Knock Yourself Out or The Knee Buckler

I do not usually follow sports or boxing for that matter, but I came across this article about Mike Tyson and it led me to a video that I watched and have now decided to share.

There were a few thoughts that came to mind as I watched this.

First, boxing is a brutal sport.

2nd, I am not sure if Mike Tyson is human.

3rd, Anyone that had any knowledge of how meticulous Tyson was as an opponent for his ability to inflict pain from every direction and still got in the ring with him anyway essentially knocked themselves out.

4th, If you got hit by this guy you got your knees buckled, hence I have nicknamed Tyson, "The Knee Buckler".

Maybe there are some other members that pay more attention to the sport of boxing that can answer a question for me, can you name another more devastating puncher, especially in his prime, than Mike Tyson?

I saw his record was ridiculous and what I found even more amazing was the fact he had ever lost a fight much less 6. Those must have been fights he was not motivated for, because in this video, all I see is this machine of a pitbull/man that will not be denied his meal.

I do seem to recall an incident with Evander Holyfield where Tyson tried to bite his ear off, but the fighter I see in this video does not reflect that type of person.

He seems to be a gentleman that understands once the fight is over that he can be different towards the person whose head he just pummeled.

Wow, though, I have to admit to being a bit mesmerized by his way of just pure brute strength and tenacity when the bell rings.

My foray into boxing will most likely end here, but it was entertaining to watch.

He was a beast in his prime I guess.
But to be honest, his opponents where not all that impressive.

a reply to: soulpowertothendegree

I was a huge Tyson fan growing up. He was incredible & exciting to an extreme degree. But no make mistake, the man was crazy & in no way humble back then. There are plenty of stories about his outrageous antics at the time, particularly bullying, actual street fighting, and more. There are some famous video clips showing his... ummm... "intimidation" during interviews and conferences, too. An industry legend & famous coach, Teddy Atlas, even had to pull a gun on Tyson to warn him never to mess with his family again.

As for why Tyson lost so much (relatively speaking), that depends on what you're willing to believe. Some will say he was exposed against Buster Douglass because he'd always fought weak opponents before him. Others will say he was never the same after his prison sentence. And others will say Holyfield's notorious headbutts during the fights made Tyson snap. I'd say it was probably a combination of them.

Tyson is probably 10,000% more humble now than he was before. Back in his prime, I wouldn't have even wanted to be in the same room with him. He was emotional, erratic, violent, and knew he could dominate you in a brawl. But now, I'd love to interview him & shake his hand. He's like a completely different person now.

Oh & I think the older generations would say George Foreman in his prime was a heavier hitter (or was it Larry Holmes?). I lost interest in boxing a while ago so my memories are starting to fade on it.

a reply to: soulpowertothendegree

Watched boxing most of my life, and boxed for 2 years in my earlier days

I've seen all the big champs fights...

Tyson in his prime... Best boxer ever... unstoppable, and would have likely defeated anyone else in their prime... including Ali..

but he fell apart

a reply to: Bluntone22

He is not responsible for the opponents he faced being who they were, but maybe the reason they were not that good was because he was so much better.

a reply to: enlightenedservant

Antics aside, when I watched this video, he tried to help most of the fighters up off the mat after he destroyed them. I did not follow his entire personal or professional life as it happened, so I can not offer an opinion about that, but based on what I did watch here, if there was a better fighter in their prime, I never heard of them.

Mohamed Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and George Foreman are the only boxers I really ever followed over the years and none of them ever knocked people out like this guy has. Maybe that old timer, Jake Lamotta was the closest to having this type of power.

a reply to: Akragon

Became distracted or disinterested maybe after the trappings of his success and the toll his bad choices took on him. I do not really follow the guy much, but it does seem to be he has righted his ship at least.

a reply to: soulpowertothendegree

Unfortunately one can not compare boxers from the old days with this kind of fighter...

Rocky Marciano went undefeated in his carreer... but they were different people back then...

They fought in the ring as a job... to survive in a time when many people were starving on the streets

Thank God there weren't any fighters like Tyson back then... There would have been fatalities, and he would have likely been charged with murder!

Tyson was a trained machine... and would have been the champ for many many years IF his personal life didn't fall apart...

No one ever hit like Tyson did... no one had moves like Tyson did...

He hit his opponents with both hands, had no weaknesses...

Even if Tyson and any of the great heavy weights fought...im completely confident he would have destroyed them all in his prime

He has a documentary out actually.... its a great movie... I think its called "Tyson"

Watch it... it will give you the story about him... Its actually truly tragic

Please watch this...

You can't help but feel for the guy