Comments Thread For: Even 30 Years Later, Tyson-Douglas Shock Hasn't Gotten Old

[GelfSara]

Of course he would. Look at the any other indvidual sport. Absolute Legends, the best every players/drivers in those sports etc always lose - many times. It's because they compete against the best every time, they don't pick bums.

The post I replied to referred to a theoretical "best prepared ever" Mike Tyson. As Tyson was better in 1986 than in 1985, better in 1987 than in 1986, and better in 1988 than in 1987, we can only speculate as to what such a version of Mike Tyson might have been capable of. Sadly, the progressive improvement we saw during Tyson's career ended when Tyson--under pressure from Darth, er, Don King--fired his trainer Kevin Rooney in late 1988. The last fight featuring The Tyson-Rooney duo occurred on June 27, 1988, when Mike was three days shy of his 22nd birthday; while after the fight he was 35-0 with 31KOs and undisputed champion he was still only 21 years old; young for a professional boxer, but a baby for a heavyweight.

While, obviously, any boxer or athlete--no matter how good--who continues competing indefinitely will eventually lose, that is not the issue at hand. Also, obviously, professional boxers do occasionally, if rarely, retire undefeated (Marciano, Calzaghe, Mayweather, etc.).