The Atlantic - Latest Comments in The trouble with Trevor Berbick

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

.Fred. — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:22:11 -0000

While I prefer my men milky white - creamy even - Tyson in his prime has a primal - even primate-like - bestiality which I must admit I found irresistible.

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

Blue Moon — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:16:54 -0000

My "holy crap" moment when I realized Tyson was a bad man was the Biggs fight. I believe Mr. Biggs had won olympic gold in 84 and was undefeated. I told everyone who would listen that Biggs would beat Tyson (I was a teenager okay?). Oops.

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

DaveinHackensack — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:00:34 -0000

The one fight I would have loved to see would have been David Tua versus Mike Tyson.

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

El Caballo de Sangre — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 06:24:58 -0000

When Mike came along, it was a time in my life where Friday mornings were my favorite: I got to read that week's SI with breakfast. I remember clearly the "Kid Dynamite" cover. I still tell people about this Berbick fight who only know about Mike as a pop culture punchline.

This isn't all, either: He hit Michael Spinks - IN THE CHEST - so hard Spinks had to take a knee for eight. Of course Larry Holmes (who I LOVED and exulted in when he beat Cooney) was way, way past his prime when he fought Tyson, but still - Mike hit him so hard Larry's ass landed where his feet had been.

Whatever else you want to say about him - and I'm one of those who believe Cus' death was his downfall - he was an electrifying heavyweight, and at least during that stage of his career, alone reached the standard that prime time Ali set and that nobody else in the division has since. Jebus, even his MISSES made you wince.

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

hubcap — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:52:49 -0000

For sheer "holy crap!"-ness I like the famed Tyson-Spinks fight. If you haven't seen it, watch it. It won't take long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2cOtzA64ns&NR=1

I remember seeing it live on cable (I'm old). During the prefight instructions Spinks looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in a ring with Mike Tyson.

The next week Dave Letterman (then on NBC at 12:30) had the "Top Ten Michael Spinks Excuses." One of them was "Got overconfident when first 70 seconds passed without incident."

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

Matt J — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:43:26 -0000

Tyson had an unfair reputation of being just a puncher/brawler. He was a puncher/brawler, but a technically perfect one. His upper cut was a thing of savage beauty. Freeze frame one and you will see a perfect line from foot to knee to elbow to fist. Not a millimeter of wasted motion. There have been a lot of ferocious fighters. Tyson was that scary combo of ferocious and fundamentally perfect.

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

David Schraub — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:48:41 -0000

Margarito/Cotto was amazing, I give you (it was only the second time I -- poor college student that I am -- bought a PPV card). And arguably, it's a case of what do you like better. Vasquez/Marquez was fireworks, Cotto/Margarito was trench warfare. Vasquez/Marquez you knew both guys can hurt each other and sat back in awe as they spent 12 rounds teeing off anyway, Cotto/Margarito its more marveling at how the Tijuana Tornado is impervious to any sort of damage whatsoever.

In any event, both fights were definitely classics.

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

John Henry — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:24:30 -0000

Isn't this Tyson just as he begins his championship run?

My bad. I was thinking of Buster Douglas.

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

Nat — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:53:21 -0000

Classic. Poor Berbick. Those haymakers... The fight with him and Spinks a couple years later is equally surreal (actually, you're right, with Tyson & anybody during this era). Nobody dominates like this at heavyweight anymore.

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

keith — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:33:26 -0000

Vasquez/Marquez III was a great fight. But I don't think I've seen a fight in a longtime where a guy like Margarito was so relentless and just preceded to break a world class guy like Cotto down over the course of 11 rds. Cotto, who is no slouch, was winning the fight and dropping bombs and Margarito just kept coming and coming. It was amazing.

The fight of the decade was Corrales(RIP) - Castillo. Ta-Nehisi, if you missed this fight please do yourself a service and watch in amazement.

If you can't find it, here is one of the top 5 rounds in THE HISTORY of boxing for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imZaiGJgbsw

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

David Schraub — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:52:22 -0000

Cotto/Margarito was fantastic, but the fight of the year remains Vasquez/Marquez III.

There are some stellar lightweight fights coming up this month (speaking of that weight class, Casamayor/Katsidis was fantastic as well).

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

Ta-Nehisi Coates — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:45:28 -0000

John Henry,

Isn't this Tyson just as he begins his championship run?

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

John Henry — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:43:35 -0000

Its too bad that this was Tyson way after his peak. Tyson probably spent the night before this fight drinking sake, smoking blunts, and banging japanese groupies. In his heyday I think he would have taken Berbick out. After D'Amato died, Tyson had no one in his corner in the ring or in life.

These days the heavyweights are boring. Middleweight and welterweight is where all the action is. The Magarito-Cotto fight was good.

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

keith — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:36:35 -0000

Man he was a beast, can't think of anyone other than Foreman or Frazier that hit harder. Mayorga is actually fighting on HBO in a couple of weeks against Mosely. They have both had it though. While the Heavyweight class is crap, just about every other weight class is as good as it has ever been. Pacquio-De La Hoya should be decent, but the fight of the year so far was Cotto-Margarito. Cotto was probably pound for pound the best fighter talent wise there was, Margarito was just a tough as nails machine that doesn't quit and can hit like a mule. You should try and check it out Ta-Nehisi.

The build up clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avorgxi9lfI

Heres a highlight clip that does not do the fight justice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJbQXBKggnU

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

howard — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:16:19 -0000

a few years back, i saw some footage of rocky marciano on espn classic. my first reaction? mike tyson, 30 years earlier!

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

Dr. Victor Davis Handjob — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:14:18 -0000

Does Tyson kiss a man on the lips at 5:01? Wow.

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

DaveinHackensack — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:06:19 -0000

Think it was a liver shot, but yeah, it was rough. There was one of those in Ward-Gatti I too. I think Mayorga has a fight coming up with Mosley this fall.

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

Ta-Nehisi Coates — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:53:09 -0000

That kidney shot was crazy. One of my favorites is De La Hoya v. Moseley--the first one. Is Mayorga still around? De La Hoya put it on him...

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

DaveinHackensack — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:50:54 -0000

Hopkins was funny in those after-fight interviews with HBO's Larry Merchant, but I think the last fight he fought that I found interesting was when he KO'd De La Hoya with that vicious body shot. The title fights he had with -- what was his name, Jermaine Taylor? -- I don't know. I think I saw one of them, where Hopkins fought tactically and lost a decision, and then complained about the judging.

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

Ta-Nehisi Coates — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:46:12 -0000

He did look game. Wasn't so much referring to Trevor. And, regrettably, I haven't really followed boxing like I used to. I lost interest after Bernard Hopkins checked out. I really should go back though.

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

DaveinHackensack — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:40:48 -0000

I don't know, Berbick looked game in that clip -- he attacked Tyson and got up off the mat when he could have just let himself get counted out. I don't remember any of Berbick's other fights, so his stiffness might have just been a result of him having an awkward style. One observation though: before the fight starts, Tyson is obviously warmed up, and Berbick looks like he barely broke a sweat in dressing room beforehand.

Have you had a chance to check out the first Jose Luis Castillo v. Deigo Corrales fight, or Ward-Gatti I? If not, treat yourself, and then post your thoughts.

Re: The trouble with Trevor Berbick

Shine — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:37:41 -0000

He (Tyson) was never the same after Cus D'Amato died.