Tyson may have said his tough guy image was fake. I don't see what that has to do with the price of plums, anyway. Surely we're on about real performances not exaggerated personae. Okay, Tyson never turned a losing fight against top opposition. So what? Who did? Dempsey? Louis (Billy Conn was a smallish LHW)? Marciano (yes, he came from behind against Walcott and Charles but he was an attrition fighter - he didn't turn fights around by doing anything different - and was never in a hopeless position in either fight.)? Liston? Frazier? Holmes? Lewis? Finally, saying you don't 'rate with Ali' in terms of will to win does not automatically mean you, therefore, don't rate with the will of other ATGs, as you suggest. It simply means you don't rate with Ali. Nothing else is implied. Throughout the history of the sport - what little I know of it, anyway - there have been fewer examples of a greater, or even equal, will than Ali's. It was almost supernatural and is held in that regard by most fighters. For a fighter as respectful of boxing history as Tyson was, the comment is only to be expected but I wouldn't take it to mean all other ATGs. I would imagine Tyson considered their wills, while extraordinary, to be more in a mortal stratosphere and may not be so ready to be so self-effacing if asked to compare his with theirs.
Dempsey’s koed top contender Jack Sharkey in a fight he was losing, and badly hurt. Louis came back against No 1 contender Conn and leading contender Walcott. Marciano came back in a bout for the hwt championship of the world to KO Walcott and Charles. No one historically questions these fighters guts, will to win, heart, courage, killer instinct. I won’t debate well understood boxing history with you. Tyson’s lack of strong willpower is well understood and it’s why he is not ranked higher. Period. Tyson himself understands what were his limitations.
Would Tyson ever be behind against Conn or Sharkey? Don't blame Mike for winning the fights he won by not relinquishing his lead. It's like those whp criticize him for not having late round KO's because he finished so many of his opponents so early.
Written by the poster who stated that an unproven Kovalev would KO Dempsey, Marciano and Joe Louis. The reason Tyson is not rated higher all time is his lack of a strong will to win, lack of a plan B, inability to turn around a losing fight against the best opposition. Tyson’s limitations are well known even by Tyson himself. ATG status is judged just as much by how you perform in tough losing bouts as those that are first round KO’s
Tyson was held and clinched inside by big men like Tucker 6'5" 221lbs and Smith. 6'4" 233lbs just trying to survive. Marciano was beating up older men 6ft and under 200lbs. Do you think Marciano would dominate superheavyweights inside?
Matchups are prime for prime unless otherwise stipulated.Louis was 27 when Conn befuddled him for 13 rds. Tyson was in jail then.
I'm not confident that Conn could get outta the first 5 rounds past Tyson tbh .Gut feeling that he'd hurt Conn early and Billy try s firing back ..bad mistake .
Mike would have been knocked stupid by that uppercut...I just don't see Mike doing very well there. The first time Mike tries to get inside....just picture it. Ow!
People were saying Louis had slowed before the fight happened, which is why some were picking Conn. Dempsey had had a three year layoff, before fighting Tunney, Sharkey then Tunney again, before which he'd injured his hip falling out of the ring against Firpo. Of course comparing past it Louis and shot Dempsey with prime Tyson flatters Tyson. It's silly to punish Louis for not imploding by comparing his post prime performances, with other fighters in their prime.
