By Ismael AbduSalaam
Mike Tyson’s induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame last week was seen a mere formality for most hardcore boxing fans. Iron Mike revolutionized not just the pay-per-view viability of fighters and Vegas betting, but also brought crossover hysteria to boxing that hasn’t been seen since. Unfortunately, much of the hype and out of ring scandals has dampened appreciation of what made Mike Tyson a phenom in the first place, his boxing skill.
A few days ago ESPN’s 1st and 10 program featured a debate on whether Mike Tyson deserved to be in the Hall of Fame. Skip Bayless, known for his wild sports opinions, took the side that Tyson also deserved induction based on his legend and mystique, and not his career. On his “pure boxing record,” Bayless was bold enough to say Tyson had no place on in the Hall of Fame. as a counter-argument, Rob Parker was unable to articulate why Tyson’s record pre-Buster Douglas loss and prison sentence guaranteed him a future spot in Canastota.
[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–OWyEnH2HA[/pro-player]
To put Tyson’s impact in perspective, you must understand the boxing world, specifically the heavyweight picture, he came into. By the mid-80s, the heavyweight scene was a ragtag bunch of contenders, an aged/semi-retired former dominant champion in Larry Holmes, and a former light-heavy in Michael Spinks who laid claim to the linear championship. Don King not only controlled the division, but also the sanctioning bodies (WBA, WBC, and IBF); confusing fans and the diluting the validity of the championships. Titles changed hands, via actual fights or backstage politics, every few months.
Enter an 18 year old Mike Tyson in 1985, built like a tank and blessed with more explosive power in both hands than Frazier, Marciano, or Dempsey. with combination punching and hand-speed in the vein of Floyd Patterson. To the fans Mike Tyson was a force of nature and every fight brought the prospect of someone getting knocked out cold. What Tyson lacks in style and grace he made up with a thrilling maelstrom of violence.
Tyson won his first title just one year into his career. WBC titlist Trevor Berbick went to sleep in two, while WBA champ James “Bonecrusher” Smith held on for dear life to lose a 12 round decision. IBF champ Tony Tucker used the same strategy to see the final bell. To give historical context, the equivalent today would be a 20 year old American fighter KO’ing Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, and decisioning David Haye to unify the belts in less than a year.
The unification achievement is not something many modern pugilists can say they’ve done, including Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, who’ve never done it in any divisions they’ve competed in.
Mike Tyson became a superstar and a pop icon, something that eludes all but precious few athletes, much less boxers. Commercials and video games followed. The youth had a fighter they’ve identified with, and Tyson walked to the ring with PE’s “Welcome to the Terrordome as his theme music. His two years of title defenses were quick and efficient dispatches of former champions and contenders. Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks, both former world champs and Hall of Famers, lasted a combined five rounds. Of Iron Mike’s six title defenses, no one saw the final bell.
Larry Holmes, who Skip Bayless claimed was at the end of his career when Tyson beat him, would rebound from the fight and compete well into the 90s, handing a young, prime Ray Mercer his first defeat, and going 12 competitive rounds with a prime Evander Holyfield. He also got up from an Earnie Shavers right, the consensus hardest heavyweight puncher of all time. When Mike Tyson dropped Holmes at the end of round four, Larry Holmes stayed down.
While not at Joe Louis or Muhammad Ali level, Tyson’s short, dominant reign is comparable with former champions who are held in good standing. Jack Dempsey also made six defenses, but those defenses came over seven year span including 3 years (1923-1926) without a defense. In addition, he failed to face his number one contender, Harry Wills. Marciano also has six title defenses including his share of aging champs (Walcott, Charles) and former light-heavyweights (Moore). Other fighters in the intimidation tradition of Tyson like Sonny Liston and George Foreman had only very brief reigns of only 1-2 fights (both men ironically dethroned by Muhammad Ali).
Tyson remains a polarizing figure. He’s either a bully who failed against fighters who weren’t afraid of him, or a fighter who was unbeatable when under the tutelage of Cus D’Amato and Kevin Rooney. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. A prime Mike Tyson would be a handful for any former heavyweight champion in history. Many of them, particularly sub-200 pound guys like Rocky Marciano, Jack Dempsey, and Floyd Patterson, he would be a clear favorite over. But Iron Mike also fell short against when matched against the other great heavyweights of his generation (Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis), and peaked quickly (his best wins came in his early 20s despite a 20 year professional career).
Mike Tyson is not the greatest heavyweight of all time. That discussion, for the immediate future, will always be between Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis. But Iron Mike’s career is unquestionably Hall of Fame worthy, and one that continues to impact boxing. When fans call the Klitschko brothers, and Lennox Lewis before them, “boring” champs, it’s not because they aren’t skilled. It’s because they fall short of the standard Tyson set for the heavyweight division. It’s only right that the boxing writers, who at times marveled and reviled him, vote into the Hall of Fame a man they could never take their eyes off of.
Congratulations, Iron Mike.
[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FgS3kCv79I[/pro-player]
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Great article. You’ve perfectly articulated what it is that made Iron Mike special. I remember seeing footage of Mike working the speed bag to “Night of The Living Baseheads.”
@ Malice Intended
Much appreciated! Heavyweight boxing is in sore need of another Iron Mike to come through the scene.