Who'll go down in history as the greater fighter, Holyfield or Tyson?

[Xcel]

1. Holyfield was only a Two-Time Lineal World Champion...that alphabet crap doesn't count.

2. It doesnt' matter what Tyson said. What Is is a different matter altogehter. One merely has to look at a post-prison Tyson fight and compare it to one of his title defenses to see the difference in the fighter.

Short, compact, aggressive fighters do not have the same shelf life as mobile boxers.


Case in point: Joe Frazier (compare the first Ali fight to the last), Rocky Marciano (retired at 31), Jack Dempsey (look at the Tunney fights vs the Willard fight), and on and on.

Tyson would have been past his best at 30 whether or not he went to prison. The fact that he was out of the game for 4 years is not something that can be ignored; nor the fact that he had just 7 rounds under his belt after getting out by the time he met Holyfield.

Evander wasn't at his best, either....don't misunderstand me. Tyson-Holyfield I was akin to Ali-Frazier III as far as the skill-level of both contestants. Should either Ali or Frazier be judged based on the "Thrilla in Manilla"? No; and neither should Tyson nor Holyfield be judged on their encounter.

Yeah and Tyson came back in the second fight real focused.

You got a lot of fuzzy math in that post. Do you work for Enron or Arthur Andersen?

Added this for ya. You must have forgot.

Holyfield vs Tyson I (11th Round)

[Dye]

If someone was albe to take Mike's shots and put pressure on him back him up they would beat him, Tyson cant fight backing up

[K-DOGG]

Yeah and Tyson came back in the second fight real focused.

You got a lot of fuzzy math in that post. Do you work for Enron or Arthur Andersen?

Why, what's fuzzy to you?

[Xcel]

Why, what's fuzzy to you?

If its true that Tyson said this about this bout with Holyfield. Who are you to make exscuses for him?

[K-DOGG]

If someone was albe to take Mike's shots and put pressure on him back him up they would beat him, Tyson cant fight backing up

Theorhetically, I can agree with that. The problem is only one fighter backed Mike up in his prime: Douglas; and,n fairness to Mike, both Bruno and Ruddock had moderate success in this area but couldn't sustain.

Whether or not a 208 Lb pre-Bowe Holyfield could have done it is a moot point because we just don't know. We can only "suppose".

[K-DOGG]

If its true that Tyson said this about this bout with Holyfield. Who are you to make exscuses for him?

Who are you to take his word for the truth just because it suits your purposes?

[K-DOGG]

My judgements and assessments are based on observation and study. An athlete will say this and that and when it comes to stuff like that, Tyson was showing class and being corteous to Holyfield, not wanting to detract from his performance.

Ali once said that Tyson could beat him....are you gonna believe that? Especially when after Douglas stopped Mike, the same Ali said, "Now will you people quit asking me if I think I coulda beat Tyson?"

Lipservice, in the end, doesn't amount to much.

[The Noose]

....but, wouldn't you say that is the product of grievous miscalculations on the part of pundits and fans? Granted, Holyfield deserved to be the underdog in the firt Tyson fight due to his previous showings; but Mike wasn't the Mike everybody wanted him to be, either.

When Mike went to prison, he was on the cusp of a showdown with Holyfield for the belt; and people held on to that image of him being "the man" even after he got out of jail.

The "myth" of Tyson lived on; the reality was something different.

Yes, Tyson the myth was an exaggeration. But still wat i said was true.
I just think that part of being a fighter is being able to overcome a real challenge. Holyfield did that a few times.
I dont believe Tyson ever did.

All credit to Tyson for his achievements, but rising to the challenge makes the fighter.

[K-DOGG]

Yes, Tyson the myth was an exaggeration. But still wat i said was true.
I just think that part of being a fighter is being able to overcome a real challenge. Holyfield did that a few times.
I dont believe Tyson ever did.

All credit to Tyson for his achievements, but rising to the challenge makes the fighter.

Gotcha. I see your point, Bobby. I sure as hell wish Mike would have had just one of those fights where it looked like he was going to lose but turned it around. Ruddock is about as close as he came....and that one was never really in doubt.

I think if Mike and Evander had clashed in 1991 a lot of these questions would be answered solidly and all the speculating and analysis would be moot. Fate's got a funny sense of humor.

[The Noose]

Gotcha. I see your point, Bobby. I sure as hell wish Mike would have had just one of those fights where it looked like he was going to lose but turned it around. Ruddock is about as close as he came....and that one was never really in doubt.

I think if Mike and Evander had clashed in 1991 a lot of these questions would be answered solidly and all the speculating and analysis would be moot. Fate's got a funny sense of humor.

I agree, id have loved Tyson to kicked a big names ass.
I guess at the time a alot of people thought Spinks could beat Tyson.
Id like to see wat the odds were that night.

I also love the Ruddock fight. Although not at his best Tyson took some shots and fought back well. It shows Tyson wasnt just a bully, and could fight with guys who werent intimidated by him.