Tweet
Watch the video first before commentating.....
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
-
-
I say Ali,gotta look at the people Tyson was fighting -
Jack johnson had good defense as wellComment
-
Tyson 86-89 crucifies both Klits in 2 rounds.Comment
-
I think Tucker had better defense really...and Holmes also. Kenny Norton had a pretty good defense but it wasn't unpenetrable.Comment
-
tyson was a beast....i miss the excitement the HW division used to bring......Comment
-
I think it's probably more accurate to say, that maybe Tyson had the greatest defense while still fighting aggressively?
Comment
-
His best defense was Offense. His prime was very very short but I will agree that a PRIME Tyson would beat ANY HW In history that came before him. I dont know what happens if he gets hit cleanly by Lewis or Vitali or if he can jump and connect against Wlad. Tyson was pretty short guy, he would have to be reaching a long way which leaves him open to a 1-2.
Its a shame that he had such a short prime, he revived boxing. He's one of my favorite fighters despite him being a lunatic, but the best people are always the crazy ones (michael jackson, artists/singers, etc)Comment
-
He ranks up there for sure. In his prime he had great head movement however his footwork was really superior. His footwork was such that he always kept himself in proper range to throw his punches after eluding his opponents. He was a great counter puncher. His prime was short but I believe at his peak he would have been trouble for anyone. Buster Douglas showed us the blueprint on how to beat him. 1. Have a good jab and use it to frustrate and outwork him. 2. Be athletic enough to move around the ring and strong enough to prevent him from mauling you inside. 3. Have the balls to stand up to him and fire off your own power punches when you have the chance to do so.
I don't think Lennox Lewis or either of the Klitschko brothers would be too tall/big for Tyson to handle, he knocked out plenty of very tall/large fighters in his day and had no problem getting to them (in his prime he was a great body puncher who would destroy the body before killing the head). I feel all three of them had the jab to bother Tyson. All were very strong but I don't feel Vitali had the same level of athleticism his brother or Lennox had. I do wonder if all three would have the balls to stand up to him though. All three are/were very slow starters who really never started fights off with a bang and all of them were content to use their jab much more than their power punches. Having a great jab vs Tyson was a must to win against him in his prime but you also had to be willing to open up and deliver power punches to sap his strength (as Douglas did) throughout the fight. I wonder how Lewis and the Klitschko's would fare against an opponent who came out and was on their ass right away at the opening bell and stayed on them throughout the fight (like a prime Tyson would do). Would they get really aggressive and be able to prevail or would they be overwhelmed and cave in? I have no idea, none of them has ever faced a fighter who employed such a strategy and had the skills (head movement, footwork, aggressiveness, counter-punching ability and one punch KO power with each fist) Tyson possessed.
One fighter who could win against a prime Tyson (he did beat him but I don't consider post-prison Tyson to be prime)was Holyfield. Despite not having a great jab Evander might have been successful against Tyson even in his prime because he was extremely athletic, had no fear, was very physical and got mad during his fights. Evander was the type of guy who would come right back at you in an aggressive manner if you hit him (thats how he was able to beat Riddick Bowe in their 2nd fight although this same aggressiveness was why he lost the 1st and 3rd fights in their trilogy, getting into a slugfest with a stronger, bigger man). Plus a prime Holyfield would have the advantage of steroids and HGH (had to throw that in their, he was a known user of both).Comment
-
Jack Johnson and Ali were better........Comment
Comment