Mike Tyson, Top Ten Worthy?

Why was his run to the title best and most emphatic ?
If we're counting Berbick as his assumption to the throne, he really hadn't done much before that, a nicely orchestrated run and hype train but not good in terms of eliminating proper contenders.

 

great fighter but a wasted talent, for that crime he goes outside top 10.

 

A uniquely modern issue, I guess it depend where you put the start date, Berbick or Spinks. To placate both sides of the issue, lets say, "a better run to and through the title".... Liston certainly had a great run to the title but nothing afterward. Dempsey had a rather inflated run to the title (sprinkled with losses and otherwise highly orchestrated) and wrote the blueprint for title conservation.

Tyson cleaned out the division in three years. It was quite an accomplishment. Just because he was a prodigy with a style and physical attributes that pretty much ensured a short prime (with or without his mental deficiencies), we should not overlook his dramatic reshaping of the division.

 

Tyson had a good run. I'm prepared to say Berbick's WBC title was credible enough, and thereafter Tyson was "champion", more or less. And he beat 3 rival 'champions' after that anyway.

He "cleaned out" the division, you can say, but he was dethroned by an ordinary contender who had been knocking about the rankings for a little bit longer than him. While #1 contender Holyfield was waiting for his shot. What constitutes "cleaning out", I don't know. I'm not sure Tyson did it. It might be impossible to do it in 3 years anyway, to be fair.
I see a better argument for someone like Wlad "cleaning out", since we can see 'waves' or 'generations' of contenders come and go while Wlad reign. But then of course, he never faced his brother.

 

I agree with much of what your wrote.

IMO Tyson's best wins are:

Bruno
Ruddock
Holmes
Tucker
Thomas

The main problem is non of these guys are near hall of fame level, except for Holmes who was older and inactive. Tyson time on top was also rather short. He was also a front runner type, who showed poor intangibles when things were not going his way.

Tyson lost his legacy fight to Lewis and Holyfield, and they were not even close. Had Tyson performed a bit better I think his standing would be higher.

Mix in the upset loss to Douglas who on that night was better than anyone Tyson defeated and you have to say Tyson is not in the top ten. I have him just outside the top ten, Top 11-15 for me.

You could, however, rate him #1 of all time vs Grade B opposition and below.

 

I love the fact that op missed out Lennox Lewis.

Is it because Tyson and Lewis resumes are nearly identical?

That wouldn't suit the agenda then would it?

 

I think Berbick is his best win, followed by Tucker.

 

Mike had a grouping of some very impressive wins in his first career...

The first, only and brutal stoppage of Holmes, who had never before nor never would again be stopped.

The absolute destruction of the undefeated Spinks who had just slain his own giant in ****ey.

The first KO of Tony Tubbs, only his second loss.

Tyson's resume is far from perfect. But where he shined, he shined incredibly brightly. I have a hard time naming the 10 heavies who would cut in front of him.

 

Tyson did a job on Holmes but it wasn't a great win.
Same with Spinks really.

The Tubbs KO, with hindsight, might actually be as good or better than both those.
But as with most of Tyson's opponents, Tubbs wasn't coming to the fight with any good recent form. And his trainer walked out a week before the fight saying Tubbs hadn't trained.

If we look for the fighters who had actually done something recently, Berbick might be the best qualified, or else it's Tucker.
Smith and Ruddock are there too.
Douglas was actually coming off some solid wins too, but then he smashed Tyson to bits, didn't he.

 

How many wins over hall of fame level opponents do the Klits have ?

 

But Lewis kicked Tyson's ass, that kind of matters.

 

1.Ali
2.Louis
3.Marciano
4.Foreman
5.Holmes
6.Lewis
7.Wlad
8.Liston
9.Holyfield
10.Frazier
11.Tyson or Vitali.

 

I would put Frazier. Move some names around.

 

Maybe its a 3 way tie with Vitali and Tyson.

 

If you look at the Ring ratings in 1986 tyson beat I think 8 guys on there within 3 years. In 1987 it had gone down to 6. I think the only heavyweight champions who match that (and this is just off the top of my head, I could be missing someone) are Louis in the '30s and Ali in the 70s.

I think you could reasonably call that cleaning out the division.