Remembering Iron Mike:

By Mike Natalino

Remembering Iron MikeBy Mike NatalinoI remember it like it was yesterday…June 13th, 1988. On this night, Mike Tyson would fulfill his lifelong destiny by conquering the last quest for dominance of his era, demolishing Michael Spinks in just ninety-three seconds. On this night, Tyson seemed invincible. Who would think that nearly two years later this same indestructible force would fall victim to the greatest upset in sports history, losing his undisputed crown to journeyman James Buster Douglas? We all have tried to rationalize that fateful night in Tokyo that changed the face of the Heavyweight Division.  I, one of Mike Tyson’s most faithful admirers, have analyzed every aspect of why this tragic event happened.  Astonishingly, it took me over twenty years to sum up a realistic philosophy. I have said for many years that Mike Tyson peaked on the night he annihilated Michael Spinks. People have always responded,”How can you make such a ludicrous statement? He was only in his early twenties.” My response is that this physical phenomenon,  at the tender age of twelve, already  weighed 190 pounds with the physical strength of a man, demonstrating that he was far ahead of the normal growth cycle, already comparing to the average man. To confirm my statement, just ask Bobby Stewart, the man who introduced Tyson to boxing.  After teaching Tyson a few fundamentals, Stewart decided to present his discovery to legendary trainer Cus D’Amato. The two took a road trip to D’Amato’s gym in the Catskills Mountains with the ambition to showcase young Tyson’s talent, but when they got there, they found no one equivalent to Tyson’s size and maturity that he could spar with. This led Stewart to be the sacrificial lamb. Tyson, eager to impress his audience, came out swinging like a wild man, forcing Bobby to open up on Tyson numerous times in the session just to keep him at bay.  Just a few weeks earlier, Tyson, unaware of his own strength, had broken Stewart’s nose with a jab. From his very first day in the gym, Cus D’Amato’s camp knew Tyson would be Heavyweight Champ.  D’Amato’s mental guidance was the potion needed for the man-child to wreak havoc in the world of boxing.  With all of these physical and mental attributes developing so early on, it was no secret that Tyson’s prime would come much earlier than the normal athlete. What people don’t seem to absorb is when your prime is reached, you must nurture it.  When your body peaks, you are unable to get away with the same habits you did before. You must alternate your life style, if this is the case. To maintain your prime and look as sharp as you did coming up, you must train vigorously and maintain a healthy lifestyle and diet.  Now, as I reflect back on the Tyson story, signs of his deterioration were evident following his title defense against Frank Bruno. To the regular Joe, Tyson looked like the same menacing KO artist, but the educated eye could see the mistakes. There is no way on this God given earth that Tyson was ready for this match. With talk of a new threat to his aura of dominance, in his next defense, Tyson would walk through Carl “The Truth” Williams in one round. This stellar performance would come on the wake of Evander Holyfield’s surge on the heavyweight division, with an impressive KO over Adilson Rodrigues. Tyson would leave an imprint that night and show he was back in tune and here to maintain his position as the King of the Heavyweight Division.  Unfortunately, this performance only made Tyson more overconfident, and his next event would turn out to be his demise to journeyman James Buster Douglas.

Over the years, there has been an abundance of articles analyzing this catastrophe… from the outside distractions of Tyson’s divorce from Robin Givens, to the death of his trainer, Cus D’Amato. Some even went as far to say it was lack of heart and inability to come back in the wake of adversity. All valid philosophies, but my rebuttal ...Tyson demolished every opposition in his way when they stepped on his true terrain, the Heavyweight Championship, and if I may say so, did this in exquisite fashion, while dealing with all of these outside distractions. As far as the heart and courage, people seem to forget Mike Tyson knocked Buster Douglas down after receiving a beating for several rounds. Till this day, people still question the count when Douglas got floored. In the following rounds, Tyson would be hit with barrages of punches that would stop a Mack Truck, until finally hitting the canvas himself, though still attempting to get up before the ten count .The bottom line…Mike Tyson defeated Mike Tyson. After losing the Heavyweight Championship, it is fair to say we lost Mike Tyson. That’s when I believe that the outside effects started to take their toll on him. He lost what he worked his whole life for.  At this juncture, Cus D’Amato’s guidance was necessary, not only for boxing, but for life.  There was success after that fateful night in Tokyo, along with outbreaks with bizarre outcomes. Unquestionably we should judge Tyson’s place in history before the Douglas fight.  One of the most frequently asked questions I encounter is, “If Cus D’Amato hadn’t died so early on in Tyson’s career, do you think Tyson would have been one of the greatest?”  My answer…let’s not talk about the “what ifs”… the fact of the matter is this man ruled boxing for nearly a decade, and demolished every opposition and legend his era set in his path.  Years later, a Tyson with diminishing skills would go on to win a portion of the heavyweight championship. To respond that he belongs with the all time greats is an understatement. People have the tendency of allowing their personal feelings towards someone to cloud their judgment.  When making a decision of where to place someone in history, based on their skills, I am not here to give Mike Tyson an award of merit, but to give him the well-deserved recognition for ranking with the greats.