Tyrel Biggs -- just not suited for the pro's or ruined by Tyson?

[Shake]

I really do think Tyrel Biggs had great boxing instincts, good reflexes, the best heavyweight legs since none other than Ali, and could outbox the ears off of many. It's known he beat both Lewis and Tyson in the amateurs, and having watched these bouts, he looked good and confident in them.

He went unbeaten until facing Tyson, who gave him a rough-housing and a battering until his legs gave out. Did Tyson ruin a great prospoect or was Biggs never going to make any noise at the pro heavyweights?

Also, about Tyson-Biggs, I have to say....'stand there and fight him on the inside' ranks up there with the most harmful pieces of advice ever given by a chief second.

[SonnyL]

I was laughin real hard when I read the title of this thread. Tyson ruined him and his career. Im sure Biggs had a lot of potential but all his hopes and dreams was shattered when he met Tyson. Its been a while since Ive seen this fight. I goin to watch it tonight for a good laugh.

[ChrisPontius]

Tyson broke him down pretty bad.

Still though, i think Tyrell Biggs belongs in the same category as Audley Harrison; great talent, athletic ability and size but misses some essential qualities a professional boxer must have.

Biggs also had a shaky performance or two before Tyson, if remember well. Tyson put on a pretty nice performance in completly breaking him down but Biggs was also gonna end up in similar fashion, i believe.

[dagame328]

Ive saw this on tape, it was bad, he took the man out of him.

[Bigcat]

Tyrell was thrown in against Mike after 15 fights because Lou Duva was afraid his fighter may fall to pieces before he got a substancial return out of him.. The David Bey fight was a close call.. They got their million and raced off into the darkness..

I heard a story that the Biggs camp threw a massive and expensive after fight party reception for all of the nights press and a few select fans.. They than deducted it from Tyrells purse..

[mr. magoo]

My answer to the initial question, is that Biggs was the victom of a poorly managed career, with a lot of the problems caused by himself.

Biggs made the mistake of breaking up with the Duva family after the Tyson fight. What's more he apparently had some substance abuse problems going on in the meantime. In addition, He took one year off after the Tyson fight, and faced Francesco Damiani the following October, a fight in which Biggs was ahead on the cards, until he sustained a cut from an accidental headbutt, causing a stoppage. One year later, after little training and ring activety, he faced Gary Mason and was once again bested. Biggs had some decent career wins against James Tillis, David Bey, Jeff Simms, Renaldo Snipes, and unbeaten prospect Rudolfo Marin. For a brief period, he had former contender Jimmy Young working his corner. He certainly had some skills and physical attributes, but never quite got his ducks in order.

[Titan1]

I always thought he had the ability, but not the power, to suceed in the division.The Tyson fight, and his drug problem, ruined him.

[Seamus]

He was exposed as lacking the necessary grit to be a pro fighter. Tyson merely did what another top-flight fighter would have done sooner than later. And of course Tyson did it without mercy.

[GazOC]

I always thought he had the ability, but not the power, to suceed in the division.The Tyson fight, and his drug problem, ruined him.

:good

Apparently his management took the Tyson fight before the drugs fucked him up knowing he wasn't ready.

[Primadonna Kool]

Lennox Lewis blasted him out in 2 rounds or 3 rounds, in the Pros!

[GazOC]

Biggs was shot at that point though, he gave Gary Mason a good fight before folding though.

[Muchmoore]

Biggs wasn't really "ruined" against Tyson because he wasn't a Larry Holmes, but had he not been destroyed he would of had a much better career. At his best he wasn't too bad with his good jab, amateur experience, speed, and was fairly durable.

He would of reversed many of his later losses, for sure.

[mr. magoo]

At his best he wasn't too bad with his good jab, amateur experience, speed, and was fairly durable.
He would of reversed many of his later losses, for sure.
[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure that I agree with the notion that he was durable, and many of his later losses were either a result of being past his prime or just fighting guys that he wouldn't have beaten regardeless of what stage of his career he was in. Not so much a case of him being ruined by the Tyson fight.

[Muchmoore]

I'm not sure that I agree with the notion that he was durable, and many of his later losses were either a result of being past his prime or just fighting guys that he wouldn't have beaten regardeless of what stage of his career he was in. Not so much a case of him being ruined by the Tyson fight.[/quote]

Biggs took a lot of big shots against Tyson but lasted 7 rounds, longer than most against Tyson in that era. I'm not saying he is George Chuvalo, but he was more durable than his record shows.

[salsanchezfan]

Tyson didn't ruin him. :lol: The *****s in his armor were alredy there, as evidenced in the Bey fight (which he was losing before gutting out the stoppage victory). Being basically handled by a faded Bey (who wasn't much to begin with) should have sent big warning flares into the sky for everyone to see. Simply put, it wasn't going to take a Mike Tyson to beat him. The boxing press and dearth of other suitable opposition, however, made it a sort of "well, this was the fight we all wanted when these guys came out of the amateurs, so let's do our best to sell it" kind of thing. Then there was the whole nose candy thing........

[mr. magoo]

Tyson didn't ruin him. :lol: The *****s in his armor were alredy there, as evidenced in the Bey fight (which he was losing before gutting out the stoppage victory). Being basically handled by a faded Bey (who wasn't much to begin with) should have sent big warning flares into the sky for everyone to see. Simply put, it wasn't going to take a Mike Tyson to beat him. The boxing press and dearth of other suitable opposition, however, made it a sort of "well, this was the fight we all wanted when these guys came out of the amateurs, so let's do our best to sell it" kind of thing. Then there was the whole nose candy thing........

Agreed,

Apparently, Tyrell had his collar bone broken against slugger Jeff Sims as well.

[CASH_718]

Lennox Lewis blasted him out in 2 rounds or 3 rounds, in the Pros!AFTER the Tyson fight jagoff.

[heerko koois]

[quote=M.DeFer]I met Biggs at a McCallum fight(Duva was with McCallum) before the Tyson fight. The other fighters with Duva where nice and receptive, but not Biggs. Rude and full of himself. Later when he fought Tyson, I could feel no pitty for him. I agree he had skills, but not the grit and determination to go further than he did in the pros.[/q

Biggs did have some grit before the Tyson fight ....just look at his fights with Snipes and David Bey......He had one of the worst cuts i,ve ever seen againts Bey.....he was losing badly and lost about 80% of his vision because blood was dripping in his eyes all the time ...

[DamonD]

His best post-Tyson showing was probably against Riddick Bowe.

He eventually went down in about 8 or 9 rounds, but had Bowe stumbling and the scorecards were tight. I've got a copy of the fight myself, it's a good one.

I don't think Biggs ever adjusted to the pro style, it wasn't even up until the Bowe and Lewis fights than he began sitting down on his punches rather than that old cliche "punching to the target instead of through it".

Another problem was that, in his desire to prove himself, he'd often pass up his lovely movement and good jab in favour of trying to go toe-to-toe, which just didn't suit him.

[Titan1]

His best post-Tyson showing was probably against Riddick Bowe.

He eventually went down in about 8 or 9 rounds, but had Bowe stumbling and the scorecards were tight. I've got a copy of the fight myself, it's a good one.

I don't think Biggs ever adjusted to the pro style, it wasn't even up until the Bowe and Lewis fights than he began sitting down on his punches rather than that old cliche "punching to the target instead of through it".

Another problem was that, in his desire to prove himself, he'd often pass up his lovely movement and good jab in favour of trying to go toe-to-toe, which just didn't suit him.

Especially when you didn't have the power necessarily to get you through.

[salsanchezfan]

Purely as an aside........I don't agree with the idea that Biggs had no power. His style was not that of a true warrior, but when he went flatfooted, he could bang. It's just that he did it so rarely.

[Sonny's jab]

I dont see how anyone can say he lacked determination.
Comparing him in any way to Audley Harrison seems a bit low as well.

Tyrell Biggs was one of gutsiest fighters I've ever seen. Brave as they come. Fought against Jeff Sims with a broken collarbone, suffered one of the worst cuts I've ever seen against David Bey, took a torturous beating from Tyson.
He tried his hardest. He showed grit.

Truth is, he probably lacked the strength of an elite pro, and peaked as an amateur, never developed a great style for the pros, and aged quick due to the tough fights and the cocaine & alcohol.

Biggs is an example of how being a brilliant amateur doesn't mean you'll be the best pro. But he was a real fighter in both arenas. Biggs was a worthy contender.

[Sizzle]

Yeh, he had Bowe shook up a few times - With more power and perhaps better finishing ability he may have taken Bowe out.

And I think he did well against Tyson for the first two minutes of the fight - But was then destroyed. I think his durability was what worked against him in the Tyson fight, he sustained substantial punishment before being stopped, unlike others who went down sooner.

I do believe he had all the tools to be a great fighter - Not an all-time great, but certainly a heavyweight titlist. Skills, speed, footwork, obviously he wasn't the most powerful heavyweight but that's not an essential "ingredient" for a great fighter.

[Bigcat]

I spoke to Tyrell Biggs a couple of days before he boxed Mason, he appeared to have a heavy cold but said it wouldn't really bother him. He seemed to overlook Gary as a serious threat and only afterthe fight did he say thatthe illness did hamper his breathing and Mason was far better than he anticipated.

[DamonD]

I've never seen that fight, but Mason was a heavy-footed but heavy-fisted and durable guy. Considering Biggs had the ability to dance away from Mason all night and jab him to bits, I'm guessing he got caught with a few too many clubbing blows and started trying to trade.

I remember it caused a bit of a stir here at the time, it was a minor upset even though Biggs had lost to Tyson and Damiani.

too bad Biggs battered and abused lennox lewis in the amateurs and sent him crying home.
Have you seen the fight? I have, again I've got a copy. Biggs outboxed him conclusively for me, but 'battered and abused' was never in Biggs' armoury...plus it's a 3-round amateur bout with headgear, y'know...

[Titan1]

Biggs could bang decently, but not even in the league with a Dokes.

[Conn]

He wasn't ruined by Tyson.
He was already looking shaky before that. He barely got past David Bey.
They cashed him in against Tyson, before he lose to another contender for a lot less dough.

[Conn]

He was exposed as lacking the necessary grit to be a pro fighter. Tyson merely did what another top-flight fighter would have done sooner than later. And of course Tyson did it without mercy.


Exactly. :good

[TBooze]

Biggs was shot at that point though, he gave Gary Mason a good fight before folding though.

I went to see that. Biggs kept making strange noises, I thought he was on the verge of breaking down Gary, when the fight ended all of a sudden.

For all grief Biggs gets, I remember Lewis being lauded for taking Tyrell out in their bout.

[Conn]

I went to see that. Biggs kept making strange noises, I thought he was on the verge of breaking down Gary, when the fight ended all of a sudden.

For all grief Biggs gets, I remember Lewis being lauded for taking Tyrell out in their bout.


Probably because Bowe had struggled a bit with Biggs earlier in the year.

[My2Sense]

In addition, He took one year off after the Tyson fight, and faced Francesco Damiani the following October, a fight in which Biggs was ahead on the cards, until he sustained a cut from an accidental headbutt, causing a stoppage.

I don't know where or how that myth got started, but that's not what happened at all. Damiani walked through Biggs and beat the piss out of him, even easier and more impressively than Tyson had. Damiani was impressive enough in this fight that there was even talk of matching him with Tyson.

The fight is on Youtube here for anyone who hasn't seen it:
vYJgMxWuduM


To answer the original question, Biggs' lack of real HW power and inability to keep his poise under pressure were major weaknesses, plus he had already shown a tendency to cut/swell even before the Tyson fight. If he couldn't keep glass-nosed Damiani from boring in on him, that doesn't say much. And Damiani not only outbullied him, but actually outskilled and out-techniqued him as well.

[Conn]

Thanks for posting that fight, my2sense. :good

It's puzzling how these rumours get started and circulated. Damiani basically dominated Biggs.

[Foreman Hook]

It was a COMBO of Lenny Lewis, Mikey Tyson, Riddy Bowe And white line fever what ruined Tyrell Biggs. :deal

Biggs could of been a ATG-Ameuteur Boxer - he did beat Lewis, Tyson And Bowe in teh Ameuteurs.

As a Pro - he could of MAYBE been a temporary holder of one of teh 4 heavyweight titles at some point.


Foreman Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooook!:hat

[Ricky42791]

Tyson and Cocaine killed biggs

[salty trunks]

Biggs could have been better though. He would lose 4 of his next 8 after Tyson. That fight took something out of him.

Tyson did in the post fight commentary say he could have easily stopped him in the third and that he wanted him to remember the beating for a long time.

I dont know how anyone could say Diamiani beat him more impressively than Tyson? :huh

Even after a long layoff Biggs couldnt shake the cut that he sustained in the Bey fight.

[Sangria]

I dont know how anyone could say Diamiani beat him more impressively than Tyson? :huh


A ridiculous statement, really. Tyson shattered Biggs completely, making him squeal while doing womanly gestures. What a great post-fight quote if there ever was one.

Keep digging up those old Tyson threads, Connforgiven! :good

[MMJoe]

Supposedly Tyson carried Biggs a few rounds so as to administer more punishment. Biggs used to hound Tyson in the amateurs, making fun of his voice among other things.

[MagnaNasakki]

Tyson didn't ruin him. :lol: The *****s in his armor were alredy there, as evidenced in the Bey fight (which he was losing before gutting out the stoppage victory). Being basically handled by a faded Bey (who wasn't much to begin with) should have sent big warning flares into the sky for everyone to see. Simply put, it wasn't going to take a Mike Tyson to beat him. The boxing press and dearth of other suitable opposition, however, made it a sort of "well, this was the fight we all wanted when these guys came out of the amateurs, so let's do our best to sell it" kind of thing. Then there was the whole nose candy thing........

This.

[ThinBlack]

It was a COMBO of Lenny Lewis, Mikey Tyson, Riddy Bowe And white line fever what ruined Tyrell Biggs. :deal

Biggs could of been a ATG-Ameuteur Boxer - he did beat Lewis, Tyson And Bowe in teh Ameuteurs.

As a Pro - he could of MAYBE been a temporary holder of one of teh 4 heavyweight titles at some point.


Foreman Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooook!:hat

He got robbed the second time against Stevenson.But when did he beat Tyson as an amateur.

[mr. magoo]

=My2Sense;12047861]I don't know where or how that myth got started, but that's not what happened at all.


Yeah I had never seen the fight before, but I had heard that Biggs was getting the better of the match, by listening to commentary from analysts while watching one of Bigg's fights against Ossie Ocasio maybe 20 years ago. Apparently they were wrong..

After watching the clip, ( thanks for posting it ) Biggs indeed looked very amateurish in there. Not very good at all.

[zadfrak]

Those tall lanky guys that hold that head up in the air like a pez dispenser never really do have terrific careers.

[salty trunks]

Biggs was determined to change his style as a pro. He was booed winning the gold medal and booed after his pro debut for his cautious stick and move style.
He went back to that style against Tyson and both Lou Duva and Tyrell Biggs taunted Tyson during the press conferences leading up to the fight calling him a crude fighter.

That pissed Tyson off badly and he punished him for it. Biggs really screwed himself trying to be more of a stationary fighter because his footwork and reach were quite good for a heavyweight.

Biggs won the Bey fight but he was behind on the cards but Bey cut him badly. The Tyson fight was really the start of the end of his career as a top level fighter. He became a stepping stone soon after.

[My2Sense]

A ridiculous statement, really.

He cut off his retreat even sooner and stopped him sooner - Why would it be "ridiculous" to acknowledge that?



Biggs could of been a ATG-Ameuteur Boxer - he did beat Lewis, Tyson And Bowe in teh Ameuteurs.


:huh I think you're confusing him with Henry Tillman, who reportedly beat Tyson in the ams.

Tyson had a grudge with Biggs dating back to their amateur days, but I'm not aware of them actually fighting there. Biggs did beat Damiani in the ams, and their pro match was billed as a "rematch" of sorts.

[Sangria]

He cut off his retreat even sooner and stopped him sooner - Why would it be "ridiculous" to acknowledge that?


Damiani-Biggs was stopped because of a fuckin cut!!!! There was back and forth action as Biggs was able to land some shots. Tyson-Biggs was a complete whitewash. Biggs got the ever living shit beat out of him. Ridiculous, really.

[My2Sense]

There was back and forth action as Biggs was able to land some shots. Tyson-Biggs was a complete whitewash.

What rounds did you give to Biggs against Damiani?

[MagnaNasakki]

You have to wonder what damage was done to.his heart. The guy was king shit as an amateur and runs head long into a wall he had no prayer of hurdling. Its not like coming short, you fight a guy who you realize you will never be able to beat.

Ouch. Tyson might have ruined his mind, thinking of it in those terms.

[Bigcat]

Tyrell was winning against Mason but was caught by a very tame shot and rolled onto his side slowly like he was done, his spirit was shot and he was a shell to be truthful.. Against Damiani he was in the fight but always slightly behind... Against Bowe he was in the fight and actually fresher than most of his other fights after Tyson... Against Lewisss although he did try to fire back he was overcome by some cleverly timed knockout blows to which he couldn't cope, (no disgrace).. The nights of glory came before Tyson, The one armed win over Simms, the heart against Bey when everything was going disasterously wrong , turning it all around to remain a contender.... Duva was cashing in Biggs v Tyson IMO... getting a cash return before Tyrell imploded... Leslie Roncari and Jimmy Young were the guys who helped him rejuvinate his boxing life after the Tyson loss......... Drugs almost ruined him, but his faith and pride that helped him survive to where he got to as a fighter........ TYrell had more talent in his pinky toe than Audley has in his whole 245lb over hyped Bubble.....

[Sangria]

What rounds did you give to Biggs against Damiani?

Since you're not comprehending what I'm saying...Biggs was competitive against Damiani. Not so much against Tyson. Ridiculous, really.