Originally Posted by X
Tyson was a force of nature in the 80's, he was a good trainer (just at the end of the Witherspoon, Tubbs etc fat guys era), he was mean and ruthless with great hanspeed, a deceptively good defence and excellent power. He intimidated his opponents before they even got into the ring. We all say his prime was short, but don't forget the guy has been around for about 20 years now!!!
It was later that he lost his head movement, didn't throw combinations and was always looking for the one-punch knockout. Only later did he ever really 'quit' fights because his heart was not in the sport anymore. Tyson's tragedy is that he was always a needy person who ended up being let down by everyone he ever trusted, and eventually began to hate the very thing that brought him fame and fortune.
Louis, however, was the complete fighting machine. he had an awesome jab, very solid technical skills, a good chin (but poor balance) - he was always in good shape as he was THE model pro. He had one of the very best trainers in 'Chappie' Blackburn (who had fought over 300 fights himself). Louis threw short, murderous combinations in which every punch was a power shot that never travelled more than a few inches. 50 years before Iron Mike, Louis used to win many fights before they started as his opponents saw him as a machine that would break them up. 25 successful undisputed world title defences in an era when there were some REALLY tough men about. Louis was an idol to an entire generation of people, and a not insignificant political and social phenomenom 30 years before Ali.
I imagine this to be truly the fight of the ages - huge buildup and hype (though, it has to be said, not as much as Louis - Schmeling). Tyson comes out like a freight train in the first round and throws himself at Louis in an all-out blitz reminiscent of the young Dempsey. Louis could box with the best of them and covers up expertly, but he is clearly taken aback by the ferocity of the attack. Tyso connects with a couple of haymakers but cannot land consistent combinations and Louis's excellent powers of recuperation keep him upright, though he is staggered on occasion. Unlike most Tyson, opponents, Louis does not retreat, but moves close to Tyson to clinch (a tactic used successfully by Evander Holyfield, and something that Louis did naturally through his career)
Tyson sweeps the first three rounds, and then begins to temper his assault when he sees Louis will not be blown away like so many of Iron Mike's victims. Once this happens, Louis begins to utilise his ramrod jab and shuffles forward, closing down Tyson's space. Mike likes to initiate the exchanges and Louis begins to time him and take the tempo away. Three more rounds pass, two immovable objects colliding in the centre of the ring and some of the exchanges are messy, dissolving into clinches and mauling.
By the seventh, Louis' accuracy has swollen Tyson's left eye badly. Mike is still dangerous and scores a flash knockdown in the eighth, but it is becoming apparent that the all-out assualt he mounted in the first round took a heavy toll on his stamina. Louis begins to stalk forward, remorselessly busting Tyson up.
Oveer the next three rounds, Tyson takes a steady and ruthless beating, demonstrating his courage and the quality of his chin. If they had fought in the thirties, the fight would have continued, but a barrage of short, vicious punches, finished off with a right uppercut puts Tyson on the canvas in the 10th. battered and bruised, he tries to rise, but the referee shows some mercy and calls the fight off in 2.08 of the round.
A top fight, entertaining, see-saw and action packed at the start and the end.
