Compare and Contrast between Mike Tyson and Floyd may weather (Essay Sample)

Comparison and Contrast between Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather
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Comparison and Contrast between Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather
Boxing is a combat sport and martial art whereby people throw punches at each other, with the ultimate goal of knocking down the opponent. The participants usually wear gloves. Amateur boxing is a commonwealth as well as an Olympic sport. A series of boxing is called a round and has an interval of one to three minutes. Referees usually supervise boxing matches. They stay in the ring with the fighters to see to it that fighters fight safely, rule on fouls, count knocked-down fighters and judge, and control the contact of the combatants in the ring. Results are decided when an opponent is disqualified for breaking a rule, surrenders, is seen as unable to continue by the referee or is declared the winner or loser after the contest. If fighters gain equal scores, the fight is considered a draw. This is done by the judges. Up to three judges stay at the ringside to assign scores to the boxers. This is based on the defense, punches that connect as well as knockdowns.
Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather are big names when it comes to boxing. They are from different boxing eras but considered, as the world’s greatest. Mayweather came into the boxing arena when Tyson was leaving it. Both have made a big name for themselves when it comes to this sport although they have never played against each other. They have similarities as well as differences.
One of the similarities between these boxers is that they began boxing at a young age. Tyson made his professional debut when he was 19 years old. He knocked down his opponent, Hector Mercedes in the first round. Tyson had a long streak of wins that made him a man to watch, as people said he would be the next heavyweight champion, and they were far from wrong (Tyson & Sloman, 2014).
Mayweather also got into boxing at a young age. In 1993, at 16 years old he won national Golden Gloves championships. He had good defensive skills taught to him by his father and uncle. This kept him winning and rising in the field of boxing. He even got a nickname from his amateur teammates, as had a few scars unlike them. His potential in boxing was evident from the start. Mayweather and Tyson have another similarity in terms of skills. Both had incredible skills within the ring. They had excellent defense skills. For Mayweather, this was a result of the training he got from his father and uncle. He comes from a family of boxers and, therefore, it is quite expected that he had good mentorship. These boxers had immense power, very fast hand speed and a great counter punching ability. These skills made them unbeatable in the world of boxing (Todd, 2013).
Both boxers had a difficult childhood as their parents had differences and, therefore, took boxing as an outlet for their emotions. Tyson lived in neighborhoods associated with high crime rates. His father abandoned the family after he was born, and his mother died when he was 16 years old. Tyson got into so many fights while growing up and was always caught committing petty crimes. He was taken to Tryon School for Boys, New York, where a former boxer, Bobby Stewart, who worked as a juvenile detention center counselor in the school, discovered his boxing ability. Stewart trained Tyson for a few months and introduced him to Cus D’Amato, who became his manager and trainer. Tyson dropped out of school when he was a junior in high school (Tyson & Sloman, 2014).
Mayweather also claims that he grew up as a deprived child. His mother was a drug addict whereas his father sold drugs. He claims that he did not spend quality time with his dad, who sends him to live with his grandmother. His father, however, took him to the gym and trained him to be a boxer. Just like Tyson’s, his talent was discovered at an early age and Mayweather dropped out of high school. Both Tyson and Mayweather have also been convicted of crimes and have spent some time in prison. Tyson’s jail term was three years long, and he managed to make a comeback to the boxing arena after serving it. Mayweather’s was three months, and he picked up boxing from where he left (Tyson & Sloman, 2014).
The main difference between Tyson and Mayweather is that they belonged to different weight classes. Tyson was a heavyweight champion throughout his career. On the other hand, Mayweather’s career spanned in various weight classes. He began as a super featherweight boxer, became a lightweight, rose to light welterweight and finally light middleweight. He, however, returned to the welterweight class before his retirement in 2015. Being in different weight classes means we can only compare the skills these boxers possess, but we cannot engage them in a match. They also have a big age difference, and, therefore, we cannot propose a fight between them to gauge who is the better boxer.
Another difference is drawn from the styles used by these boxers. Style refers to the strategies...