IS IRON MIKE TYSON STILL THE MAN?

After knocking out Clifford in 49 seconds damn dude. Was it luck or him getting his game back? I'd just watched the Fox interview and I think he could become the Iron Mike of old if he lay off the shit and stay away from the players around but his chances are basically gone though. I'd personally deep down still want to see the raw mike of old because damn he's so fucking talented as a fighter it's scary homy. What do you think?

 

As much as I'd like Mike to kick ass and murder, I'd have to say that my confidence in him has seriously dwindled since he got raped by Lewis.

And what's up with his tattoo??

 

Etienne is a chump. Hand-picked knockout fodder. I suppose he has a decent ring name, but a 50 year old Tyson would have knocked his dick loose. This said, I don't think Tyson is finished as a fighter, even as a contender. He hasn't been on the kind of arc he needs to be an undisputed (or whatever) champ again obviously, but two or three more quality performances against top-tier heavyweights (Clifford isn't nearly one of these), might make another matchup with Lennox interesting. Without this battle testing though, we'll again see a frustrated Tyson trying to deal with size he can't handle, strength he can't handle and recent quality experience he can't match. Gotta love those 9 frame kenka uppers though.

 

Iron Mike is my "All-Time" favorite boxer. The problem he had with Lennox was range. It's hard to get in and land power punches when you are at a 13" disadvantage. Lennox has a 84" reach as compared to Tyson and his 71" reach. Also, you have the problems of Lennox and his damnable Left Jab (Jabby, Jabby, Jabby....Blah) which is as annoying as most Jacky players. /versus/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Then if you get in on him he always goes for the tie up so he can re-establish his range advantage. If Tyson can use his evasive fighting style just like McCall and Rahman did against Lennox then the fight is over. Lennox hits very hard, but he doesn't pack an Iron Mike uppercut or hook. If Mike walks in focused on his opponent and has a good clean fight, then Mike will win. Otherwise, we will have another repeat. Mike through all of his troubles has lost his focus and what little discipline he had. Prison has made him more volatile and he gets irritated easily at others milking the rules on him for advantage. He's already a legend, but we'll see if he can grab a little bit of his former glory. I personally think as long as Don King is in the business, then like Larry Merchant said. Mike doesn't stand a chance against the crooked politics.

 

Mike Tyson is a fruitnut

Wow. There are people who actually admire/like Tyson?? Did anyone watch the press conference after the match? That man has got to be the most brainless twit ever in the history of man. I have never seen such a public display of idiocy. The match looked rigged (when are they not?) and Tyson's a dribbling 5 year old with the attention span of a small rock. I have no admiration for him after he says things like "I like to get high, I like to spend time with my kids, I like to drink - I used to like doing other things too.." wtf? He's a complete freak.

cheers,

 

Re: Mike Tyson is a fruitnut

Why you're right, Tyson's a complete moron... but he's a great boxer /versus/images/graemlins/wink.gif - so what if he has the mind of a 5-year-old... he's not supposed to give lectures on Greek philosophy, he's supposed to beat people up. And he's good at it. Not a good role model, I'd say /versus/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

Re: Mike Tyson is a fruitnut

[ QUOTE ]
GLC said:
he's supposed to beat people up. And he's good at it.

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Does beating people up include biting ears? He's more destructive to the world of boxing than he is proliferative, really.

 

Re: Mike Tyson is a fruitnut

[ QUOTE ]
Does beating people up include biting ears? He's more destructive to the world of boxing than he is proliferative, really.

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Everyone has bad days once in a while... I still think he's the greatest boxer ever - he used to be GREAT, no one could beat him, remember? Tyson losing to Douglas was a HUGE surprise, no one believed he could have been beaten then. Then his career went a bit downhill though - but I still respect him as a boxer, for what he used to be. Do I respect him in general sense, as a human? Hell no.

What I'm trying to say is... the guy is an idiot but at least he provides some sport (and not-too-sport, vide the ear incident) entertainment. Just leave him alone Llan. /versus/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

Re: Mike Tyson is a fruitnut

Llany, we need people like Mike in boxing...he adds a...comical flair /versus/images/graemlins/smile.gif
This being said...Tyson better seriously devote himself to the gym and get into monsterous shape if he wants to have a prayer against any good heavyweights.

 

Re: Mike Tyson is a fruitnut

i don't know that any sport needs rapists or the mentally unhinged (or both). its interesting, the circus that lives have become. Myke Tyson on the streets without celebrity or money would be dead already and the world would be better off but for some reason people like to watch.

Too bad, I remember when boxing was refered to as the 'sweet science'. Now, well now it has all the resonance of a cartoon.

GE

 

Re: Mike Tyson is a fruitnut

Maybe it's just the nature of boxing that makes it possible to admire guys like tyson on any level. You don't (and won't) hear a lot on this board about bobby fisher even though he's a certifiable fruitnut. I don't know when the term "sweet science" was invented - but I bet it was either invented or adopted for the purpose of marketing the sport to people who normally wouldn't bother with it. Someone must have realized that isn't much of a marketing ploy, a better ploy must be to play up savagery instead of of science and make gobs of money in the process.

Anyway, what was my point? I guess that it's possible to separate admiration for mike's talent and disgust for his actions because boxing is inherently brutal. A tendency towards acting like an animal doesn't really go against the image people have (and maybe want) for boxing.

Think any convicted rapists would get to keep playing golf, and if so would they get any respect?

 

Re: Mike Tyson is a fruitnut

While Mike Tyson is certainly an entertaining boxer to watch, I don't think any real boxing critic would consider him even remotely as one of the best heavyweights, much less boxers of all time. He has knockout punches, which are popular with the crowd, but no real boxing skill. This becomes painfully obvious when he fights anyone else with a modicum of skill (particularly Lenox Lewis and Evander Holyfield). Also, his body style is that of the old heavyweight, and I doubt he'll ever compete against the newer, larger heavyweights like he Klitchko brothers. I imagine if he keeps fighting, he'll serve as a kind of barometer for the heavyweight division; if you can beat him, you're probably of world class, and if you can't, you're probably not.

As a bit of a side note, I'm also shocked to hear people regard boxing with such disdain. Any organized martial art - and yes, boxing is a martial art, considered by many, including Bruce Lee, to be the most effective fighting style in existence - is subject to corruption (Sumo, Muy Thai, etc.), but you have to look past it to appreciate the practitioner's dedication to the sport. At least, that's what I do every time I watch a boxing match, or a Grand Sumo Basho for that matter.

 

Re: Mike Tyson is a fruitnut

"sweet science" came from A.J. Leibling a reporter more famous for his phrase, "Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one" and it wasn't a marketing term as just an explanation of the principles involved in boxing well (sweet science of bruising was the original term and coined by another man, egan); remembering that although boxing was mostly undertaken by the underclass it was well-thought of by the upperclass and taught there.

The idea of nobility in fights isn't unremarkable and I think its too bad it seems so now. Kind of how, for a bulk of people, hockey (the actual sport) sometimes takes a backseat to the fighting (the secondary activity within that sport) that became commonplace.

I used to watch boxing because, when well fought, it was fascinating. I always thought it was funny though, to listen to the commentators admit how much corruption was present in the organization and titling of the sport; so Sixtwo I'm not really sure how you can be suprised at the perception of boxing. When commentators themselves lambast their own sport it follows that those who watch it with smaller frequency can have a small opinion of it.


And I don't think we're under any specific obligation to look past someone's mis-deeds and credit them their obsession with a chosen activity. You can, if you value the sport more than community or the law, certainly but I can see where Llanfair would write off anything Tyson has accomplished or will accomplish (more jail time?) because of his sub-human performance as a human being.

documented racists get to make a living off of golf, can't see why rapists wouldn't. similarily, drunk driving and assault charges are usually wiped clean in the Basketball world; world+oyster=yours when personal holdings and finances are concerned and above the average.

GE

 

Re: Mike Tyson is a fruitnut

I was refering to where Mike gives his little speeches...I find them hysterical
"I wish you had sons so I could stomp on their testicles so you can feel the pain I go through everyday." Who can't tell me that is not a riot, if disturbing, but a riot never-the-less.

 

Re: Mike Tyson is a fruitnut

Tyson isn't a fruitnut he's a wackadoo and all his fights are against chumps to make it look like he's the Tyson of old.

He used have such fire in his eyes back in the day, now that intensity is gone. Since Cus D'Amato died, Tyson has been unfocused and a puppet of Don King.

 

Re: Mike Tyson is a fruitnut

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Shadowdean said:
Who can't tell me that is not a riot, if disturbing, but a riot never-the-less.

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Heh, it's not a riot, imo. The boxing federations let him fight and speak in public because it generates ratings - the sad reality is that this is a reflection of the pathetic society that feed those ratings.

cheers,

 

Re: Mike Tyson is a fruitnut

documented racists get to make a living off of golf, can't see why rapists wouldn't. similarily, drunk driving and assault charges are usually wiped clean in the Basketball world

The only point I wanted to address was here. Racism isn't a felony, and drunk driving is on a whole different level from rape. Assault is a little bit further down the scale, but it isn't entirely ignored - even relative unknowns like Ruben Patterson (portland trailblazers forward) get a 100,000 dollar hit and enforced counselling for assault. What did mike tyson get for his own wifebeating? Nothing iirc... and an assault from mike tyson HAS to be a little more serious than an assault from ruben patterson.

The conclusion that's easy to make: baseball wants a clean image, boxing does not.

Darryl Strawberry gets handed fines and a season-long suspension for abusing cocaine... and you can make a pretty good case for 'exigent circumstances.' We all know that once you're hooked cocaine it's pretty difficult to quit, and beyond that the guy is dealing with recurring colon cancer.

Tyson, for the much more serious charge of rape, never got a fine. He did a suspension and enormous fine for biting Holyfield's ear, but his extracurricular activities (rape and battery) get a pass. And how effective is fining a multimillionaire? Can we take the commission seriously for revoking the license when the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission stands up and offers Mike another one? I can buy that boxing is a science, I'm just saying that when your job is to assault someone, it's easier for the handlers in boxing to overlook assault charges. When your job is to play a rich-white-male-dominated sport, it's easier for those who control THAT sport to overlook racism. However golf's controlling organization would probably do more than lift an eyebrow at convicted rape and assault ("oh no, I got assaulted by tom kite! first aid!"). But I don't think boxing's powers-that-be would give a shit about blatant racism (and we've all heard mike's press conferences).

 

Re: Mike Tyson is a fruitnut

GE I guess the bulk of my shock comes from the perception that either boxing is unique in its level of corruption, or that the level of corruption somehow devalues the quality of the sport more than any other competitive event in general, and martial arts organizations in particular. It comes with the territory; just like corked bats in baseball and sponges in horse's noses in racing, or weight discrepancies in motorsports and stimulants in track and field. I guess my surprise is derrived solely from having never regarded the sport of boxing as special in that way.

Sensationalism, or the highlighting of a singular (usually violent) aspect of a sport to attract ratings or attention is also not unique to boxing. Calling attention to the brutality in boxing is no different than featuring only crashes in the NASCAR sports segment or for that matter, running all the violent crime at the beginning of a newscast entirely. It's also not a fundamentally Western notion, this fascination with violence, it's a human notion. And none of it takes away from the beauty of a heavily trained and highly skilled practitioner of a spectacular sport (which, I may note, Mike Tyson is not).

 

Quit with the dumb stereotyping

NOTE: This is not aimed directly at any individual. Anybody who thinks it is solely directed to them is wrong.

I think too many of you have bought into the media hype of Tyson and his downfalls.

Is he a convicted rapist? Yes.
Although, the girl who claimed the he raped her was a fekkin idiot. She honestly thought when a guy who had been wanting to get with her only wanted to talk to her when he asked her up at 3am. Ahem, right. 3am booty calls are always about stock profiles and current events. She had sex with him and then said it was because she was afraid of him. Was it an aggravated attack on her? No, she said in court it was consenual, but only because she was in fear. BULLSHIT! She just wanted cash and Tyson was the scapegaot. Period!

Is he a violent man? Yes
The man gets paid to beat people up. He's a gentlemans thug. Plain and simple. He attacked the maryland accident people only after they provoked him. Then the courts as always used him as an example. His other predicaments have always been the same. When provoked he reacts. Simple human instinct.

Is he crazy? Maybe...
Let's see. His manager robs him legally of millions of dollars, because he was trusting. His wife accuses him of being violent (then admits in court that she provoked his outbursts) and then takes millions more away from him. The IRS says his money was mishandled and says he owes millions in back taxes. A woman out for money accuses him of rape and he is railroaded into prison. Nation of Islam followers screw with his mind while he is there and he attempts to educate himself with their help. Mind starts tweaking at the many people now who have hidden agendas against you. His mentor and trainer dies leaving him almost broke and alone. Tries for a comeback, but lacks focus and is only doing ok. gets a nice match with Holyfield and then the bastard continually headbutts Tyson with hopes of making cuts and ref does nothing about it. Tyson bites ear to prove point and hell breaks loose. Tyson goes back to prison for motorist incident. Gets out and fights Lewis who is a fucking child in the ring with the constant hugs and backsteps. All this shit within a span of 10 years. Your mind would tweak a bit too.

Tyson was never known as a vocal talent, but he could punch with the best of them. He suffers from Dyslexia as well, just like President Bush. So sometimes shit just comes out wrong, but it sounds right to you. I have the crap as well, so I can sympathize on that.

He has nobody that he can trust anymore, because everyone is out to make a buck on him. With all of the constant flack he receives he can't stay focused and with no real ring work in awhile. He is rusty as hell.

Can he compete with the new heavies? Yes
He needs to straight train and focus. Get what little discipline he had back and set new goals.

Is he one of the greatest? Hell Yes
Anybody who says different is fucking clueless about boxing. Simple. He doesn't have the foot speed of Ali or the stamina of Forman, but he is a toe-2-toe monster. One of the fastest 3 punch comboes in boxing history, solid power punching, and great body work. He's old school boxing and none of this chump hug/headbutt shit like Holyfield, Lewis, Botha, Grant, Jones, etc. He boxes.

Most of you hate him because of shit you read in a magazine or crap you saw on tv. I was watching him in his primetime and saw him in real life. He was the real deal and if given the proper motivation would easily school any of the upstarts.

I guarantee that if boxing takes away the boxers ability to hold, then most boxers nowadays couldn't compete. Lewis either grapples or jabs. Why?...Because he has no other way of dealing with an inside fighter. He has no talent. Strong right arm, but no real ring skills. Holyfield is a great fighter, but he always was a cheap bastard. It's amazing he was never labeled like Gollota or Ruddock.

My opinion. Like it or not. Just tired of the crap being slung.

 

Re: Quit with the dumb stereotyping

[ QUOTE ]
He suffers from Dyslexia

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This is a condition which affects your writing and reading comprehension, not what you *say*. He could have severe ADD and I'd still think he's insane, mind you. He makes George W. Bush look like a genius.