Is Mike Tyson the only fighter ever who's Prime ended in his early 20s?

[Atypicalbrit]

It's kind of incredible to me that his prime seemed to be from about 16-22 and then he was finished as a fighter.

Anyone else who peaked that young?

[Madison Boxing]

he never peaked, he got figured out early in career when he couldnt bomb fighters out early and lost the fear factor

[hugh grant]

He went jail, that was the end

[Stuntman Mike]

he never peaked, he got figured out early in career when he couldnt bomb fighters out early and lost the fear factor

Such a dumb post

Yeah he never peaked because he never lived the lifestyle

I've seen many talented boxers start good then get into women and partying and never get to what they could be


Tyson was disciplined early on and went wayward

He was on track to being one of the greatest fighters that ever lived but lifestyle choices altered that course

[Toffee]

To be fair, he still won two titles at 29 and 30.

Not prime Tyson, but still very good.

[Eff Pandas]

Ray Mancini is in the HOF & never won a fight past the age of 22.

[sunny31]

Naseem Hamed, similar career pattern imo

I think both guys lacked discipline and stopped training with an edge as soon as the fame and fortune came

[dannnnn]

Fernando Vargas came up fast and burnt out quite young. Fought Trinidad at 23, Oscar at 25 and was retired by 30. Naseem Hamed won the WBO belt at 21, beat Tom Johnson for the IBF at 23 and also beat Kevin Kelley that same year. He retired at 28.

All in all, boxing is a young man's game. You should be having your toughest fights by 25-26 imo. I think there's a growing tendency these days for boxers to wait a bit too long for their prime without realising all the while it's actually passing them by. "Life is what happens while you're busy making plans" and all that. People also often conflate a boxer's prime with their biggest win(s), whatever age they may be at the time, which is obviously not (necessarily) the case.

Personally I think the ideal path is to go hard and fast through your twenties and retire by your early thirties. Once your physical attributes begin declining you're on borrowed time - no matter how good you are - and in a sport as brutal and unforgiving as this one that's not something to be trifled with.

[PRINCEKOOL]

Neither Mike Tyson or Muhammad Ali 'Actually reached their natural peak'.

They were both taken off track from their natural peak 'Mike Tyson's natural peak, was not in the mid-1980's'.

Note: I also believe that Tyson Fury never really reached his natural peak, Fury may have got a bit closer to his natural peak than Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali 'But he still left the game just as he was coming into his peak'.

If Fury would of followed through with his rematch vs Wladimir Kiltschko 'We all would of seen more what, The Riddler Fury was capable of'.

Anthony Joshua actually beat a better more well prepared Wladimir Kiltschko than Tyson Fury 'Kiltschko had to endure three back to back training camps, before fighting Joshua. Because Tyson Fury kept on pulling out of their scheduled rematch'.

I have never believed that the tactics, which Tyson Fury used in his first fight vs Kiltschko 'Would of worked in their rematch'.

Fury's win vs Kiltschko was a great win in terms of historical magnitude 'But overrated in terms of the actual action'.

Kiltschko was not best prepared for that fight, and had plenty of issues leading up to the fight.

Overall all this talk of primes and peaks 'Great fighters do not rely on their peaks to dominate, or achieve in the game. And this trait is displayed with all great athletes in many different sports'.

Mike Tyson still won fights outside of his peak, Mike Tyson still become a two time world Champion outside of his peak. Muhammad Ali still won fights outside of his peak, Muhammad Ali still regained the Undisputed Heavyweight titles outside of his peak.

Floyd Mayweather Junior, Bernard Hopkins, Wladimir Kiltschko, Larry Holmes, Canelo Alvarez,'They have all won big fights, and won titles outside of their so called natural peak'.

A fighter like Anthony Joshua, technically is most likely still improving his game 'His understanding of the action, his ability to read a fight. Things that come more natural to a fighter like Fury. But in other area's, Joshua is most likely not improving'.

I believe it was Lennox Lewis who stated 'Great fighters don't have a peak' etc.

[drablj]

wilfred benitez was done at 25 but he was a champion at 17. an early prime but still 7-8 years long.