Tyson Loses

[Begs]

IRON MIKE STUNNED BY WILLIAMS

Saturday 31st July 2004

Jamie Hunt reports

Few gave him a chance. Neither Mike Tyson's camp, nor the throng of attending boxing media.

Certainly none of the 15,000 crowd in Louisville, Kentucky, gathered to cheer on the baddest man on earth, predicted anything other than a Mike Tyson knockout win.

But Englishman Danny Williams, pooped their party, big time, as they are accustomed to say in the USA.

An inglorious career for Williams finally took off in resounding fashion in America's deep south, in the early hours of Saturday morning back in London, when 38-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, lay slumped against the ropes, unable to refind his feet.

He looked stunned at what had just happened. After five minutes composing himself, he was helped from the ring, and without comment, withdrew to his dressing room, perhaps for the last time.

Less than twenty minutes earlier though, Tyson must have thought that everything was going to plan, and that his prophecy, to get in the ring in another comeback fight, and 'inflict some serious damage', was about to come true.

Tyson squared up to Williams, and with the speed for which he was renowned in his glory years, tore into his heavier and younger opponent with a savage tirade of upper cuts, swinging right arms and jabs.

Only ninety seconds into the bout and Williams looked to be heading to a fourth defeat that may have consigned him to the scrap-heap of British heavyweight boxers.

But the courage that many in Tyson's camp felt Williams was missing, was their in abundance for the Londoner.

He hung on, and then, how he retaliated.

Weathering the final minute's storm of the first round, Williams returned to his corner for refreshment and emerged knowing that the hardest part of the job was done.

Tyson came with more, and continued to cause trouble, in particular with the upper cut, but Williams knew his chin could take it, and that at 38-years old, Iron Mike's punches would diminish in quantity and power.

Each time Tyson struck a blow, Williams replied in kind, and with nineteen stone behind each punch, they took their toll.

In the third round Tyson tried to bully Williams into the corners and continue to land his punches, but Williams' replies were now more effective.

Referee Dennis Alfred tried to intervene, first for what he called an elbow from Williams and then for a low blow, docking two points from the Briton, but Tyson fights don't go the distance, and points weren't a problem.

Midway through the third round Tyson had a cut around his right eye, but it was the lack of air in his near forty-year old lungs that was the real problem.

In the fourth round he finally ran out of puff.

Williams seized his moment like a gladiator, throwing twenty unanswered punches. Left upper cut, right hook, repeat. Tyson swung back bravely but only connected with fresh air.

The damage was done, the defence was down, and sooner or later the legs had to give. The former champ was on the ropes and then on the floor.

Alfred counted to six, but Tyson wasn't getting up. This was neither what the fans, nor the TV executives had paid to see.

He sent Williams to a neutral corner, pausing the count and giving Tyson an extra five seconds, but he'd have needed a five minutes to collect himself - Bambi on ice was a better bet by this stage.

Alfred could delay no longer, and he duly completed the count. The Williams camp erupted, but Tyson sat blanked-faced with his back against the ropes, a sad figure contemplating what could be the last of his last hurrahs.

And for Williams, the night was about to get even better.

Not content with flooring one of the all-time great boxers, he had to go and get the girl as well. Marriage proposal delivered and accepted in the ring, in front of the cameras.

Perhaps the TV execs could be happy after all. They had drama, a great champion, a plucky underdog, the girl and the happy ending.

[davethailand]

well done and what a great bonus of the wedding proposal, congratulations.

[chonabot]

Hope this is the last we see of Mike , he had it all and pissed it against the wall , but he'll probably go the route of K1.UFc to raise some more cash , I pity the fool.

In the same class as other brilliant losers ( Gazza/Goerge Best/Erco/Hamed)

[Bluecat]

Nature gave him the ability to fight

Better than others

Nature gave him the ability to think

Less than others

On balance, sounds fair to me.

[rod_kalashnikov]

 

[Family Values]

A triumph for "Family Values"

[Tornado]

Mike Tyson always was a tough man and a hard fighter, but he was never a great boxer. His defeat at the hands of Lennox Lewis in 2002 was predictable.

Danny Williams has had a bad run, but he's a much better boxer than Tyson ever was. Tyson had to go in hard and hammer Williams for a knockout or TKO in the first couple of rounds ... there was no way he could out-box Williams, and no way he could go the distance, and he knew it. He went up against Williams for the $8,000,000 loser's purse ... he never stood a chance of winning.

I agree that he was not a great boxer, but the man was unbeatable in his day. Whatever you think about Tyson's life, he will go down as one of the greats in the ring.

I have not seen anything on the fight on any news channel, does anybody know if it will be replayed ?

[The Gentleman Scamp]

Mike Tyson's camp,

I missed it.

Anyway, I'd get in the ring with Danny Williams and let him knock me out for whatever percentage of the 8,000,000 dollars losers purse my time standing up would allow.

Sorry - that was my first post in the sports forum...

Not very good was it.

[rod_kalashnikov]

 

[Bluecat]

Mike Tyson just isn't in the same league.

Whatever people think, to be a great boxer or a great athlete for that matter, you need brawn and brain,...

[BKKdreaming]

Tyson will be a circus act for years to come ,

He will pop up every few years for a few million $$$$

Some he will win , most not , but its not a bad payday

I wonder how much of the 8 million he really got , I know 6 million went to pay off old debts , but thats still 2 million

I bet he got less than 50% of that after managers, agents and other vultures !

[penzman]

I missed it... Did he have his daily portion of earlobes during the fight?

Tyson is and was never a great boxer. Just a showman.

[bkkbound04]

I agree that he was not a great boxer, but the man was unbeatable in his day. Whatever you think about Tyson's life, he will go down as one of the greats in the ring.

Mike Tyson will be remembered as a "big name" fighter, but not as a boxer. Many boxing pundits don't even rate him in the Top Ten ... and that's not because he's an ear-biter and a rapist.

Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Jack Johnson, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey, Joe Frazier, and probably David Tua and Danny Williams belong in the boxing "Hall of Fame". Mike Tyson just isn't in the same league.

lol

so mike tyson doesn't make it in the top 10....but danny williams does???

no offense but have u seen a lot of danny williams previous fights??

it was a fantastic performance/result from the underdog but to quote williams "tyson was probably at 40% of what he used to be" fact is williams wouldn't have stood a chance when tyson was in his prime

ali's the greatest but tyson isn't too far off in the bums on seats and excitement factor, he was unstopable until he was convicted and lost his titles..

he was a teenager when he was beating up and frightening the s*** of big name proven boxers, when he had his titles there was real competition out there, lewis was a good boxer but he never did anything or got noticed until hollyfield and tyson were over the hill and he wasn't too convincing against hollyfield

imo if tyson can keep the new attitude and can get his fitness up there's no reason why he couldn't get a 3rd world title(taking a world title in each generation-80s/90s/00s) and even if 45 knockouts doesn't warrant a top 10 place surely 3 world titles would

[rod_kalashnikov]

 

[bkkbound04]

i think i can kinda see where u're coming from

..but imo tyson was/is one of the best punchers boxing has ever seen..jab, straight, hook etc his record shows this with the amount of wins by knockout he's had and the boxers he's fought..imo that's a boxer and a good1

danny williams is an average boxer...he had the fight of his life against tyson and beat him, he didn't go out there and walk the fight...he was more or less out for the count in the 1st round

imo u can't say williams is "way ahead of tyson as boxer", his record/age and achievments tell u that he's nowhere near the boxer that tyson was and is capable of becoming

imo that is the equivalent of saying that the guys that beat ali in his last fights were "way ahead of ali as a boxer"

[Tornado]

Rod, I agree to disagree as we tend to do in sport ratings.

You have to remember, Tyson is 5ft 11 1/2 and he was always fighting huge lumps, like the guy he just fought, When you are that weight and height, you can not out box a person with 5 inches more reach and height, you have to be a brawler to get there in the first place. In his day he was beating anyone that stepped up and they were the best for that era. I rate him in my top three heavyweights of all time, with Ali and Frasier.

Your top ten is interesting, but I would not have chosen 4 out of the lot you picked.

IMHO, Lennox Lewis was one of the best pugilist's in the last ten years, that I would agree with.

[rod_kalashnikov]

 

[chonabot]

IMO the best boxers/fighters ever ( all weights ) in no particular order , and for various reasons ( ie toughness/skill/power)

Ali - what can I say?

Sugar Ray Robinson- Tough and clever

Ray Leonard - Silky smooth

Chavez - Over 100 wins , says it all

Hagler - Best Middleweight ever ( Robinson clese 2nd)

Duran- Vicious

Galaxy- Best jnr Bantamweight , 10 defenses , this is Thai visa !

Ricardo Lopez - Best little guy of all time

Tyson- awesome for 5 years

Archie Moore - Set standards

Emile Griffith - light years ahead

Anyone have any to add/subtract?

[Pink Mist]

I missed it... Did he have his daily portion of earlobes during the fight?

Tyson is and was never a great boxer. Just a showman.

gotta agree betty, he was never a great boxer, a hit man.

[john b good]

I agree that he was not a great boxer, but the man was unbeatable in his day. Whatever you think about Tyson's life, he will go down as one of the greats in the ring.

Mike Tyson will be remembered as a "big name" fighter, but not as a boxer. Many boxing pundits don't even rate him in the Top Ten ... and that's not because he's an ear-biter and a rapist.

Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Jack Johnson, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey, Joe Frazier, and probably David Tua and Danny Williams belong in the boxing "Hall of Fame". Mike Tyson just isn't in the same league.

IMO the best boxers/fighters ever ( all weights ) in no particular order , and for various reasons ( ie toughness/skill/power)

Ali - what can I say?

Sugar Ray Robinson- Tough and clever

Ray Leonard - Silky smooth

Chavez - Over 100 wins , says it all

Hagler - Best Middleweight ever ( Robinson clese 2nd)

Duran- Vicious

Galaxy- Best jnr Bantamweight , 10 defenses , this is Thai visa !

Ricardo Lopez - Best little guy of all time

Tyson- awesome for 5 years

Archie Moore - Set standards

Emile Griffith - light years ahead

Anyone have any to add/subtract?

Ya gotta have Joe Louis and 'the Rock' (Marciano) in there somewhere..........

I have never rated Tyson as a boxer, he is (read was) a dirty filthy fighter and a criminal to boot.

His greatest claim to fame (infamy) are his exploits outside the ring

[Family Values]

I think Larry Holmes deserves a mention as one of the best heavyweights.

He didn't lose his first 50 or so fights narrowly missing the record when he was robbed v Spinks. Then old father time caught up with him as so many.....

[Padkapow Guy]

I missed it... Did he have his daily portion of earlobes during the fight?

Tyson is and was never a great boxer. Just a showman.

gotta agree betty, he was never a great boxer, a hit man.

He was a street thug at best. Should have never been allowed back in the ring.

" you can take the boy out of the streets, but you can't take the streets out of the boy"

[rod_kalashnikov]

 

[Tornado]

I noticed no one mentioned Joe Bugner

All time best in any weight? pound for pound.

Ali

Frasier

Tyson

Fenech - never really got the praise he deserved, but then again Im a bit biased

Tzu - Our Russian Ring In

Chavez - Im with Chonabot on that.

Duran - the destroyer.

Lewis - great boxer as mentioned earlier

Lionel Rose was a good fighter, but my godfather actually beat him at his prime (true story) and he was not a pro, but probably could of been if he wanted it.

I even think Foreman deserves a mention.

[chonabot]

Nice choices chaps , yes Fenech was a great fighter , beat the crap out of Thailands Samart as well.

Azumah Nelson , of course the Lion of Accra was/is a legend.

Wonder what would have happened if Teofilo Stevenson had turned pro?

[rod_kalashnikov]

 

[john b good]

QUOTE (Tornado @ Sun 2004-08-01, 23:18:06)

I noticed no one mentioned Joe Bugner

That was very remiss of me, considering I watched Aussie Joe go the distance with Ali in KL in 1975. (Blame it on Alzheimer's.)

A classy boxer whose name definitely belongs in the Heavyweight Hall of Fame.

Wasn't Joe Bugner a South African. Maybe he moved to Australia

[Tornado]

I think he was Sth African, then English and then Australian, he was doing swimming pool commercials in Qyeensland a few years back.

[chonabot]

Joe was born in Hungary , never associated with South Africa ,

Well, let's get this over with once and for all. Who was the best white heavyweight since Ingo, or since 1960? Many names come to mind but few have reached the pinnacle of world champion status. You could make a case for South African Gerrie Coetzee who briefly held the W. B. A. crown. He was a game fighter and a hard puncher but his chin was not always reliable and his boxing skills were limited. No, for my money the best Caucasian boxer over the last 40+ years was none other than Joe Bugner.

Before you laugh look at the facts. Joe was born in 1950 and turned pro in 1967. He was still fighting well into the 90's. His record is a Who's who of the heavyweights of that era. He went the distance with Muhammad Ali twice. His second encounter was in a losing effort for the championship. In all he traveled 27 rounds with the Greatest. He also went 12 rugged rounds with Joe Frazier losing a close verdict. Bugner did win decision victories over title claimants Jimmy Ellis and Greg Page. Past his prime, he was halted by future titleholder Frank Bruno.

During his prime he defeated the best that England and the rest of Europe could offer. He met world title challengers like Henry Cooper, Brian London, Manuel Ramos, Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers, Chuck Wepner, Marvis Frazier, Steffen Tangstad, James Tillis, David Bey and Richard Dunn. He also met several other respectable big men such as Mac Foster, Jose Luis Garcia, Larry Middleton, Eduardo Corletti, Jurgen Blin, Jack Bodell and Jack O'Halloran.

Bugner, who was born in Hungary, boxed out of England and later fought out of Australia. He was tall and well proportioned. He was a smart boxer with a good left jab. He was very mobile for a man his size and he had a pretty fair right cross. He also had a solid chin.

Jerry Quarry was a terrific fighter but Bugner fared much better against Ali and Frazier than Jerry did. George Chuvalo also went 27 rounds with Ali. He also went the full route with Ellis, Floyd Paterson and Ernie Terrell. Still he was butchered by Frazier and George Foreman.

Forget Cooney, he never did learn how to fight. Morrison had a good punch and decent skills but no chin. Duane Bobick was a solid puncher but slow and not very durable. Wepner was awkward and as game as they come but he could be easily outboxed. Henry Cooper had a great left hook but he cut easy and his chin was shaky. Boone Kirkman could punch but he had no defense. Randy Neuman was a good boxer with no punch. Karl Mildenberger was troublesome from his southpaw stance but little else. Ron Stander like Wepner was game to core. If courage alone won titles they both would have been champs.

[Begs]

Well, let's get this over with once and for all. Who was the best white heavyweight since Ingo, or since 1960? Many names come to mind but few have reached the pinnacle of world champion status. You could make a case for South African Gerrie Coetzee who briefly held the W. B. A. crown. He was a game fighter and a hard puncher but his chin was not always reliable and his boxing skills were limited. No, for my money the best Caucasian boxer over the last 40+ years was none other than Joe Bugner.

Before you laugh look at the facts. Joe was born in 1950 and turned pro in 1967. He was still fighting well into the 90's. His record is a Who's who of the heavyweights of that era. He went the distance with Muhammad Ali twice. His second encounter was in a losing effort for the championship. In all he traveled 27 rounds with the Greatest. He also went 12 rugged rounds with Joe Frazier losing a close verdict. Bugner did win decision victories over title claimants Jimmy Ellis and Greg Page. Past his prime, he was halted by future titleholder Frank Bruno.