Tyson v. Maskaev: Don't act so surprised!

By Ron Widelec

23.04 - Well, it's that time again. Its time to see who is going to win the Tyson sweepstakes. Which B-level, or C-level, fighter will Tyson decide to fight in order to "prepare" himself to fight Lennox Lewis. Which fighter will he clobber in order to get every ignorant, old-school Tyson fan(atic) salivating, and claiming that he will crush Lewis and any other heavyweight in world?

There are several things that Tyson's team should be looking for in an opponent if they really want to give him the best possible chance to beat Lewis. Unfortunately for Tyson, his team will be looking for totally different things. They will be looking for a fighter that will stand in front of Tyson and provide very little movement. This is the opponent that Tyson can blow out to make him look good, as his team knows that certain fans will immediately begin to relive the early Tyson KO movie reel in their minds. The only other thing this fighter needs is a name. It needs to be someone that people have heard of, and that Tyson's team can convince people is a legitimate threat.

Last time out, Tyson's team, using these criteria, found Clifford Etienne. Etienne has decent hand speed, ok power, poor movement, and a very suspect chin. He also has a name. Not too long ago Etienne was becoming a bit of a star because of his exciting fights and undefeated record. Then he was totally exposed when Fres Oquendo found his glass chin, and sent him to the canvas seven times. Since then Etienne has been banished to the B-level rankings, trying to rebuild his career. Tyson beat this slouch in less than one round. Since that debacle, many fans, and experts have been very vocal about Tyson's lack of competition (as if this is a recent thing!).

So today, Tyson's team has been looking at two fighters; Oleg Maskaev and Ray Mercer. Mercer is old, slow, and out of shape. He would undoubtedly lose to Tyson at this point. He would be little more than a punching bag. However, his solid chin would make Tyson have to go rounds, which is something Tyson hates to do, and may not even be able to do. It might also bring into question Tyson's only positive aspect in the ring; his power. That is why Tyson's team is leaning towards Oleg Maskaev.

Maskaev was once a real prospect in the heavyweight division. He has wins over former champion Hasim Rahman, as well as many decent B-level fighters. He is fairly big, at 6'3 and is not too old. So, he has the name. He has also lost five times, all by knockout. He has been KOed by Oliver McCall, David Tua, Kirk Johnson, Lance Whitaker, and Corey Sanders; not a bad bunch of fighters. But, there is obviously a question about Maskaev's chin. Maskaev has good skills, likes to use his jab and throws the right hand with authority. But he is also neither a fast, nor mobile fighter, and will likely be an easy target for Tyson. So the only question that remains is how long will it take.

Making Maskaev Tyson's next opponent is no shock to me. The only thing that shocks me is that so many people were shocked. I still cannot believe that amount of people that do not see what Tyson does. So many people still cannot let go of the old image of Tyson; the fearless destroyer. That Tyson is long since gone. Tyson has become a spectacle that will destroy overmatched opponents until placed in with a quality fighter, and then he gets knocked out. Lets take a look at the data.

Up until 1991, with the two Ruddick fights, Tyson was fighting a high level of competition. Since 1995, when Tyson got back from prison, he has had two very separate careers; his career before Holyfield, and his career after Holyfield.

In 1995 Tyson came back from prison and restarted his career. First he fought Peter McNeeley, who is the definition of scrub. But hey, that was his first fight back, so it's ok. Then he fought Buster Mathis Jr., who was a decent enough fighter at the time. He then destroyed Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon. Bruno and Seldon have been looked down on a great deal since this time, but Bruno is actually a very good fighter. Seldon was garbage, but he had a title, so it was well worth it. All in all, this is a very good level of opposition, especially considering that Tyson had been out of the game for a while.

Then he moved up in class to fight Evander Holyfield. Holyfield schooled and brutally beat Mike Tyson. In the rematch Tyson become so frustrated that he bit Holyfield ear twice and lost by DQ. He was basically banned from the sport for two years after that. After that everything changed.

Tyson's first fight since being banned was against Francois Botha. Botha is a good fighter, but at his best he is a high level B type of guy. Botha boxed Tyson's ears off for five rounds until Tyson landed a huge punch and ended the fight. After this moment Tyson's team realized that had to be very careful about whom they let him fight.

Following the Botha fight we got a solid line of crap. Orlin Norris, Julius Francis, Lou Savarese, Andrew Golota, and Brian Neilson; all of which meet the previously stated criteria to be a Tyson opponent. Then Tyson fought Lewis, and we all saw what happened there. Now he has faced Etienne and is going to face Maskaev. This fits in exactly with what he has been doing for years. He will continue to pound weak opposition until the opportunity comes for a big fight. Then he will step up, lose again, and restart the cycle. This will continue as long as we allow it to work.

The pick of Makaev is no shock at all. The only shock will be if he gets past the third round. All this fight will do is let us know how much Tyson has diminished and, if it goes rounds, how will he do as the fight progresses.

Any questions of comments. Email me at Beowolf88@aol.com