Did any of you guys witness the Tyson fight on a few weeks back? This guy put on about 20lbs of new muscle onto an already muscular frame. What kind of training did he do? Did he take steriods? Thoughts, comments?
I read that in the past they tried to limit is weight thinking it would hinder him. This time his trainer said that he was just going to eat clean and see where he came in. I believe this time he just allowed himself to get bigger if that makes any sense.
Tyson always had that size potential - it’s just that in the past he has been in way better boxing shape, so his weight stayed around 220. yeah, tyson was obviously bigger, but I would say that at least half of that extra 20 is fat. He just didn’t prepare (i.e. train) like he normally would for a contender. that said, he can still kick just about anyone’s ass! You can always tell when a fighter has started to lose the fire to win and be the best…inevitably they don’t have the same intensity in training and come into each bout fatter and fatter.
Boxing isn’t drug tested at all is it? With millions of dollars on the line, it would be just toooooo tempting to use roids and anything other performance enhancer. I’m sure all the top cats are using something. Tyson is still an animal though, with or without “helpers”.
Mike Tyson gets tested. Don’t you remember him testing positive for marijuana before a fight a couple years back. He has also been specifically tested for steroids in the past, as part of his psychiatric workup.
I remember hearing that he was up to 280 while he was in prison. By the way, I think he’s a dumb piece of shit.
Tyson certainly looked hu-uuge! However, I have to disagree with the notion that he’s letting himself go. It’s quite possible that he’s over the hill and cannot climb back but that’s more a condition of age and ring rust than desire. However, this too can be disputed. Emanuel Steward supports this in his commentary for BBC Boxing:
"He (Tyson) displayed his legendary punching power and showed accuracy that seemed to be lacking in the previous fights. He seemed hungry and refrained from any illegal blows, he fought a fair fight and considering his recent inactivity he did well. He fought well and didn't rush or overcrowd himself, and his short punches were reminiscent of the Tyson of the late '80s."
As for whether one thinks he’s a “piece of shit” or not, that’s strictly ones opinion. I personally try not to let myself judge people unless I’ve experienced similar trials / tribulations. With that said, I wouldn’t consider him a role model (whether or not that’s significant is an entirely different topic).
Now back on-topic. The probability of Boxers utilizing compunds that improve performance seems to me (though just speculation), quite likely. If atheletes in other sports use gear (as many reputable sources have contended), than one would tend to believe boxers certainly would. Out of the top professional sports it certainly is noted for being the most corrupt. Do you honestly think the Mob has any interest in whether or not boxers are using ;-) ???
I always defer to Mr Steward’s views (a great historian and boxing guru). However, I do believe that anyone can look good against a lesser opponent. Nielsen’s record was outstanding, but there’s probably a reason that no one has ever heard of him before. on top of that, i definitely was not impressed by his ring skills (although i only saw a small portion of the fight). Age shouldn’t necessarily lead into getting out of shape - I never saw Frank Bruno less than ripped, and Evander Holyfield came in with good condition as well…
Cam, though my previous post certainly could read the way you interpreted it, that wasn’t my exact intent. In the case of age I was commenting more on physical abilities and not appearence. To use your two examples, the only time I’ve seen Bruno is when he was destroyed by Tyson (meaning I cannot comment positively on his abilities. Though he did “look” impressive).I have actually seen a number of Holyfields bouts and though appearence wise he’s still quite the physical specimen, his performance has certainly diminished.
As for the fight, I managed to see it round for round and I wasn't impressed either. I thought Tyson looked good but as you contended, it was certainly relative. Another insight though could be with reference to Lewis, when has anyone ever been impressed with anything he's done? And yet look at what he was able to accomplish.
how anyone could say tyson looked outta shape is beyond me.
he’s physical appearance showed atrim tight physique. where was the fat?
and look at his work rate through out the fight. it was pretty high and he showed no signs of wearing down or slowing down.
brian neilsen is not a “A” level fighter but he is a strong “B” level fighter with a good chin.he has beaten some good fighters and stopped tim witherspoon(i believe)which is no easy feat.
kirk, I think if you compared a shot of tyson in the nielsen fight versus a pic of him vs. holyfield 1 or an earlier fight, you would notice that his condition was much better in the earlier fights. That’s not to say that he wasn’t in good shape, but just that his condition was not what it had been in the past. There is no way (well, maybe with juice), that you can add 20 pounds in a relatively short period of time and still be as quick and nimble as you were when lighter. That being said, the 20 extra pounds would tend to add a bit of weight to punches, condition not withstanding. Bodyguard…I agree with your point that looking good does not guarantee fighting well (I remember the tyson-bruno fight as well), but rather may indicate the level of preparation a fighter has gone through preceding the fight.
cam,well actually, if you look at a young tyson and then a post prison tyson, mike was much leaner after his prison stint and about 6-7 lbs heavier. never fat for a fight, but mikes abs were smooth back in the day. his physique this time looked much more like his old physique only bigger.and i some what disagree about speed. i just watched a 1996 olympian who’s pro career has been so-so. i think they said he moved up from lt.weight to welter weight.still very lean but about 12 lbs difference.still very quick.thomas hearns moved up many weight classes over the years and remained lean and fast until he got around 40-50’s heavier than his original fighting weight.