i see no reason why a prime tyson does not beat anybody else from any era. he can never be overrated imo.
:deal youngest ever beltholder, only man to stop larry holmes, unified the division in a fairly competitive era, one of the only heavyweights to ever be spoken of as undefeated and undisputed champion. hed have a shot against ANYONE.
Yes Tyson was a powerful exciting young fighter back in the 80's but the best BOXER he wasn't and the hardest puncher of ALL TIME he wasn't either , and that was my argument , how can the Greatest of all time lose to McBride and Williams ? BUSTER , Yes he was a level or two above decent I agree and could have chosen a better word than decent but without peer in the history of the sport he wasn't .
I think the simple fact that Tyson never turned a losing fight into a win will always tarnish his chances against the very best heavy's of any era. He was a fantastic offense fighter in his prime though. But all his losses were KO's or TKO's and maybe that was a sign of mental weakness on his part. He showed tremendous heart against Holyfield in the 1st fight & in his loss to Douglas but the rest of his losses were pretty ordinary imo.
Tyson was a beast, no doubt. I think some also overrate him too, but only when they say no one could beat him. I think there's quite a few in history that could beat him, and perhaps 2 even today.
Tyson could fight holyfield 100 times and he wouldnt win one. No need to go searching different era's.
Jose looked like he'd been Blanka-ed! That left rip was a joy to watch. Me three. This is a much more considered and valid argument against Tyson's legacy than the other insults hurled about. IMHO, a prime head-weaving body punching Tyson swarming all over you with Lightweight-speed combinations would be a nightmare even if your name were Clay or Ali. When he was under Cus' tutelage, jabs would be the least of his problems. It was only when he got lazy and/or under Don King's influence, going for the KO punch instead of working up to it that he got hittable. Unfortunately, Mike has/had a front-runner's mentality like Zab Judah - both supremely talented fighters but unable to tough it out. On topic: I also liked the punch he delivered to Michael Johnson early in his career - just beautiful ducking and weaving, and then doubled the guy over! Sigh...very few good body punchers around now since Cotto's heyday...just gotta wait forlornly for Bute's next outing.