Is Mike Tyson a top 10 HW?

Def a top ten. Unfortunately like many champs he didn’t keep his best form to long and he won it real early.

 

Eh. I don't agree but I understand

 

Wait. What? 'Way' higher than Fraizer, higher than Lewis, Holyfield or Liston?
And if he's above them and up with Ali and Bowe, then how is Bowe above those as well?
I hate to see what you top 10 looks like if Tyson is at 11 and he's higher than Lewis, Liston Holyfield and Frazier

 

FOTC win > Tyson's best 5 wins
Fraizer has more heart, Stamina power and a better left hook and infighting.
He also has a much better résumé

KOs are virtually irrelevant in a greatest HW conversation, unless you mean H2H
Which Title defenses don't mean anything in

Lewis dominated a much harder Era than Tyson. And Tyson lost to Douglas in the dead centre of his prime. Lewis also avenged both his loses, Tyson didn't avenge any

Liston, Marciano and Dempsey were just as feared. Ali and Bruno were more charismatic. But all that's irrelevant anyway.

So is Joe Masi, he isn't above them anyway. Bowe has no elite wins other than Holyfield and if you count KOs so much shouldn't a beast like Bowe have KOed a Cruiserweight who is ranked so far below him

Listons pre title career as well as two wins over ATG Heavyweights puts him in the top 15. You have Fraizer below Ezzard Charles at HW? Okay.....

Holyfield's win over Foreman> Any pro win of Tyson's, same with the Bowe win and Tyson himself. Holyfield's résumé trumps any argument Tyson can bring up other than H2H, and if you were using H2H then Fraizer should be higher.

 

I think Mike's top 10. I have him at 8 atm. He could reasonably be placed a little higher or lower anywhere in the 7-10 places for me.

 

his title career was too short to compete with the top atg HWs, even though it was ATG calibre achievement whilst it lasted. So hes borderline.

If you asking (or even still reading my post) then the highest I can put him is 9, and thats being generous. The guys above him have altogether more cohesive and complete careers, ali louis holmes johnson rocky lewis followed by the not quite 100% but still ample careers of foreman frazier dempsey. But I think Holy might be above him too, which pushes tyson into 10th or even out of the top ten if you consider a few more old timers.

 

H2h yes. Prime Tyson was one of the most formiddable fighting machines ever.

Resume absolutely not. My criteria is that WHO you beat for the title is just as important as winning the titles. Bruno, Berbick, and Tucker were good, quality wins over prime heavies and Tyson looked like "the goods" fot a while. Spinx was undefeated but he was a light heavy most his career and was terrified and only beat 1 credible HW opponent (an older holmes). Getting undisputed at such a young age was impressive but he fizzled out and faded to bolivion as soon as the division started heating up when we could see him actually be challenged. We saw a glimpse with Ruddock and douglas but then it all went downhill from there.

Failing to avenge any of his losses or become #1 in the division ever again severely hurts his legacy. He's 2-4 against the best fighters he faced. Those arent good stats. You cant only focus on one small portion of his career and ignore his shortcomings when the discussion is about legacy and resume.

 

I have Tyson at #7 on my all time list.

1. Joe Louis
2. Muhammad Ali
3. George Foreman
4. Evander Holyfield
5. Larry Holmes
6. Joe Frazier
7. Mike Tyson

My list is a combination of achievement and h2h, and at the end of the day just the opinion of someone who’s watched the sport for almost 40 years.

List are 100% subjective, no one in my eyes is “wrong” it’s just opinions.

 

A lock for Top 10. Etched in stone. I have him at #6 below Marciano and right above Lennox Lewis.

 

Fighters in those interviews always are complementary and friendly towards other fighters. I don’t think any of those guys (Frazier, Norton, Louis) had the power , speed nor the guile to keep a prime Tyson off of them during the onslaught of the first 6 to 7 rounds. It’s strange how Lewis has his whole legacy built off of beating a severely faded version of Tyson but he gets no credit for beating Holmes in a way he’s never been beaten before or since. Cleans out the division by age 21 and becomes champ again after 3 yrs in prison. He transcends boxing like a Ali a generation before.

Ali, Foreman, Liston (maybe), and Holyfield have the best H2H shot. I think Holyfield would’ve got knocked out in 1991 by round 7 or 8.

 

he beat tucker, man whats your issue. You want to pretend a win was a loss?

His legacy fights as beating all the world champions is excellent, he just wasnt able to maintain it in the 2nd half of his career. Poor longevity is what you mean, not pretending he ducked all the big fights. He did fine in the big fights when he wasnt ruined.

However my position rank is the same as yours, no worries there, good man.

 

what are you talking about, he was stopping titlists.

all the top ten stop low levellers all the top 100 do in fact, what you wrote means nothing.

 

I said I think Tyson was perhaps the best at blowing out fringe level contenders, this does not mean he did not fight good contenders, like Tucker or Smith who went 12, or Thomas which might be his best win.

To be in the top ten, I think you need a long period of time on top, which Tyson didn't have, or to win at least one legacy fight and that's the problem for Tyson. He's best remembered for getting pounded by Douglas, and losing badly to Holyfield and Lewis.