Did Tyson's skills really diminish after prison or is that just a myth?

[NearHypnos]

His edge had *been* gone. He was no longer machine like and inhuman. Still ferocious to a point of course, but the edge was long gone.

What made Tyson great was that his technique, hunger, dedication, activity, “discipline” as a boxer, freak athletic ability - all were in balance to reign in and control and enhance his ferocity.

Once he lost that, he was *just* a beast in a sense. He could still move, still had (has even) that muscle memory, was still incredible in his own way, but he lost that pure competitive sportsman’s pride/fire and edge in his craft.

[HandsofIron]

Skills were always there but he didn't give a s*it about his training anymore, it's as others have said, he was doing it for the money and hoes.

[ironmike2012]

After prison he wasn't the same, but really it was after firing Keven Rooney, he was 35-0 with Rooney, 15-6 without.
He went away from the peek a boo style and just went in looking for the KO, instead of boxing.

Mike was lost after Don King took over, shame we missed what should have been a long run at the top, but Mike lost or forgot what he was taught and fell short of his full potential. Still had a great career, could have been better.

[_Rexy_]

was before prison. Was just more noticeable after he got out.

[champion4ever]

No, it's a myth. Mike Tyson skills started to diminish the moment he fired his trainer Kevin Rooney. He was never the same fighter since.

[QballLobo]

He was still relatively young and had a lot of natural talent left when he got out of jail.
His decline had started before that though. Cus D Amato tought him discipline and kept his worst impulses in check.
After Cus died Tyson surrounded himself with people that didn’t look out for him and just wanted their slice of his riches.
He slacked in training and was really just head hunting by the time he took his L to Buster Douglas.

[champion4ever]

The one fight that stands out to me is the Bruno rematch.

To be honest, it didn't look like his skills diminished at all in that fight. Bruno stated before the second fight that he was more prepared this time around as he knew what to expect and yet Tyson dispatched of him quicker than the first fight.

So what gives with people saying he was a shell of his self after prison?

It's ironic you've mentioned that fight because I began noticing slippage in his first meeting with Frank Bruno; Where Frank buckled him with a counter left hook in the very first round.

While I admit that Bruno made it a very physical and dirty fight with his holding and hitting behind the head and punching on the breaks; In any case, Mike did not look to same to me.

He wasn't moving his head as much, he was standing too erect, getting hit more, not jabbing as much and also wasn't throwing the same amount of combination punches as we were accustomed to see him throwing.

He was mostly head hunting and throwing single punches at a time. Most of the punches he threw in that fight were wild until he eventually broke Bruno down; Before finishing him with that beautiful bolo combination punch of his in round 5.

[Earl-Hickey]

I rewatched Tyson Holyfield 1 the other day and it just confirmed as I've always said Tyson was not shot at all.

Was he in the ring with a smarter, stronger, better opponent? Yes

Was he shot no.

There was nothing wrong with Tyson he was the same as ever, Evander was just the better man, a bad style match up with excellent strategy and he stuck to the plan.

Mike in that first Evander fight was still in his physical prime and fought basically the same as ever. That fight and the second fight broke Mike and he was finished BY THEM.

I get so sick of the excuses from tyson fanbois

[SweetPbfAli]

Mike started slipping before he even went to prison. Post prison, he did not shot set up shots, punch in combination nor move his head fluidly. Most of the people he fought post prison up until Holyfield were scared to death of him.

[HitmanTommy]

I rewatched Tyson Holyfield 1 the other day and it just confirmed as I've always said Tyson was not shot at all.

Was he in the ring with a smarter, stronger, better opponent? Yes

Was he shot no.

There was nothing wrong with Tyson he was the same as ever, Evander was just the better man, a bad style match up with excellent strategy and he stuck to the plan.

Mike in that first Evander fight was still in his physical prime and fought basically the same as ever. That fight and the second fight broke Mike and he was finished BY THEM.

I get so sick of the excuses from tyson fanbois

Tyson had a chance to get Holyfield out of there in the 5th round when he hit him with that wicked combo to the body. Tyson made the catastrophic mistake of not following up with a furious attack and instead allowing Holyfield to get a much needed few seconds of recovery while his hands were dropped.