a prime Holyfield yet a older washed up Holyfield could walk through Tyson punches and muscle him around and knock him out.Lewis is a good puncher but he couldnt even knock out Holyfield who was shot att that point .Lewis toyed with Tyson.Lewis could of knocked Tyson out at any point after the second round but chose not too.Williams is a nothing fighter and that is the only reason Tyson fought him and yet he was still stopped.Mcbride is even worse than Williams but he made Tyson quit.After all this Tyson still has a great chin to his fans.Yet Morisson has a glass chin but he was only stopped 3 times.Moorer has a glass chin but he was only stopped 3 times (Foreman,Tua,Holyfield stopped him)Norton has a glass chin(Norton was stopped 4 times but 3 of those guys were probably the hardest punching fighters ever.Foreman Cooney Shavers)The list goes on and on.
But as bas as Tysons fans are Marciano's are even worse.Still living in a dream world were some little slow weak fighter who weighed 185 pounds could beat 230 pound fighters.So there is no point in debating anything with Tyson fans or Marciano fan.It will only hurt your head and make you want to punch somebody so don't do it.