Quote Originally Posted by JazMerkin View Post
The Tyson who lost to Douglas was prime, saying he wasn't is a way to excuse the fact that he lost. Hell, he battered out Bruce Seldon all the way in 96 & he was no worse than a lot of the guys he was KOing in the 80s. Tyson is underrated by some, but overrated by his excitement factor. Fact is even if he had beaten Douglas (he didn't & this was no Marlon B. Wright count, Tyson had a count just as slow as Douglas) than at least one of Holyfield, Foreman, Bowe or Lewis would have had him, in all likelihood probably 3 of them, possibly all 4. Tyson was a great fighter, don't get me wrong, but the fact was the guys he beat prior to meeting Douglas were nothing special apart from a faded Holmes, Berbick & Spinks (no complaints on the last 2). Even Douglas himself was nothing special, he just happened to have one of those nights that's only supposed to happen in cheesy Hollywood movies & was motivated to win the fight for his mother.
Good post.Have never bought the past his prime mantra.As it seems to precede Mike quite a bit.I think we got so used to seeing Tyson as a young snarling Dynamo separating men from their senses on a regular basis.The man just oozed "must see" and in no time became a household name and media crossover star.For some thats attributable as much to Tyson's devastation inside the ropes as it was his much publicized trials and tribulations.No fighter remains as peak and as effective as when we first came to know them and Tyson was said to be there from the very beginning within what,2,3 years?A prime does not just end whan a guy starts to look human and goes the distance,gets wobbled,etc,thats just when we see the whole package against stiffer fighters who don't just fall over.

I don't know about Seldon being a huge high point though lol.I drank the Kool-aid on Seldon when he himself came up but I think him crumbling like dry toast at the first threating shot took away from Mike just doing what your supposed to do.I mean even when Seldon won his belt he was balling & laying on the canvas needing his corner to tell him "get up man,act like a champion".Alright yeh,good win for Mike.I just wanted to get in dry toast when talking about a bad chin haa.