Customer Reviews
missing some essentials 
2008-08-18
its missing his most memorable fight (with Hollyfield) and where he ended up. He was a true power house that ended in disgrace.
Must have for any Tyson or fight fan in general 
2008-08-12
I won't go into the intricacy's of this dvd because it's pretty much self explanatory. what i will say is that it's of high quality(and length) and a great source of information about the man and his sport in general.
There is enough information from the credible presenters to keep the boxing historian entertained and to the casual fan of a good slug fest, this one is probably as good as it gets. 19+ fights!!
Lets admit it, Mike Tyson is probably as good as it gets!
A great compilation 
2008-07-31
I'm a collector of classic sporting events, so this DVD set to me is a no-brainer... 20 bucks for many of Tyson's fights through the Buster Douglas match. I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because they talk over the first round of the Douglas fight. If I didn't own a recording of that fight already, I'd be pretty pissed about that one thing.
Here's the list of fights on the set:
Mike Tyson vs. Ricky Spain
Mike Tyson vs. John Alderson
Mike Tyson vs. Michael Johnson
Mike Tyson vs. Donnie Long
Mike Tyson vs. Robert Colay
Mike Tyson vs. Sterling Benjamin
Mike Tyson vs. Richardson
Mike Tyson vs. Sammy Scaff
Mike Tyson vs. Mike Young
Mike Tyson vs. Mike Jameson
Mike Tyson vs. Jesse Ferguson
Mike Tyson vs. Steve Zouski
Mike Tyson vs. James Tillis
Mike Tyson vs. Trevor Berbick
Mike Tyson vs. Larry Holmes
Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks
Mike Tyson vs. Frank Bruno
Mike Tyson vs. James "Buster" Douglas
One of the best purchases I've made as of yet 2008-07-10
I've watched these two discs multiple times now. i am normally pretty cheap and don't enjoy paying $20 for a dvd when I'm only going to watch it a few times. This DVD shows all the right fights and high lights of others. it shows some full fights as well. Great commentary through out as well. I'd say if you are a boxing fan that this is a must own.
A Disappointment 2008-03-02
I bought this DVD because I wanted to see Mike Tyson fight, but alas his fights are the least time consuming aspect of the. video. The majority of the video is taken up by various talking heads discussing about everything from boxing gloves to slippery canvas to ther life of the boxer's second cousin twice removed. And when the ring announcers need a rest, a panel of three know-it-alls takes over. The broadcast of the fights sometimes start a number of second late because these yammerers won't shut up. And they continue this motor-mouthing throughout the fight, most of their material having nothing to do with the fight. The mute button is the only salvation but unlike the broadcasts it is very difficult to know when a fight will be slipped in among the idiotic bellyaching of these guys whose only purpose is to sate their egos through spoiling the chance for the average, at-home boxing fan to concentrate on the fight. And for goodness sakes, if a fan can't recognize a left jab or other punch, let him/her get an article off the internet to explain it. Such articles are easy to find and very useful. I don't know where broadcasters got the notion that they had to constantly talk, barely taking a breath, so they could spoil the chance for a viewer to concentrate on the fight and its progress. (The same thing has ruined the fun of watching professional football). You would think ESPN would have cut out all this junk, done a proper introduction to the fight which should start on time and then be followed up with the announcement of the winner. In between the fights a short introduction placing the fight in perspective could be done, and then these loquacious airheads could sit quietly while the fight on and not operate separate channel in competition with the boxing, the real point of spending money on the DVD
RISE AND FALL OF AN ICON 2008-02-08
Mike Tyson was one of the most feared fighters in boxing. By age 19, his superlative record of wins earned him the nickname "Kid Dynamite." In the two years that followed, Tyson knocked out 19 opponents in a row, eventually becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in history. His winning streak expanded to a dazzling 37-0 before Buster Douglas, an 11-1 underdog, TKO'd Tyson in the 10th round in one of boxing's biggest upsets. Now, ESPN Classic Ringside brings you "The Best of Mike Tyson," a new perspective and up-to-date analysis of one of the most dominant figures to ever step foot in the ring. Hosted by ESPN's Brian Kenny and historian/author Bert Randolph Sugar, this two-disc knockout edition DVD set includes 19 thrill-packed Tyson fights from his 1985 professional debut to the historic 1990 Douglas fight. Special guests include Teddy Atlas, Tyson's trainer from '80-'82, and ex-heavyweight champ Larry Holmes.
Great but want more 2007-11-08
The fights shown were great but I want to see more of tyson after the upset of douglas wheres the holyfield, lennox lewis I know these were his greatest fights too to regardless if he won or lost --it's Tyson !!-- and everyone want to see him rock guys and also get rock -- endless entertainment. This disc contains some good ones but there are also fights missing!! not to mention maybe a little behind the scenes if possible any boxing fan would buy these discs like crazy!!! What a way to start the boxing collection though not to take anyway from this disc it is great but it just leaves you wanting more
Is there a second volume to this??! 2007-01-11
This dvd is for adrenaline junkies. You are on the edge of your seat, waiting for a huge Tyson knockout punch every fight. It has 19 fights, the actual fights, and is nice to have if you have nothing to do for a day.
Mike Tyson - The Rise and Fall 2007-01-09
Personally, I was excited to hear about a Mike Tyson compilation. Even better that it was done by ESPN. Now, it is a great collection of his fights, don't get me wrong. I love seeing Mike rise from his first pro-bout to winning the WBC belt. But, as the back says, there are only 19 fights out of his 37-0 before losing to Buster. A good amount of them were first-rounders, but I would have still liked to have seen them. Like, the Mitch Green fight, Reggie Gross, etc... even though I have seen them before. I would have also liked if they had had his post-Buster fights (McNelley, Ruddock, etc...) But, I digress. This is a good compilation, don't be sidetracked with what it doesn't have, but rather what it does. And even though it lacks in some parts, I am a sucker for Tyson.
The Peak Performances of Mike Tyson 2006-12-24
This is a four and half hour documentary of the prime years of Mike Tyson. You are ringside for 19 of Mike Tyson's early fights, plus highlights of other matches. Watch him blast out a select group of tomato cans, as well as his most satisfying victories over top flight competition such as Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno.
Bert Randolph Sugar, Teddy Atlas, George Chuvalo, Michael Moorer, and the aforementioned Holmes provide expert commentary on the fights and times of Mike Tyson.
Teddy Atlas ran the gym that Tyson trained at during his formative years, and he gives some fascinating insights into Mike's personal life and how Cus often allowed Tyson to get away with misbehavior on account of his great talent. He seems to have a better understanding of what makes Mike tick than anyone else.
It is a pleasure to own Tyson's complete fights against Berbick, Holmes, Bruno, Ferguson, and Douglas, though one may wish the set included footage of his bouts with Biggs and Pinklon Thomas and Tony Tucker.
But it is hard to argue with what is here and it makes you hope that the other ESPN Ringside telecasts will be released, particularly the two Muhammad Ali documentaries.
There are also two bonus features, a series of interviews that were conducted with Tyson through the years and a short film on the making of ESPN Ringside. This release is well worth the money for Tyson fans.
