Do you agree with Kevin Rooney

[CarlosG815]

[IronDanHamza]

Is this edited? I'm sure in a Mike Tyson documentary i have Kevin Rooney says the exact same thing but the arts after that arn't in it and the documentary I have isn't what this says it's called.

Anyway, I actually do agree with him. He had the potential to be one of the greatest ever, but due to whatever of many reasons, his lack of longevity will never let him.

[JAB5239]

I like Tyson, he's one of my favorites to watch. But he never showed the heart and determination to comeback and win a fight he was losing or even just struggling in. He had all the tools, he just didn't have the heart and determination of the truly great, great fighter. If he did he may have gone down as the greatest ever.

[CarlosG815]

I like Tyson, he's one of my favorites to watch. But he never showed the heart and determination to comeback and win a fight he was losing or even just struggling in. He had all the tools, he just didn't have the heart and determination of the truly great, great fighter. If he did he may have gone down as the greatest ever.

10 rounds with Douglas, well into the 11th with Holyfield, wars with Razor Ruddock... I don't think heart was his problem....

[Joeyzagz]

Cus Damato set Tyson up for failure when he modeled him after Dempsey.

The swarming style is the most over-rated in boxing history, and an elite opponent will eventually figure it out.

[Wild Blue Yonda]

I like Tyson, he's one of my favorites to watch. But he never showed the heart and determination to comeback and win a fight he was losing or even just struggling in. He had all the tools, he just didn't have the heart and determination of the truly great, great fighter. If he did he may have gone down as the greatest ever.

Strong post.

I know he's a man who intensely divides people when the words, "all-time anything," enter the discussion, but I am firmly of the belief that Tyson's talent was all-time material for the division, & his skill-set was well-honed & extensive. That scintillating prime may not've lasted too long, & the competition wasn't a particularly good gauge for just how great he was, but I do believe he was a genuinely special fighter.

Regarding his heart, it gets something of a bad wrap. By that, I mean a lot of people will tell you (especially the older crowd, who remember Frazier, Ali, & other famously courageous fighting men) he had no heart whatsoever, & was a quitter. Tyson showed some commitment to a difficult task at times. Douglas, Ruddock, & Lewis all tested him pretty well, & he hung tough for extended periods. I think that says something for his heart.

With that said, he quit (in various manners) in atrocious ways at other times, & taking his whole career into account, I have to admit, I don't see him winning any fight with a fellow HW legend if the going gets tough. I think he could've utilised his tremendous gifts to beat a few of the greats, but that would only be in one-sided battles --- I have to say, I don't give him the benefit of the doubt against the true elites if I think it's going to be a hard slog.

[Wild Blue Yonda]

Cus Damato set Tyson up for failure when he modeled him after Dempsey.

The swarming style is the most over-rated in boxing history, and an elite opponent will eventually figure it out.

If only you had been there to inform an amateur like Cus D'Amato how to train a 5'11" HW in a growing division replete with men over 6'2 & 6'3".

Maybe he'd have grown into something greater then, hey?

[Holtol]

If he was as dedicated as a fighter can be he would have a chance at Marciano's recored. All it takes is for his biorhythms to be bad for what ever reason one night and anothers to be good and he could lose. Thats why its so hard in sports to go on long win streaks even if you have more talent and are working very hard to win. A motivated Tyson beats Bowe and Douglas, But if Bowe and Douglas had great motivation also they would be tough for Tyson.

Marciano may have been aware of this, I heard he would allways eat the same thing and strangly only one big meal a day which I believe was mashed potatos and steak. There may have been other patterns he kept to that helped him fight at a high level every time.

[JAB5239]

10 rounds with Douglas, well into the 11th with Holyfield, wars with Razor Ruddock... I don't think heart was his problem....

Heart and determination encompass more than just the fight itself. He didn't have the heart to train diligently or the determination to remain disciplined.

As far as the fights you named.....he showed not heart against Douglas. He showed extreme toughness, but he mentally folded like a lawn chair. Ruddock can't even be counted because it was a walkover. He had nothing for Tyson but a big left hand. That's it. He showed a degree of heart and determination against Holyfield in a losing effort and that just folded mentally in the rematch again.

Than there were the farces against Williams and McBride where he simply quit. That shows me he was never mentally tough deep down. You can't name one former great heavyweight who just gave up like that even long past their best. Not Jeffries, Johnson, Dempsey, Louis, Patterson, Ali, Holmes.....not one, my friend.

That said, Tyson still makes my top 10 list based on his accomplishments and how he won fights. But in no way can he ever be thought of as the greatest ever.

[Wild Blue Yonda]

Heart and determination encompass more than just the fight itself. He didn't have the heart to train diligently or the determination to remain disciplined.

As far as the fights you named.....he showed not heart against Douglas. He showed extreme toughness, but he mentally folded like a lawn chair. Ruddock can't even be counted because it was a walkover. He had nothing for Tyson but a big left hand. That's it. He showed a degree of heart and determination against Holyfield in a losing effort and that just folded mentally in the rematch again.

Than there were the farces against Williams and McBride where he simply quit. That shows me he was never mentally tough deep down. You can't name one former great heavyweight who just gave up like that even long past their best. Not Jeffries, Johnson, Dempsey, Louis, Patterson, Ali, Holmes.....not one, my friend.

That said, Tyson still makes my top 10 list based on his accomplishments and how he won fights. But in no way can he ever be thought of as the greatest ever.

I give him a pass for the Williams & McBride fights, because I feel a fighter years & years past their best has likely lost heart & determination, in the same way they have lost a degree of their talents (speed, for instance) & their skill-set has regressed.

Look at Chavez quitting against De La Hoya, for instance. Can either of us ever see the young Chavez throwing in the towel like that? Hardly. For that reason, I don't consider Williams & McBride indicative of Tyson's heart, though Tyson certainly was never Chavez in regards to courage (then again, who was, though?).