Many of the RSB regulars know that I
                disdain total and disrespectful
                put-downs of fighters who ply their trade.
                But every now and then a header comes by
                that just screams for a closer look. This
                one does it! Judging by McNeeley's very
                obvious fright when he faced Tyson for a
                few saddening if not bewildering moments
                in a less than one round encounter, the
                header contain an oxymoron:

                        McNeeley Back in action.
                        Back in action? Action?

A lot of people also saw that Monaco KO clip, but how many actually saw
the whole fight?  It was the Denver altitude (Monaco's home town) that
did McNeeley in.  He was completely out of breath after the first round
but still pretty much dominated most of the fight.  Of course he looked
like shit - he couldn't breathe.  Give him some credit for being able to
hang in there like that for 5 rounds.  Man, he did get caught with a
hell of a shot, though.  Buster Douglas knows how hard Monaco can hit.  

jbr...@osf1.gmu.edu (John W Bragg) wrote:

To me it seemed like he attacked just because he was very scared and
wanted to get the inevitable over as fast as possible.

One thing we can agree on I suppose is that McNeeley doesn't have much
of a future in boxing.

Notice that both scenarios end in McNEeley being crucified.  Whereas
McNeeley's fight plan had tow possible outcomes.
A) Shock Tyson, maybe his chin has softened up, maybe he didn't get hit in
sparring, and knock him down.  HE gets up, pour on the punches and maybe
the ref will stop the fight.  B) Tyson will shrug off the punches and
crucify McNeeley.

Now, if you think that McNeeley knew that his trainer would stop the fight
if Tyson didn't go down with the first barrage of punches, then you can
make the case for McNeeley being a coward.  But not for coming at Tyson
and hitting him square in the jaw.

Ummm...no!  MAYBE for a highly skilled fighter or champion.  But despite
how much you evidently bought into Peter's press conference boasts, I'm
sure he knew his best chances were early rather than late.

: I would expect that his trainers could have convinced him that Tyson
: wouldn't have enough stamina to destroy Peter in the later rounds.

And they might have convinced him that he'd be rustier in the first round
rather than the last round - might they?

: I would have actually prefered this scenario. I think the people who
: paid for the fight would have as well.

Fighters should plan their strategies on what the audience wants??

: It just seemed like McNeeley
: freaked out and ran at Tyson using only his instincts.

He's not that skilled - how much should be blame him if his skills and his
instincts don't diverge that much?

: To me it seemed like he attacked just because he was very scared and
: wanted to get the inevitable over as fast as possible.

That's one reading (as English majors might say) - but not one I share.

Yep.  It WAS Tyson's first fight back.  And after the bell rang, it was
clear from the opening seconds that Peter was there to fight.  And it
remained clear for every subsequent second until the stoppage.  Not many
fights at any level and at any weight are as compelling for every second
between bells.  You're looking back at the fight - I'm speaking DURING the
fight.

: The way I see it, McNeely was told to come out like a hurricane so
: Tyson could finish him fast! McNeely acted like a fool, didn't take
: the fight seriously, obviously had no strategy or tactics, and lost
: like he was supposed to.

Lost like he was expected to, is a better choice of words.  You fault him
for what you do, but do so sounding like you expected more from him.  Why
would you?  The man isn't that talented OR well-trained.  Sure, he
probably knew he was going to lose.  But he still threw punches and still
attacked.  How is that NOT serious?  Are you paying more attention to
press conferences and "cocoon of horror" BS than the fight itself?
Don't tell me you thought the fight would be competitive???

: Why didn't he actually try to win the fight? Instead he ran straight
: at a guy he knew was going to destroy him.

And that's EXACTLY why I respect him - because he stared the lion in the
mouth, showed him his chin, and kept throwing punches.  What's more
admirable than that?  How did he NOT try to win the fight?  I won't repeat
what others have said in response - but Peter probably knew he wouldn't
win an 8 or 10 round fight.  Why pin your strategy on that?

: He should have tried to
: last to the later rounds and then freak out.

I don't even pretend to understand what you mean with the phrase "freak
out", so I can't address this.  But Peter knew his best chances would come
early rather than late.

: I don't call that
: courage, I call it stupidity.

So Paul Vaden's performance against Terry Norris was the perfect
performance by a boxer?  

: Of course it cheapened the sport! It showed to all the idiots that
: paid $39.95 to see the fight that all the bullshit McNeely said before
: the fight (ie. I will win) was totally untrue.

Aha - so you DO judge boxing matches by the pre-fight hysteria.  I wish I
was a saleman of some sort, of ANYTHING - you sound like such an easy
mark.  Why would you pay attention to what McNeeley - or ANY fighter -
says at press conferences?  Would you have thought the money better spent
if Peter had said "Well, I'll lose, but I'll show up and jump around for
as long as I can..."  THAT makes the fighter more sellable?

: Boxing's success is predicated on competitive matches not enteraining
: commercials.

But your enthusiasm seems predicated on press conference hype - why?

: He will undoubtedly have blown the 700,000 payday from the fight and
: will attempt to climb back into the ring as a legitimate heavyweight.
: Adam.

As long as he's over 200 pounds, he's a legitimate heavyweight.  But no
mater what Don King said, sounds like you're the only one who got
convinced that Peter was a legitimate contender.

     Obviously, Tyson's high point was the bout with Michael Spinks.  That
 fight reminds me of a tiger in a cage with a gazelle...  Spinks really had no
 game plan, and Tyson sure didn't give him time to develop one!  
     How about his one-punch KO of Carl Williams?  Carl hit the canvas like a
 big bass drum...  I think the Buster Douglas fight came next, and Tyson
 probably thought Buster was no more skilled than Carl...
     What else did you enjoy about his career?  Tyson's killer instinct in the
 ring was one of his biggest strengths.  He also generally showed a lot of
 compassion for his opponent once the fight was over (hugging them, kissing
 their heads...).
     Too bad Tyson wasn't more focused in his life.  He'd at least be a happier
 man.

When I think of Tyson's finest moments....I can't really
say that it's any of his championships that come to mind.

To me, Tyson's finest moments were when he was young
and right on the scene.  This tough punk was a humble man
outside the ring, who studied fight films, was always in
shape, and listened to his top notch trainers in the ring.
At that time, he had all the tools to be the one of the
greatest.  

Tyson's finest moments ended shortly after the death of
Cus D'mato.

In article <19971101093200.EAA27...@ladder02.news.aol.com>,
  boym...@aol.com (BoyMayo) wrote:

Until that point in his professional career,  he had always had someone
who he respected that was there for him and loved him enough to steer him
the right way.  He may have looked more impressive before he won his
championships but he was facing lesser competition too.  I believe he did
stay focused for a time after Cus' death.

Brian