Mike Tyson.....Was he overrated?

Mike Tyson is probably the best example that I know of someone who is simultaneously overrated and underrated.

He's overrated by a contingent of fans that believe that his losses to Douglas and Holyfield must be dismissed due to Tyson's lackadaisical training schedule in the former case, and the fact that he was past his best and hadn't been back for that long in the latter instance.

Doing so fails to take that Douglas possessed attributes that were always going to give Tyson trouble no matter when they fought. Hell, that version of Douglas was going to give any heavyweight a really tough night- if only because his grief and desperation allowed him to channel all that untapped talent into a brilliant performance that would have been difficult, if not impossible, to overcome. That being said, the version of Tyson that Douglas did fight wasn't that far removed from the one who obliterated Stewart and Tillman in subsequent outings. That version of Tyson showed power and hand speed that made him a dangerous opponent to face...and Douglas took his best and knocked him out. That's nothing that should be dismissed.

As for Holyfield, he wasn't exactly in peak form when he faced Tyson, but possessed attributes that served him well against a Tyson who fully anticipated The Real Deal to fold once he soaked him in his usual power shower and fought stupidly as a result. But even then, after all that time in prison, this version of Mike was fast enough and hit hard enough to convince reigning heavyweight titleholders to either find a soft spot on the mat (e.g. Seldon), or freeze like a deer in the headlights (e.g. Bruno) when they stepped into the ring with him. Tyson was past his best then....Sure. But he wasn't done as a fighter when he stepped into the ring against Holyfield, and the man who many thought was done beat him soundly.

So, he's overrated by that crowd, because there are two instances where he was beaten by fighters when he was at the very least, still capable of holding heavyweight championships.

But he's underrated by the other crowd who claim that he feasted on can when he was champ.

Tyrell Biggs was an undefeated Gold Medalist who had proved his toughness by outboxing a hard hitting Jeff Sims with one arm.

Tony Tubbs was a well schooled fighter who was defeating reasonably talented heavyweights well into the 21st century.

Tony Tucker was undefeated, fundamentally sound, motivated and totally unafraid of Tyson when they fought. Tyson managed to craft a hard fought but clear decision, even after being rocked on a couple of occasions by Tucker's punches.

Now, throw in an erratic, but awkward Berbick, an aging but still viable former champion in Holmes, an undefeated LH legend and reigning lineal heavyweight champ in Spinks and you have good solid body of work in a short time. So, people who are dismissing Tyson as a mentally weak bully who only fought bums are underrating him, and underrating him rather badly.

Yeah...Tyson's overrated. He's underrated, too. But we're still talking about him, which gives an indication of the kind of fighter he was, don't you think?

 

Good, because I'm tired of repeating things especially on a mobile device. That's the new default reply I think until people stop posting the same uneducated drivel. Though I misunderstood Leon's angle. He's one of the best posters on here by far.

:good

You really don't waste a single word. Very accurate, on all fronts. :deal

I'm one of the few who give Holyfield immense credit for beating Tyson in 1996. Most people don't, and if they do it's only as a means to bash Tyson. Put Holyfield on the hotseat to be judged, and suddenly they don't. I do think it's a completely different fight in 1991 however, due to a variety of different factors: Holyfield being noticably smaller, knack for brawling, Tyson's far better offensive attack (compared to 1996 when he'd almost completely neglect the body, was slower of hand and foot).

 

Of course, I just couldn't resist bringing up Holyfield in 1991. No non-fight will ever haunt the way that one does, from my perspective.

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Barry Sanders was the ****!!! Dude would have smashed Walter Payton's record had he not retired in his prime. He was waaaaay better than Emmitt Smith.:deal

 

Olajuwon was always a good center but those back-to-back championship seasons he played o the level of his Michaelness! He made MVP David Robinson look like a rookie with those baseline spins.

Not a fan of Jordan? Wha...wha happen?:bart

 

:deal

 

Greatest Heisman Season Ever followed by Ten years of NFL halfback brilliance. 1500+ yards a year - Career Average :hi:

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NzL84vabM8&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NzL84vabM8&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/ame]

 

As a rugby person its great to see a man doing sidesteps and running the whole length of the field to score a touchdown. :good

GOAT?

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In the video I posted above. :yep

The anti-Jordan in many ways. Check out that video if you ever get the chance.


Yes, Jordan is the greatest basketball player.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DcHoF0Gjao&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DcHoF0Gjao&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/ame]

 

When a guy who freely admits the guy who was his favourite fighter has many flaws,and so eloquently puts it across as HOI has done here,it really should be end of thread.Drew also made some superb points and there are other posts which for me,tell it exactly how it is.This thread has done an excellent job of proving that people who know their onions rate Tyson just fine and where he should be rated.
The thing about Tyson(from his fans' point of view) is that no one is asking anyone to rate him outside of his prime years(for me 85-89)
If people are really honest and know anything about the history of elite boxing,they would have Hank Armstrong in the all time top 3 or 4 all day long.Cus made no secret that he tried to model Mike's style on Hank's,and when you wipe out the myth that SRL was a minature Ali(he ****in well wasn't!) then there is probably no more successfull example of a fighter being accurately modelled on another with such devastating results.
For those of us old enough to have witnessed Mike's prime,we were lucky enough to see a young guy absolutely light up the sport,and all this stuff about **** eras is just that.****.
Holmes' and Tyson's eras only seem poor in hindsight,but I remember them being var more vital and interesting than anything in HW boxing since around the turn of the century.If you really want to know how bad the eras were,ask the people who followed boxing when they were happening.I'll bet 99% say both were far better than what's happening now.But Weaver,Dokes,Smith,Tucker and Spinks et al were considered strong opponents and I guarantee you,you could pick five from each era who would absolutely light up the division today.Not saying they would win so the Klithuggers can keep their knickers on.
But they would make the division far more interesting.
And for younger fans who see what Mike did to Spinks,you'd do well to acknowledge that that was a highly anticipated and long awaited match up.
Anyone who's honest will tell you that they thought Spinks had the style and footwork to give Mike by far the toughest night of his career.
Mike's perpetual motion-style and vastly underrated defence make him by far one of the most exciting fighters ever to grace the HW division(and boxing) but most are honest enough to admit he was a shooting star who never gave the world quite as much as it wanted.
But boy,was it fun when he was around.:yep
Best ever? Not in a million years but one of the best things that ever happened to boxing? Without a shadow of a doubt.Even if it was fleeting.

 

And as someone who has only casually followed NBA(I live in a country where indoor lawn bowling is more important than basketball!) and supports the Celtics based purely on the fact that my favourite football(soccer) team are called Celtic(how about that for credentials)
I can say unequivically that you're all wrong.:nono

This is the greatest player of all time;
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULvo7__wwBU&feature=player_detailpage[/ame]

 

Absolutely not!!! He was the most talented Heavyweight ever. Don't let his decline make you forget just how special he was.

 

He was a ****ing animal at his peak. He had his flaws, but he was something special at his best.