Would a prime Mike Tyson lose to any of the current top heavyweights?

You are giving someone whose best win is a come from behind KO of Douglas a 100% chance of beating Wilder. If we're going to be somewhat balanced here for a moment it is quite clear that this is badly overrating him.

 

Those biceps are giving Mike a lot of mileage...

 

It's equally simplistic to say "Bruno badly rocked Tyson so AJ would bust a hole in him". Your method of analysis actually undervalues Tyson if applied to different moments in his career.
i.e. Povetkin being a poor man's Tyson and 'getting to AJ' means nothing when Bruno 'got to' Tyson but is a poor man's AJ.

I hesitate to point out that life (and specifically boxing) is more complicated than that obtuse analysis because then 95% of the posters on this forum would have nothing to do. Sorry guys.

 

Does Wilder have a win on a par with Tucker's best outing?
Seems to me that one need not overrate Tucker to consider him a favorite over Wilder.

 

I hear what you are saying. But, conversely, I believe Deontay Wilder's best "Win" is a come from behind draw against a Tyson Fury who had to overcome drug issues and 100 plus pound weight loss just to get anywhere near fighting fit. And, although I agree that Tyson Fury is much fitter than he looks, that is not the same thing as saying that he is supremely fit. Fury's pace in both the Wilder and Klitshscko fights is far from impressive. He only throws about 25 punches per round.

 

I think that's a valid argument if you're giving Tucker a good chance or even making him a favorite, but saying there is "no chance" that Wilder wins is another thing completely.

 

He didn't just make Tucker a favorite, he gave Wilder "zero chance". That's quite silly, and would be even if Wilder's reach, explosiveness and brutal punch didn't give him a chance against anyone while he's still vertical.

 

Wilder's best win is a TKO of Ortiz.
Tucker's best win was a TKO of Douglas.
That's about equal.

 

There's always a puncher's chance so, whilst I have no qualms about someone having zero doubt about their back, I'd personally always reserve some room, however small, for uncertainty. That said, we just watched Wilder get made to look a bit of a Joey, for the bulk of a 12-round bout, against a guy who was really having his first serious pro contest, in 3 years of bad living.

Tucker was neither stopped by Tyson nor Lewis, the only defeats he suffered within the frame of his meaningful career. He was tough enough and, in his prime, lithe enough, to cause Wilder all manner of problems. Whilst one could be considered guilty of underrating Wilder (rather than overrating Tucker in this match-up), my own view is that it would be fairly difficult to underrate Wilder, at this point.

 

That was nowhere near a prime Lewis you dumb dumb.......

 

Tucker might well be troublesome for Wilder, but giving Wilder zero chance is something I just can't take seriously. That's Tyson's biceps talking, not common sense.

 

Well - I'd probably have to disagree with you there.

Ortiz was an over-aged, overweight, slow-as-molasses flatfoot, who had not beaten anyone (and is not likely to) and, despite all these handicaps, still gave Wilder a scare.

Douglas was in his prime and few years away from being the first man to beat Mike Tyson.

No comparison, from where I'm standing.

 

I think I've already agreed that point.

 

Disagree strongly. He’s better than anyone Tyson ever beat and so is his best opponent Klitschko.

I think his blend of great height, fast feet, awkward style and great mental toughness/chin is a tough out for Tyson. Fury is smart and good defensively too. It’s not inconceivable that Fury would be heavily favored in this mythical match in the future but I still want to see some more fights and a lengthy reign to make a more accurate pick.

I’d give Joshua a good chance but favor Tyson there too. Wilder would be cannon fodder.

 

Douglas was just two years removed from losing to Jesse Ferguson.
I followed boxing in both eras and Douglas wasn't highly regarded at all, going in to the Tucker fight.
In fact, he wasn't particularly highly regarded at all until he beat Tyson. And then, hey presto, he wasn't highly regarded ever again when Holyfield stopped him.
Douglas's best win prior to the Tucker fight was over Greg Page, who had lost 3 of his previous 4 fights !
... or a win over Tex Cobb ?