Source: boxingscene
By Phenyo Molefe

I sit quietly upon my stool not knowing where to look, nor what thoughts to ponder. I systematically travel the vast array of thoughts and perceptions of ambition, which have formed over time. Perceptions which once fuelled an intensity of a hope, easily surpassing all sense. The pedigree of hope that firmly endows its beholder with untarnished moments of brilliance. “ When your hero falls from grace, all fairy tales are uncovered, myths exposed and pain magnified. The greatest pain discovered, is the pain he shares.”

I am a marked child of the eighties; it is I who fell in love with the galvanising enigma of Michael Tyson. I was the child who sought a figure of strength and hope when the presence of a father was no more than a cloak of inexistence. Michael’s story was a story we the children of Temba Township, South Africa cast upon our pedestal; it became our story of triumph as we fought our own battles with a disproportionate injustice. For those of us who had been forced to acquaint ourselves with childhoods riddled with poverty, he was one of our own, our symbol of hope. The hope that would sever the harrowing tentacles of abuse, poverty and overwhelming fear. Michael was our vehicle of faith, he possessed the fight and the will to survive forming a catalyst, which charged the dreams that propaganda, had failed to reach. He was our pinnacle of excellence.

Michael the fighter was born of the masterful brilliance of boxing genius Cus D’Amato. The gentleman dedicated his life to the troubled young man within Michael, giving him a sense of purpose. The growing historian fought like a seasoned gladiator, finding the perfect synergy for his brute strength, speed, skill and undeniable rage. He stalked his opponents (many terrorised by a phantom of thee unknown.) launching some of the most devastating combinations ever witnessed in the history of our sport. The unmistakable passion for victory spurred within him a newfound greatness.

It is said that God moves in mysterious ways; however I warn ye all, the devil is no exception, he too has his ways. The devil from Cleveland was clothed with little disguise but a painfully matching Afro, it was that very evil that so stridently rode upon the name of Ali in the most extravagant fashion. We all know that after the Spinks fight, Michael’s union with the devil was solidified. A relation, which began to breed mutated anger within the heart of young Michael, charged by asymmetrical propaganda. I cannot stand and claim that Michael is without fault or that he is not responsible for some ill-conceived decisions he made. It was he that made the conscious decision to follow King’s scripted words as he left the Catskills connection and the brilliant Kevin Rooney.

By Mark Workman:

When Mike Tyson stepped confidently into the ring at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on February 11, 1990 the Japanese public witnessed the most awesome destroyer boxing had seen in years, decades. Sure, Muhammad Ali was a better boxer and more loved by the world, but Ali never brought into the ring that monstrous fear-factor that shrouded Iron Mike, that dangerous destructive force that exploded when he entered the ring. Mike Tyson was indestructible in the eyes and minds and hearts of the Japanese people. To them he was as fierce and gigantic as their native son Godzilla himself.

When Muhammad Ali fought his last fight in December 1981, I was 18 months old - too young to watch and too young to remember.

By the time the 1980s rolled around, Ali was several years past his prime.

By the time I turned six, however, there was a boxing superstar on the rise, and I certainly remember him. I remember watching the fight with my Dad - Mike Tyson and Trevor Berbick for the WBC Title, Nov. 26, 1986.

After about six minutes, Tyson knocked out the man who had ended Ali's career less than five years earlier.

At the tender age of 19, Tyson was crowned heavyweight champion. By 22 he held all three heavyweight belts.

Going on to make six successful defenses of his unified titles, Tyson defeated everyone in his path, including former champ Larry Holmes and undefeated former champ Michael Spinks. For his 91-second destruction of Spinks, Tyson earned over $20 million, which at the time was the largest sum ever paid to an athlete.

Mike Tyson ended the 1980s as King of the World. But the turn of the decade marked the beginning of the end.

A pro for five years, Tyson entered 1990 with a record of 37-0 with 33 knockouts, rolling over most of his opponents with relative ease.

Source: boxinginsider
By Scoop Malinowski

He came from nothing and now he leaves the sport he ruled with nothing. But in between Mike Tyson ruled the boxing kingdom like no man ever has or ever will.

King Tyson captivated the world with his power and precision, his unstoppable determination and fury. And let's not leave out intelligence and psychological strengths. You don't become the best in the world at something by just muscle and power, it takes a psychological superiority. He made the rest look like incompetents. That's how great he really was.

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