He was and he exposed Tyson a little too . Tillis had lost 4 of his last 5 fights And had been knocked out 3 times. Tyson's on the top five overrated fighters of all time list. Who did he ever beat?
DOn't you feel thru your own boxing wisdom that tyson was supposed to be a shooting star and this program could not be implemented for more then a 3 yr period.Lookat frazier,look at dempsey,marciano.3 yr stints but tysons was unique because he was as fast or faster in some ways as ali!!!!! This makes a unique situation.Even DUndee said tyson got "empty early" that's dundee;s opinion!! I support his expertise in this sport.
@truthfulmind He hit tyson 3 times.He lost this fight and tyson was 19 yrs old.He would have put tillis in a coma had they fought in early 1988.TYson became much better after 1986.
@truthfulmind i totally agree if you talking punches thrown and landed it was three to one in favor of tillis. Tyson had sporadic periods where he threw the harder combinations but they were so few and far between this isa travesty that he got a decision. Wow the Buster Douglas fight is not such a mystery anymore. Tillis showed that a taller fighter with a longer reach and a good jab could give Tyson fits.. Damn imagine if that would have been Ali. He would done same thing had power to ko tyson.
@bobber0623 Exactly, tyson is an explosive fighter only when he gets into the right positions but struggles fighting from the outside against good jabbers
James "Quick" Tillis was clearly one of the Top Elite boxers around during Tyson's haydays. It's a huge misnomer to suggest that there were no good heavyweights around and that was the reason Tyson dominated his era. CLEARLY NOT TRUE! Every boxer who took Tyson the distance was a Top Fighter.
@Solowizard tommy morrison destroyed tillis in one round....anyone with a strong jab, good footwork and tying up skills could beat tyson, he hated to get pressed, holyfield took him apart by forcing him to feel insecure on the inside, fair enough he leadied up with his head which was illegal and hit alot on the break but he still got his point across, people always forget holyfield was considered washed up when he fought mike but he fought a great that he never got the credit he deserved for
@ricochetshotz - NEWS FLASH! - When the people who originally trained and managed Tyson were replaced by Don King and Tyson's childhood friends, he stopped the training regimen that made him the awesome destroyer he was in the 1980s. As a result,Tyson was easily able to be picked apart by anyone with courage and excellent boxing skills.
@Solowizard tillis was on a LOSING STREAK before he fought mike, including losing to marvis frazier and tyrell biggs.......tillis was never much more than a decent contender at best, but his best days were way before tyson fought him, just except that a standard fighter took mike the distance and did a good job, so did mitch green and tony tucker and bonecrusher smith, and they were also past their best when they fought mike
@ricochetshotz Tucker was in his prime and just finished koing a fit douglas but tyson walked thru his nasty shots and came back strong in the late rounds for an impressive decision against a guy running like ali would.Tyson made Mccall quit with body shots in a sparring session recorded by a japanese film crew in Jan 1988.Tyson was in his best in early 1988 and would give ali and lewis fits! Happy now??
@ricochetshotz - That was a different Tillis than the one who fought Tyson. Tillis fought Ernie Shavers for God sakes.That tells you just how long he's been around.
Tillis was a good scientific boxer,great mover,with a bit more belief he could have won.just goes to show what Ali would have done to him,with his speed,footwork and psychology
You can't base it on this fight alone. We are talking about at 19 year old Tyson who had yet to go past 6 rounds so his confidence was still shaky and that isn't good for performance. It was this fight that helped him grow in confidence to last a full fight. Next fight he went the distance against Mitch Green but there was a difference in performance/confidence in that fight. That's how fast Tyson was learning/adjusting.
Tyson also noted later on that if he had to fight Tillis again, he felt he would take him out because of his maturity. Now of course that is Tyson's opinion...but there is something to say with his increased skill level and confidence as he progressed and in a short time.
Just remember, it can easily be said Ali would have been given trouble around that same point. .
The thing with Tyson was that he was hyped up a lot because of his Power/KO ability so it was expected of him to knock his opponent out...and if he didn't, it was seen as a disappointment which means; even if he wins by UD...it was a failure somehow. So no credit for his boxing ability by many.
But when Clay/Ali did it...UD was still great...even though you did have some detractors and had people like Howard Cosell questioning his Punching Power.
But overall, Ali was seen as the "boxer" and Tyson more like some brawling power punching brute which wasn't correct when you talk about his peak. And a UD win was more OK with Ali...but not with Tyson.
Fair point,but remember Tyson NEVER knocked anyone out past the 7th round,plus this style of fighting,jab based classic boxer with constant movement would always have had the same effect,nullify his power,drain him.Ali would have taunted and tatoo'd him badly!!!!
Except for Ribalta who was TKO'd in 10. Good fight. Tyson used his combos and attacked the mid-section up to the head and head to body very well in that fight. Pre-title fight too. But I understand your point. I always favor Ali in the second half because he is strong but he too has been worn down by fighters like Chuvalo who went to his body early.
You also have to remember that the amount of punishment those opponents received early against Tyson, both mentally and physically, drained his opponents for those later rounds so they mostly were looking to survive. If they opened up they would again be open for Tyson to counter. And when you are throwing and missing and getting tagged back from counters...it plays with the mind. Tyson put his work in early so he could rely on boxing later on which is less taxing.
He was fighting a lot of tall and even heavier fighters most of the time so without putting the energy in early, those big guys had a greater chance of wearing him down for those later rounds...so the objective I think would be to tax them early so it could end up being a boxing match later but with them being more worn than you which puts the advantage in your/Tyson's favor.
With Ali, even though I favor him, he still had a bad habit of dropping his hands and pulling back and with someone as fast as Tyson overall (which means from head to toe), if Ali moves back while Tyson moves forward which is much faster than the majority of HWs; it could take more energy from Ali to move back for more than a certain amount of rounds.
And, in the exchange in close, like Banks did, Ali can be caught by a fast, accurate, combination puncher like Tyson...or even the left-hook in general like Cooper and Frazier.
But no matter what, Ali doesn't give up so the longer it goes, it would favor Ali I would say if Tyson starts to wear down and doesn't do what is needed to be done. Other factors as well favor Ali.
@Orangewind lol, a whole lot of Tyson's oponents CAME in the ring timid and just trying to survive. If Tyson was really employing the same kind of insanely agressive seek and destroy style in the 9th round that he was in the 1st round his oponents wouldn't make it.
Few people can keep a pace like that going for 10 rounds anyway.
Chuvalo barely touched Ali in both fights,and Ali had specifically trained to prepare for his body shots.Muhammed was always a late round fighter,rounds 10 to 15 was Ali country,and Tysons wilderness..LOL
Most of the punches were tagging Ali's arms but there were a number that landed on the kidney's, nuts, and even mid-section sometimes. Tyson was good at hitting behind the elbows (which tend to be kidney shots or close to it).
Chuvalo isn't a combination puncher like Tyson either. Tyson can go from body to head, head to the body, in quick, accurate, precise punching power with purpose behind it. Chuvalo banged away compared. Tyson can set you up better.
Ali had an incredible ability to take body-punching...no question. He understood how to cover up and make the target smaller; and if one got by, he could take it.
Tyson didn't have to prepare for 15 rounds...just 12. He did go the distance even at his peak. He sparred 10+ rounds at least 5 days a week from what I remember reading Rooney said.
Many fighters started slow and increased the pace as the fight went on...it was 15 rounds. Tyson was a lot like Dempsey; started out fast to see if he could catch the opponent cold and if not, at least brutalize the opponent and make it a little easier as the fight goes on. Of course, increase of clinching from Dempsey and Tyson was the result as the fight went into the later rounds because they were early starters.
@SkywarpMach7 Well, I'd say more accurately it showed the mental issues (i.e. personal demons) that Tyson ultimately could not overcome. This is only early Tyson fight that his trainer Kevin Rooney really got pissed at him about.
especially when his opposition ended up being a lot tougher than he thought it would be, its funny that in just four short years he forgot that lesson...
this fight was great for a young tyson b/c, in all honesty i think he thought he would get the tillis that had lost to biggs and witherspoon, but he was shocked, and even though it isn't his greatest performance (it reminds me of the bonecrusher and esp. tucker fights, where he did just what needed to be done, but was also very conservative, like a quarterback playing with a lead, he doesn't need to throw a td, just not throw an int) but he learned a lot about heart and how to stay n a fight 4
look at how much energy Tillis has, he's throwing tons of combos, in this fight, but tyson is bobbing, weaving, using leg movement, Tillis could of hurt him or even knocked him out, like i said the Stand Still fighting ruined him, and caused him to take alot of shots, he was a defensive master in his early years
So what he didnt knock tillis out, he was still in his prime right here. Imo he was shot after prison, I mean he wasnt with the d'amato camp for sometime and wasnt as good after . but it was prison that really fucked his career
Tyson wasn't at his prime in this fight. He was only 19. He was getting better and better at this time. Do you think Tillis would have lasted long against Tyson in 88?
the 1 big thing i came to conclusion was a big factor in allof his losses is the lack of Leg movement. he used to control the ring side step, slip, duck, he had it all. Then he became a standstill fighter waiting and charging up his power for big hooks, he lost his leg movement after Rooney.
tyson was in his prime in terms of head movement and bobbing and weaving but the rest of his technique didn't peak until 1988.Had tyson faced tillis,green,bonecrusher,tucker,holy,douglas or lewis in 1988,they all get KO'D.enfd of argument
I completely agree. I think he would have done away with those opponents in his prime in 88 also.
but the thing is it just looks bad when everybody is like , oh yeh in 86 he wasnt nothin, in 87 he wasnt nothing.. in 88 he was the greatest that ever lived... oh yeh but in 89 he wasnt nothing and in 1990 he wasnt nothing...
There might be truth to it ...
Anyway I think even tho he wasnt physically mature here... he was still more dangerous in this vid then he was in the 90s
everybody didn't say that, only the assholes .Tyson was excellent in 86,then he faced 2 champs and one excahmp in 87 and it got a little tougher for him ,then he improved even more and destroyed the rest of the champs and exchamps thru 88.AFter june 88,he stopped traing with correct technical nohow and rooney wasn't on his back anymore so mike decided to be lazy and go for the ko's one punch at a time but rooney always told him it wont work and it didnt.strictly on form,he was the BEST.
@joshuaFB Right but did you know that tyson was already in Don Kings/robin Givens clutches as early as the tubbs fight march 88? Tysons last great fight when he would beat douglas,holyfield and lewis ,was the night he beat Berbick,Biggs and Holmes. Those 3 fights was tyson at his best.Only Ali and young foreman would have the only chance against THAT tyson of those 3 fights. Its too bad he couldnt fight and train at that level and be as focused for long enough.
@truthfulmind Tucker was in his prime and just finished koing a fit douglas but tyson walked thru his nasty shots and came back strong in the late rounds for an impressive decision against a guy running like ali would.Tyson made Mccall quit with body shots in a sparring session recorded by a japanese film crew in Jan 1988.Tyson was in his best in early 1988 and would give ali and lewis fits! Happy now??
@truthfulmind Tucker was in his prime and just finished koing a fit douglas but tyson walked thru his nasty shots and came back strong in the late rounds for an impressive decision against a guy running like ali would.Tyson made Mccall quit with body shots in a sparring session recorded by a japanese film crew in Jan 1988.Tyson was in his best in early 1988 and would give ali and lewis fits! Happy now??
@fadethetrade LOL knocking out douglas is something to boast about? douglas was a journeyman at best, he looked great against mike but thats it......and as for Mccall, come on now......he was hardly a great fighter. just accept that tysons level of oppoisition was substandard at best, he never built a legacy that could compare to lewis or holyfield, i hate every1 making excuses for mike, holyfield went through heart attacks, hephatitis, high blood pressure and heart failure and still beat greats
@fadethetrade look at sugar ray robinson and ali, when they were WAY WAY past their primes they still fought the best level of opposition and were never knocked out, only way to beat them was by a decision, why? cos they had HEART.....the only time tyson won a fight where he was really tested was against ruddock, every other time if it got too much for him he lost !!! and btw ruddock was nothing more than a contender at best also, morrison and lewis smashed him quicker than tyson ever did......
@ricochetshotz AGainst ruddock he took left hook uppercut smashes that would ko,lewis,holyfield and bowe but tyson walked thru them.He had the heart between 87-88.It was just that his mastger technique that he then was soo tough to go against,he didn't have any neeed to show his heart. But he had then also and Its interesting you have no comment on the video I saw with tyson making mccall quit and mccall lying that he never quit.
@fadethetrade okay dude, your entitled to your opinion, its just it always seems that every1 makes excuses for mike's poor peformances so much "he was out of his prime" dude...he was still in his early 20's when he got outta prison..sugar ray robinson kept it going till he was 44 and was never ko'd and fought the BEST, didnt duck ANYONE, unlike mike...foreman won the title at 45 years old, holyfield came back from heart attacks and hephatitis and all sorts of mad shit. peace anyway
@ricochetshotz I believe he was as good in early 88 as ali,frazier,lewis,holyfield,bowe,holmes. but this peak lasted very short,once,as I saiud which is not opinion,its fact,that tyson abandoned or simply unconditioned himself to lose the fibre muscle twitching in his combinations and his head bobbing and upper body bobbing and weaving.Once that type of conditioning stopped,he became more stationary.Now the oponents like douglas,ruddock,even henry tillman (UGH!) got shots in.
@fadethetrade by the way, i read an interview with mcall and he said that he sparred around 300 rounds with tyson throughout tysons career, and mike NEVER dropped him or made him quit, but mcall DROPPED mike......
Come to think of it, Tyson only went full 12 rounds twice in his career: against Tucker in '87 and against Ruddock in '91. That also says a lot about those two guys.
@JONNYFONG Tyson was rocked by bruno in 1989 ..He wasn't fighting at his best level anymore as early as tubbs fight in march 88.Rooney said his partying and his new marriage softened him up alot already after the holmes fight Jan 88 and his decline from the spiinks fight to an absolute disinterest and abandonment in the practicing of the skills of perpetual defensive motion,body combinations and 15 round conditioning taught to him .DUMMY!
@JONNYFONG exactly particularly when his oppenents were beaten by the Tyson mystique befofe they got imto the ring. And his oppenents aka. Spinks was substandard
if tillis wasnt knocked out in the 4th round, i believe the fight wouldve been 5-5, 5-5, 3-8. it wouldve been a majortiy decision for tyson but nonetheless a close decision.
If tyson was able to fight Marciano !! the greatest super battle of boxing ever told... couldn't be !
frank0067 1 month ago
19 years old? Scary!
fomiz 4 months ago
rip off tills batered him
markjaide1 5 months ago
great fight! tyson Vs ali would be this one?
yellowpokerman 5 months ago
@yellowpokerman I think Ali would of stopped him
SouthernSniper74 4 months ago
@SouthernSniper74
Tyson looked up to Ali, he choose boxing because of meeting him.
UT5000 2 months ago
great fight!
yellowpokerman 5 months ago
He was and he exposed Tyson a little too . Tillis had lost 4 of his last 5 fights And had been knocked out 3 times. Tyson's on the top five overrated fighters of all time list. Who did he ever beat?
fuggetabodit 6 months ago
Muhammad Ali n Mike Tyson the greatest of all Time.
kifhdgfuryt 7 months ago
Bobber0623 The score's were 6-4 6-4 8-2 to Tyson
MaxDemboNo1 7 months ago
Bobber0623 What are you talking about? The score's were 6-4 6-4 8-2 to Tyson
MaxDemboNo1 7 months ago
This is the Tyson at a very bad evning. Was he ill?
pedemeyer 8 months ago
@pedemeyer Ya and when Buster destroyed his ass he was sicjk too right???????Tyson was sick????
djk28161 5 months ago
tyson is the shining strar and the face of boxing
history will never forget him
klitschkos fucken lucky loool
TheBoxinfan 9 months ago
8:17 Mike wants to walk away suddenly boom, WTF?
killuminatii1 9 months ago
Joe Frazier would have broken Tillis down.
trailstar1 10 months ago
WOW SO THE DOUGLAS FIGHT WAS NOT TYSON'S FIRST LOST AFTER ALL. TOTALLY GOT OUT POINTED 8 ROUNDS TO TWO. THIS DECISION WAS A TRAVESTY
bobber0623 11 months ago
DOn't you feel thru your own boxing wisdom that tyson was supposed to be a shooting star and this program could not be implemented for more then a 3 yr period.Lookat frazier,look at dempsey,marciano.3 yr stints but tysons was unique because he was as fast or faster in some ways as ali!!!!! This makes a unique situation.Even DUndee said tyson got "empty early" that's dundee;s opinion!! I support his expertise in this sport.
fadethetrade 1 year ago
Tillis won this fight.
truthfulmind 1 year ago
@truthfulmind He hit tyson 3 times.He lost this fight and tyson was 19 yrs old.He would have put tillis in a coma had they fought in early 1988.TYson became much better after 1986.
fadethetrade 1 year ago
@truthfulmind i totally agree if you talking punches thrown and landed it was three to one in favor of tillis. Tyson had sporadic periods where he threw the harder combinations but they were so few and far between this isa travesty that he got a decision. Wow the Buster Douglas fight is not such a mystery anymore. Tillis showed that a taller fighter with a longer reach and a good jab could give Tyson fits.. Damn imagine if that would have been Ali. He would done same thing had power to ko tyson.
bobber0623 11 months ago
@bobber0623 Exactly, tyson is an explosive fighter only when he gets into the right positions but struggles fighting from the outside against good jabbers
Gyro911 7 months ago
Mike was 19 y.o here, but his stamina is for 25 y.o.
danceswithwolvesful 1 year ago
James "Quick" Tillis was clearly one of the Top Elite boxers around during Tyson's haydays. It's a huge misnomer to suggest that there were no good heavyweights around and that was the reason Tyson dominated his era. CLEARLY NOT TRUE! Every boxer who took Tyson the distance was a Top Fighter.
Solowizard 1 year ago
@Solowizard tommy morrison destroyed tillis in one round....anyone with a strong jab, good footwork and tying up skills could beat tyson, he hated to get pressed, holyfield took him apart by forcing him to feel insecure on the inside, fair enough he leadied up with his head which was illegal and hit alot on the break but he still got his point across, people always forget holyfield was considered washed up when he fought mike but he fought a great that he never got the credit he deserved for
ricochetshotz 1 year ago
@ricochetshotz - NEWS FLASH! - When the people who originally trained and managed Tyson were replaced by Don King and Tyson's childhood friends, he stopped the training regimen that made him the awesome destroyer he was in the 1980s. As a result,Tyson was easily able to be picked apart by anyone with courage and excellent boxing skills.
Solowizard 1 year ago
@Solowizard tillis was on a LOSING STREAK before he fought mike, including losing to marvis frazier and tyrell biggs.......tillis was never much more than a decent contender at best, but his best days were way before tyson fought him, just except that a standard fighter took mike the distance and did a good job, so did mitch green and tony tucker and bonecrusher smith, and they were also past their best when they fought mike
ricochetshotz 1 year ago
@ricochetshotz Tucker was in his prime and just finished koing a fit douglas but tyson walked thru his nasty shots and came back strong in the late rounds for an impressive decision against a guy running like ali would.Tyson made Mccall quit with body shots in a sparring session recorded by a japanese film crew in Jan 1988.Tyson was in his best in early 1988 and would give ali and lewis fits! Happy now??
fadethetrade 1 year ago
@ricochetshotz - That was a different Tillis than the one who fought Tyson. Tillis fought Ernie Shavers for God sakes.That tells you just how long he's been around.
Solowizard 1 year ago
mike is best...mashallah..
faridanzali 1 year ago
He seems disinterested in this fight.
capablemachine 1 year ago
Tillis here would have beaten the tyson who lost to douglas in tokyo.
fadethetrade 1 year ago
Tillis was a good scientific boxer,great mover,with a bit more belief he could have won.just goes to show what Ali would have done to him,with his speed,footwork and psychology
onlyjoetee 2 years ago
You can't base it on this fight alone. We are talking about at 19 year old Tyson who had yet to go past 6 rounds so his confidence was still shaky and that isn't good for performance. It was this fight that helped him grow in confidence to last a full fight. Next fight he went the distance against Mitch Green but there was a difference in performance/confidence in that fight. That's how fast Tyson was learning/adjusting.
Orangewind 2 years ago
Tyson also noted later on that if he had to fight Tillis again, he felt he would take him out because of his maturity. Now of course that is Tyson's opinion...but there is something to say with his increased skill level and confidence as he progressed and in a short time.
Just remember, it can easily be said Ali would have been given trouble around that same point. .
Orangewind 2 years ago
Remember his fight with Sonny Banks, who knocked him down?
Or especially his fight with Doug Jones that went the distance and was fairly close?
Although I think Ali was more experienced as far as overall amateur and pro fights combined and bit older than Tyson. Pre-Title though.
Orangewind 2 years ago
The thing with Tyson was that he was hyped up a lot because of his Power/KO ability so it was expected of him to knock his opponent out...and if he didn't, it was seen as a disappointment which means; even if he wins by UD...it was a failure somehow. So no credit for his boxing ability by many.
But when Clay/Ali did it...UD was still great...even though you did have some detractors and had people like Howard Cosell questioning his Punching Power.
Orangewind 2 years ago
But overall, Ali was seen as the "boxer" and Tyson more like some brawling power punching brute which wasn't correct when you talk about his peak. And a UD win was more OK with Ali...but not with Tyson.
Orangewind 2 years ago
Fair point,but remember Tyson NEVER knocked anyone out past the 7th round,plus this style of fighting,jab based classic boxer with constant movement would always have had the same effect,nullify his power,drain him.Ali would have taunted and tatoo'd him badly!!!!
onlyjoetee 2 years ago
Except for Ribalta who was TKO'd in 10. Good fight. Tyson used his combos and attacked the mid-section up to the head and head to body very well in that fight. Pre-title fight too. But I understand your point. I always favor Ali in the second half because he is strong but he too has been worn down by fighters like Chuvalo who went to his body early.
Orangewind 2 years ago
You also have to remember that the amount of punishment those opponents received early against Tyson, both mentally and physically, drained his opponents for those later rounds so they mostly were looking to survive. If they opened up they would again be open for Tyson to counter. And when you are throwing and missing and getting tagged back from counters...it plays with the mind. Tyson put his work in early so he could rely on boxing later on which is less taxing.
Orangewind 2 years ago
He was fighting a lot of tall and even heavier fighters most of the time so without putting the energy in early, those big guys had a greater chance of wearing him down for those later rounds...so the objective I think would be to tax them early so it could end up being a boxing match later but with them being more worn than you which puts the advantage in your/Tyson's favor.
Orangewind 2 years ago
With Ali, even though I favor him, he still had a bad habit of dropping his hands and pulling back and with someone as fast as Tyson overall (which means from head to toe), if Ali moves back while Tyson moves forward which is much faster than the majority of HWs; it could take more energy from Ali to move back for more than a certain amount of rounds.
Orangewind 2 years ago
And, in the exchange in close, like Banks did, Ali can be caught by a fast, accurate, combination puncher like Tyson...or even the left-hook in general like Cooper and Frazier.
But no matter what, Ali doesn't give up so the longer it goes, it would favor Ali I would say if Tyson starts to wear down and doesn't do what is needed to be done. Other factors as well favor Ali.
Orangewind 2 years ago
@Orangewind lol, a whole lot of Tyson's oponents CAME in the ring timid and just trying to survive. If Tyson was really employing the same kind of insanely agressive seek and destroy style in the 9th round that he was in the 1st round his oponents wouldn't make it.
Few people can keep a pace like that going for 10 rounds anyway.
periechontology 2 years ago
Chuvalo barely touched Ali in both fights,and Ali had specifically trained to prepare for his body shots.Muhammed was always a late round fighter,rounds 10 to 15 was Ali country,and Tysons wilderness..LOL
onlyjoetee 2 years ago
@onlyjoetee
Most of the punches were tagging Ali's arms but there were a number that landed on the kidney's, nuts, and even mid-section sometimes. Tyson was good at hitting behind the elbows (which tend to be kidney shots or close to it).
Chuvalo isn't a combination puncher like Tyson either. Tyson can go from body to head, head to the body, in quick, accurate, precise punching power with purpose behind it. Chuvalo banged away compared. Tyson can set you up better.
Orangewind 2 years ago
Ali had an incredible ability to take body-punching...no question. He understood how to cover up and make the target smaller; and if one got by, he could take it.
Tyson didn't have to prepare for 15 rounds...just 12. He did go the distance even at his peak. He sparred 10+ rounds at least 5 days a week from what I remember reading Rooney said.
Orangewind 2 years ago
Many fighters started slow and increased the pace as the fight went on...it was 15 rounds. Tyson was a lot like Dempsey; started out fast to see if he could catch the opponent cold and if not, at least brutalize the opponent and make it a little easier as the fight goes on. Of course, increase of clinching from Dempsey and Tyson was the result as the fight went into the later rounds because they were early starters.
Orangewind 2 years ago
This fight revealed all the weaknessess that Tyson possessed....
SkywarpMach7 2 years ago
@SkywarpMach7 Well, I'd say more accurately it showed the mental issues (i.e. personal demons) that Tyson ultimately could not overcome. This is only early Tyson fight that his trainer Kevin Rooney really got pissed at him about.
danning1 7 months ago
especially when his opposition ended up being a lot tougher than he thought it would be, its funny that in just four short years he forgot that lesson...
RapedByRepublicans 2 years ago
this fight was great for a young tyson b/c, in all honesty i think he thought he would get the tillis that had lost to biggs and witherspoon, but he was shocked, and even though it isn't his greatest performance (it reminds me of the bonecrusher and esp. tucker fights, where he did just what needed to be done, but was also very conservative, like a quarterback playing with a lead, he doesn't need to throw a td, just not throw an int) but he learned a lot about heart and how to stay n a fight 4
RapedByRepublicans 2 years ago
i scored 97-94 4 Tyson i had 2 rounds even, Tillis was Tysons hardist fight till Tucker.
dwcsl 2 years ago
the strongest opponent dat tyson had
514liveinaghetto 2 years ago
look at how much energy Tillis has, he's throwing tons of combos, in this fight, but tyson is bobbing, weaving, using leg movement, Tillis could of hurt him or even knocked him out, like i said the Stand Still fighting ruined him, and caused him to take alot of shots, he was a defensive master in his early years
FloweySkillz 2 years ago 6
People saying this wasnt prime tyson...
It was
So what he didnt knock tillis out, he was still in his prime right here. Imo he was shot after prison, I mean he wasnt with the d'amato camp for sometime and wasnt as good after . but it was prison that really fucked his career
mellowman07 2 years ago 2
tillis won this round ....this kind of boxing from a strong man bothers mike!
feddei111 2 years ago
Tyson wasn't at his prime in this fight. He was only 19. He was getting better and better at this time. Do you think Tillis would have lasted long against Tyson in 88?
screamingdean5 2 years ago
the 1 big thing i came to conclusion was a big factor in allof his losses is the lack of Leg movement. he used to control the ring side step, slip, duck, he had it all. Then he became a standstill fighter waiting and charging up his power for big hooks, he lost his leg movement after Rooney.
FloweySkillz 2 years ago
tyson was in his prime in terms of head movement and bobbing and weaving but the rest of his technique didn't peak until 1988.Had tyson faced tillis,green,bonecrusher,tucker,holy,douglas or lewis in 1988,they all get KO'D.enfd of argument
fadethetrade 2 years ago 18
I completely agree. I think he would have done away with those opponents in his prime in 88 also.
but the thing is it just looks bad when everybody is like , oh yeh in 86 he wasnt nothin, in 87 he wasnt nothing.. in 88 he was the greatest that ever lived... oh yeh but in 89 he wasnt nothing and in 1990 he wasnt nothing...
There might be truth to it ...
Anyway I think even tho he wasnt physically mature here... he was still more dangerous in this vid then he was in the 90s
mellowman07 2 years ago
everybody didn't say that, only the assholes .Tyson was excellent in 86,then he faced 2 champs and one excahmp in 87 and it got a little tougher for him ,then he improved even more and destroyed the rest of the champs and exchamps thru 88.AFter june 88,he stopped traing with correct technical nohow and rooney wasn't on his back anymore so mike decided to be lazy and go for the ko's one punch at a time but rooney always told him it wont work and it didnt.strictly on form,he was the BEST.
fadethetrade 2 years ago
Yeh true man. Agreed 100%
mellowman07 2 years ago
@fadethetradthats true and its because after he fired kevin rooney to go with don king
joshuaFB 1 year ago
@joshuaFB Right but did you know that tyson was already in Don Kings/robin Givens clutches as early as the tubbs fight march 88? Tysons last great fight when he would beat douglas,holyfield and lewis ,was the night he beat Berbick,Biggs and Holmes. Those 3 fights was tyson at his best.Only Ali and young foreman would have the only chance against THAT tyson of those 3 fights. Its too bad he couldnt fight and train at that level and be as focused for long enough.
fadethetrade 1 year ago
@fadethetrade had he stayed with kevin rooney it would have been a different story
joshuaFB 1 year ago
@fadethetrade
Both Lewis and Holyfeild were always better.
403766 1 year ago
@fadethetrade Haha another excuse from a Tyson nut hugger.
truthfulmind 1 year ago
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@truthfulmind Tucker was in his prime and just finished koing a fit douglas but tyson walked thru his nasty shots and came back strong in the late rounds for an impressive decision against a guy running like ali would.Tyson made Mccall quit with body shots in a sparring session recorded by a japanese film crew in Jan 1988.Tyson was in his best in early 1988 and would give ali and lewis fits! Happy now??
fadethetrade 1 year ago
@truthfulmind Tucker was in his prime and just finished koing a fit douglas but tyson walked thru his nasty shots and came back strong in the late rounds for an impressive decision against a guy running like ali would.Tyson made Mccall quit with body shots in a sparring session recorded by a japanese film crew in Jan 1988.Tyson was in his best in early 1988 and would give ali and lewis fits! Happy now??
fadethetrade 1 year ago
@fadethetrade LOL knocking out douglas is something to boast about? douglas was a journeyman at best, he looked great against mike but thats it......and as for Mccall, come on now......he was hardly a great fighter. just accept that tysons level of oppoisition was substandard at best, he never built a legacy that could compare to lewis or holyfield, i hate every1 making excuses for mike, holyfield went through heart attacks, hephatitis, high blood pressure and heart failure and still beat greats
ricochetshotz 1 year ago
@fadethetrade look at sugar ray robinson and ali, when they were WAY WAY past their primes they still fought the best level of opposition and were never knocked out, only way to beat them was by a decision, why? cos they had HEART.....the only time tyson won a fight where he was really tested was against ruddock, every other time if it got too much for him he lost !!! and btw ruddock was nothing more than a contender at best also, morrison and lewis smashed him quicker than tyson ever did......
ricochetshotz 1 year ago
@ricochetshotz AGainst ruddock he took left hook uppercut smashes that would ko,lewis,holyfield and bowe but tyson walked thru them.He had the heart between 87-88.It was just that his mastger technique that he then was soo tough to go against,he didn't have any neeed to show his heart. But he had then also and Its interesting you have no comment on the video I saw with tyson making mccall quit and mccall lying that he never quit.
fadethetrade 1 year ago
@fadethetrade okay dude, your entitled to your opinion, its just it always seems that every1 makes excuses for mike's poor peformances so much "he was out of his prime" dude...he was still in his early 20's when he got outta prison..sugar ray robinson kept it going till he was 44 and was never ko'd and fought the BEST, didnt duck ANYONE, unlike mike...foreman won the title at 45 years old, holyfield came back from heart attacks and hephatitis and all sorts of mad shit. peace anyway
ricochetshotz 1 year ago
@ricochetshotz I believe he was as good in early 88 as ali,frazier,lewis,holyfield,bowe,holmes. but this peak lasted very short,once,as I saiud which is not opinion,its fact,that tyson abandoned or simply unconditioned himself to lose the fibre muscle twitching in his combinations and his head bobbing and upper body bobbing and weaving.Once that type of conditioning stopped,he became more stationary.Now the oponents like douglas,ruddock,even henry tillman (UGH!) got shots in.
fadethetrade 1 year ago
@fadethetrade by the way, i read an interview with mcall and he said that he sparred around 300 rounds with tyson throughout tysons career, and mike NEVER dropped him or made him quit, but mcall DROPPED mike......
ricochetshotz 1 year ago
@ricochetshotz mccall did quit once its on here tyson hits his hip bone and mccall walks out the ring put tyson sparring
lee1990lee 1 year ago
Tysons head movemtn is so fast he hardly gts hit
sheranf 2 years ago
"confused by the movement" Imagine what Ali would have done to him :)
henry9261 3 years ago 3
Come to think of it, Tyson only went full 12 rounds twice in his career: against Tucker in '87 and against Ruddock in '91. That also says a lot about those two guys.
Jorsalfar 3 years ago
smith and green he went the distance
gregm20072007 2 years ago
Never forget, he is here 20 years old, amazing!
krl133 3 years ago
19 u mean at this fight
ballerketballer 3 years ago 2
I think Tyson was Great but he had real trouble against Tillis,Tucker and Smith (Douglas) Holyfield.
Would he have beaten Ali...on this performance No. And how would HE fare against Frazier,Foreman,Norton and Shavers???
Tyson only beat the big guys who's careers were on the way down. The only Guy's he fought were his equals (generation) he lost...Holyfield and Lewis.
JONNYFONG 3 years ago
he wasnt very agressive here. prime tyson = vs pinklon / berbick / spinks / bruno
the guys (his equals) he lost to was when he was out of his prime.
shellbsd23 3 years ago
His shoes were too big and there was someone in the crowd giving him the stare!
JONNYFONG 3 years ago
It's funny how prime Tyson is only when he Wins!
JONNYFONG 3 years ago 3
stfu
shellbsd23 3 years ago
@JONNYFONG Well I don't think people are regarded at their best losing, unless you're Lennox Lewis and get knocked out with single punches.
capablemachine 1 year ago
@JONNYFONG A dumb comment and an idiot if you think tyson was the same in tokyo 1990 as he was in late 87 early 88.
fadethetrade 1 year ago
@JONNYFONG Tyson was rocked by bruno in 1989 ..He wasn't fighting at his best level anymore as early as tubbs fight in march 88.Rooney said his partying and his new marriage softened him up alot already after the holmes fight Jan 88 and his decline from the spiinks fight to an absolute disinterest and abandonment in the practicing of the skills of perpetual defensive motion,body combinations and 15 round conditioning taught to him .DUMMY!
fadethetrade 1 year ago
@JONNYFONG He wasn't in his prime after he came back from jail and he won plenty just on punching power and grit.
capablemachine 1 year ago
@JONNYFONG exactly particularly when his oppenents were beaten by the Tyson mystique befofe they got imto the ring. And his oppenents aka. Spinks was substandard
genericgeorge 1 year ago
@JONNYFONG prime Tyson is when he was training with Rooney...
fievel3782 1 year ago
if tillis wasnt knocked out in the 4th round, i believe the fight wouldve been 5-5, 5-5, 3-8. it wouldve been a majortiy decision for tyson but nonetheless a close decision.
RazorzTheName1991 3 years ago
It would've been a majority draw in that case.
TheGreatA 3 years ago
you're right.
RazorzTheName1991 3 years ago
(knocked down in the 4th)
JONNYFONG 3 years ago
tillis fights like ali...
RazorzTheName1991 4 years ago
I believe Ali was his role model...
xxliljpxx 4 years ago
Bite his ear!
RumaldoC 4 years ago
thanks for posting
osheen18 4 years ago