How will Tyson hold up in K-1?

[Mr. Miyagi]

As I understand it, in K1, fighters are not allowed to strike from the clinch, as they are in Muy Thai. That would be the only thing that could put Tyson at a disadvantage.
In the early days of American kickboxing, journeyman boxers and boxers that didn't quite make it dominated the scene. The people backing the sport didn't like this and instituted rules requiring a minimum number of kicks to remove pure boxers from the equation.
I know some of you who crosstrain in kickboxing find it offensive that we are suggesting that someone like Tyson, who hasn't poured his dedication and blood into kickboxing, can easily clean up the kickboxing scene. His punching technique is just way beyond anyone in K1, and his power will just be too much. He could probably do it without it, but I'm sure he would also spend time training with a kickboxer and learning how to counter those low kicks with a crushing uppercut. He may not be in his prime but he is still extremely dangerous. I think other fighters will find him very intimidating, especially after they've been hit once.

Vince Carter has been hampered by injuries lately. He also never had the supporting cast that Kobe has had.

I used to like Riddick Bowe. I hope he didn't lose all his skills in the slammer. Maybe they can have him come to K1 too.

[Toudiyama[NL]]

there's no holding in K1 so clinching is a bit hard

I don't know if you have ever received a full power lowkick, but that isn't pleasant either, Any opponent of Tyson should start landing them from the start, this way you can reduce his mobility so he doesn't get a chance to land one of his devistating punches

[Jam6813]

Low kicks on Tyson, please!!!

If you new how many thousands of hours Tyson trains his lower body, you would soon realise that an accumilation of low kicks on Tysons legs with the hope of him collapsing in pain is 100-1, firstly, no fighter on the earth could stand up long enough with Iron Mike to successfully land several good, hard, slapping kicks with devastating effects, secondly, his legs are made of titanium in comparison to those bums you see in back alley dojos, his legs have probably had close to $20,000,000.00 worth of training on them over the years, thirdly, if you try and kick Tyson in that manner he would probably panic and release a flurry of combinations on your head which at most could kill you and finally, when are people going to realise that this kind of event for Tyson is going to be ridiculously easy. Tyson is not normal, nor is Lennox, holyfield or Bow, they are abnormal beasts of boxing, they specialise in knocking out other beasts, in the flesh they tower and seem larger than life, UFC fighters, K1 and pride fighters are tough guys with good martial arts training, they are no match for Tyson, please believe me before someone gets killed; even big daddy Goodridge and Coleman seem small to me in comparison to the width and compactness of Tyson. This is like Superman coming to earth, I'm sure Tyson will think he has special powers after K1.

[RobertG]

Originally posted by Mr. Miyagi
Vince Carter has been hampered by injuries lately. He also never had the supporting cast that Kobe has had.

While Vince was nursing his "injuries" Kobe was dropping 30 something against the Spurs with Bruce Bowen in his jockstrap and with a torn labrum in his shoulder and with a knee that was swollen up and in need being scoped (and which later got him into trouble in Colorado, but that's another story altogether...). But I suppose Vince is doing alright in the Olympic qualifying round so I'll lay off his soft ass.

I totally agree with you regarding Tyson though. Sure, he's crazy and all. But when he is motivated to train, he trains as hard as any human is capable of training. I posted his training regime from '99 on another thread here. Basically his days went from 4:30 am to something like 8 pm, training nearly all day, with some meal breaks, and maybe a nap. The fact is that very few humans are capable of that volume of work without overtraining (and hence, breaking down). If Tyson wants to kick, he's going to get with a coach and train kicks 8 hours a day. He's going to be in the weightroom working legs. And then he's going to come out with legs looking like his arms, and he's going to kick someone in the face and knock their head off their neck. This is not taking anything away from any of the other K1 competitors. I'm sure they all train very hard. Its just the freakish genetics of Tyson, coupled with his unbridled aggression, coupled with years of the best training available to mankind equals a monster. Sure, he's been beat--by equally freakish mutants (well except maybe Buster Douglas, who was just plain lucky).

So the only question is if Tyson head is in the fight or not. IMO its always been his mental state that looses his fights (and his head clearly has not been screwed on right recently), and to a lesser degree, his conditioning (that was evident against Douglas). If he comes in totally complacent, sure, he might get kicked in head and knocked out. But, he's fighting now because he's hungry--and almost literally. He's broke, blown his fortune, and is desparate to make some $$ again. Tyson is probably looking at each new opponent as a piece of meat to feed his kids with that he needs to tenderize properly. A Tyson fighting because he has to in order to survive (financially) is not anyone I'd want to be in the ring with.

[Toudiyama[NL]]

I see Some martial artist underestimate the power of a lowkick, for instance I heard the commentator say that it is useless to lowkick Remy because these dutch fighter have highly conditioned legs
sorry but why do you think they block it with the shins, there is no way you can condition the legs to withstand a constant flurry of lowkicks not even the Dutch

It's like hitting someone with the small side of a 2x4

Don't make the same mistake Us fighters made in the 80's they tried lowkicking but used the instep instead of the shin and probably thought the opponent would do the same

[MrPoopy]

Rome said Tyson would loose??

He didn't talk direclty about his fight with Sapp. He was talking just about Tyson being in K1.

But I believe he thinks Tyson being K1 is just for publicity, and his fights will just be shows rather than real fights.

I don't listen to Jim Rome very much, but I've heard him say some pretty stupid things.

[Tom Yum]

Re: Low kicks on Tyson, please!!!

Originally posted by Jam6813
If you new how many thousands of hours Tyson trains his lower body, you would soon realise that an accumilation of low kicks on Tysons legs with the hope of him collapsing in pain is 100-1,

Two words: Ernesto Hoost.

His leg kicks nearly one him the fight against 300+ lb Bob Sapp. Hoost rushed judgement, stopped leg kicking and tried to box with the 300 lb brawler.

Hoosts leg kicks stop fights. Check out his clips on Sherdog.com and tell me what you think about his leg (and head) kicking ability. Hoosts punches are razor sharp too and probably top in K-1, but I think Tyson has him on power.

Hoosts leg kicks stop 250 lb fighters with ease. If Tyson underestimates Hoosts kicking he's in for a suprise and it will make a great fight.

For the most part I agree with you. Tyson will mow through most in K-1 but will have some good fights where he'll show weaknesses to leg kicks and clinch work, but probably win by later round KO or TKO.

[Tom Yum]

Originally posted by RobertG

So the only question is if Tyson head is in the fight or not. IMO its always been his mental state that looses his fights (and his head clearly has not been screwed on right recently), and to a lesser degree, his conditioning (that was evident against Douglas). If he comes in totally complacent, sure, he might get kicked in head and knocked out. But, he's fighting now because he's hungry--and almost literally. He's broke, blown his fortune, and is desparate to make some $$ again. Tyson is probably looking at each new opponent as a piece of meat to feed his kids with that he needs to tenderize properly. A Tyson fighting because he has to in order to survive (financially) is not anyone I'd want to be in the ring with.

I'm hoping that Tyson will have the same fire in his eyes like he had in his late teens/early 20s. This could be a chance for Tyson to do the following:

1. Bring Kickboxing/MMA pay rate closer to boxing.
2. Make kickboxing more public by bringing in boxing fans to the sport.
3. Make kickboxers become better boxers.

I wanna see Chuck Liddell vs Tyson in a K-1 bout!

[Nutz]

Originally posted by Jam6813
Tyson is a devastating puncher, not as quick as he used to be but still just as powerfull

Force=Mass x Velocity. If the velocity of his punches has decreased, and his overall mass has stayed the same, how do you propose the force of his shots will be the same?

Nobody knows for sure what will happen until the two of them face-off in the ring. However, Tyson is known as a world-class puncher, and unless he faces someone equally as "world-class", he'll more than likely win. When you add the kicks into the mix, things become harder to predict, but unless the kicks have the same world-class skill and power behind them as Tyson is with his punches, I believe whoever faces Tyson will be in for a rough night.

[Mr. Miyagi]

Even the best kicker in the world will be afraid of the brain-damaging counter blow Tyson will give as an answer to a low kick. Trading a low kick for a Tyson punch is not a fair trade. He doesn't need to kick, he just needs to punch back when kicked. Lidell, Sapp, Hoost, all these guys would get KO'd by Tyson easily in a stand-up fight.

Yeah, Tyson would need to be at the top of his game, physically and mentally, to take on Lewis again. But to say he's too out-of-shape to compete against these K1 fighters just shows ignorance. The level of conditioning these top world class monster boxers have is way beyond the kickboxing world. I think most world class boxers would easily have their way with K1 fighters, for example Chris Byrd (who doesn't have the power Tyson has) would KO all those guys too.

I think it will make K1, and kickboxing in general, look very bad to have Tyson be an opponent.

[MrPoopy]

So who's going to pay to see Tyson fight in K1? I won't pay the full price to see it, but might go to a local club where they are always showing pay per view fights.

[psyfered]

I posted before mentioning mythoughts on this.. and quite franklyi think tyson wont be beaten..

And who ever called buster douglas lucky? Is wrong.. he dominated mike tyson.. Tyson only had one upper cut that nearly ceiled the victory.. tyson's downfall was he was a head hunter.. he hadnt a variety of area's which he would attack like he used to, and even in his latest fight with Ettienne he stilljust aimed for the head...

Now that I think.. this could be costl yfor a older, more vulnerable mike tyson.. unless he gets back to his versatile scentific fights.... he'll miss a terrible number of his punches and eventually wear out due to low kicks


But at the same token..both tysons calfs (though they do look small) and thighs (which are huge) have most likely under gone incredible training, due to the fact.. it was his legs that tired out trying to suppert Lewis's weight.. that head him buckle once from a push.. then get knocked out from a Hook when against Lewis

Now i think that fight was what.. 2...1 year ago?.. Yeh tyson isnt in the boxing ring at this point anymore but there had to be beleif and discussion from his manager and trainers saying ( We need to prepare you for lewis again).. So 9 times out of the 10.. because of that loss.. and one of the reasons for that loss? He's worked those legs to the fullest extent. and gotten incredible strength in them.. which makes them less as vulnerable as they would have been


Not saying they wont effect tyson.. Tyson is used to getting hit in the ribs, abdomen, chest.. head... or maybe an occasional low blow in a fight to the testicular... How would he react to a sharp kick to his KNee... Calf, or Thigh? it's something he's not accostumed to.. and if it's in a fight with a good low kicker that he happends to "JUST START" receiving those low kicks.. he wont have the time to get used to it.. and will fail to win, especially with those same ugly head hunting hooks that he keeps through now-a-days..

Tyson has experience yes.. but his dexterities allready at a point of deminishing.. and because of that he might never get accostumed to his old boxing style again.. and remain that same head hunter that he was in his last fight.. which the knock out looked terribly rigged.. and the fight before that.. where the opponent was just too damn tall for those head shots in the first place. (Hence.. Sapp is 6'6" i beleive)

Now if tyson doesnt use common sense to go low against a tall opponent like lewis.. and keeps diving for the head.. who's to say he will have it against sapp? Though.. i do think sapp will be a very easy opponent

Tyson is going to have a very hard time in K 1 i beleive.. but then again K1 guys are fighting other K1 guys.. who have the same verteran experience as the opponent ahead of them, novice, amateur, or no experience as the opponent ahead of them..in other words?


They could look like the greatest fighters on earth in the ring with each other but that doesnt make them any good.. just makes the fight look good, not putting any credit to they're ability..

They could be two children fighting. puting on a good show.. and thats because of they're experience level... they both seem to know the same things, and know what to expect

So when the level of intensity and experience of a Iron Mike steps into the ring.. with a all new approach, stance, strength, technique, and ability to read your punches comes in.... its all over for k1


P.s : Tyson likes to dip punches.. can dip punches.. and all his boxing life has ONLY dipped punches.. he's used to the opposing punch.. because thats all boxers do.. so how does he read a incredibly fast, low kick?... He doesnt.. and thats his downfall


Ultimately.. I am just being humble from my last post where i thought tyson would be unbeatable like most of you are saying.. Not realising i was thinking of a formar mike tyson. not the one who has been downhill, or just not very technical versatile with variety lately... Which doesnt give me second thoughts, or doubts.. Just anothe look at thinks

but i still beleive.. tysonw itht he right trainers this time.. and learning how to toss a kick which most likely wont be needed, but can come in use from time to time.. Will be a monster

I see tossing knocking out many.. many people.. but finding himself in a hard time aswell

Tyson better off : in UFC.. caged in with a temper like mike tyson and the quadentially backrounded statistics of the guy ahead of you is scary.. He'd bring fear in alot of those sloppy UFC fighters eyes..


COmpetition lies : In boxing.. many prospects, younger.. upcoming stars who will give tyson a run.. and a upsetting defeat

Just perfect in : K1.. its new to him.. lets him take thos honed skill and excell them with a variety of new approaches that are allowed 'now'.. and win a number of fights while getting competiion and a work out at the same time. no longer worrying about his bankruptcy

[shasan]

Tyson needs one shot at Sapp's head. Done deal.

The question is will Sapp be successful in keeping tyson from turning this into a boxing match. If not, then all my money's on Tyson. Very quick fight.

Also, I wouldn't doubt that K-1 itself if probably a HUGE drive behind this fight happening... K-1 has a lot more to gain than tyson. They're doing all the selling, and so far so good... good for them I say. They said on Friday night fights that it's not going to be that much money, (whatever that means), for tyson.

I can't wait... hopefully the deal goes through.

shasan.

[Jam6813]

Tyson in UFC, now this would be truly amazing!!!

Do you know what, I think Tyson in UFC is looking like a possibility these days. This would be a treat for us all I am sure however, I dont reckon Tyson has the bottle to go into UFC. I saw a documentary once on UFC fighters and there was a shot where Tyson was sitting in Tito Ortiz's dressing room admiring the talented fighter warm up for his next bout. Tyson was reserved and respectful and new these guys were lethal fighters; you could just tell. Once he was offered a chance to compete in UFC 9 and was reported to have said "I'm not going into a cage with those animals", this remark makes sense, not that he is not capable of dominating UFC for a few years, but, he has a natural uncontrollable fear when entering a fight and he more or less turns his nervous energy into serious agression and determination. The risks involved when entering a no holds barred cage fight could prove too much for our fragile Insecure Tyson. I know it sounds bad but Tyson will hide if he feels too threatened. Look at the lennox fight, he ducked Lennox for years due to his fear. The way he see's K1 is not as bad, no head butting, elbows, submissions etc, this makes the bout more or less an aggresive boxing match with kicks, Tyson feels at home here, what should he fear, a few kicks... I know some of you will disagree and praise him for his nerves of steel, but, Tyson is getting old, and really does not want to suffer too much defeat before he retires. Just think of it though, Tito Ortiz vs Tyson, Randy Couture vs Tyson or even Frank Shamrock vs Tyson, these would be truly great fights, and i reckon Tyson would come out ontop for them all. Think of those knock out punches from the guard, Tyson could knockout any dude out from the ground, I can just imagine Randy Couture getting Tyson into a full mount and then get knocked out from a jab underneath, that would be great, this is what I am talking about, a punching, cardio machine in UFC, truly amazing. What I really want to see is Coleman vs Tyson, oh yeah baby. Saying this, someone like Lennox Lewis would not last five minutes, too slow, no chin and not compact enough, there is only one Tyson.

[smith&wesson]

One thing wasn't mentioned before: What should be the fighting plan of Tyson's opponent (Sapp or another one)? I have no idea.
They cannot begin with boxing, the end would come immediatly. Trying to place a kick? Difficult. You have to be fast and if it doesn't hurt Tyson much the end will also come immediatly. Best would be to run away