Mike Tyson had a better career than Larry Holmes.

You rule, NoNeck.

 

Calling bunch of paper titlists with 0 title defences "reigning champions" is a hell of a stretch.

 

Holmes is one of the greatest so get over it! And in his prime probably no one beats him

 

Spinks lost his claim when he ducked out of the HBO tourney and didn't face his IBF mandatory #1 contender in Tony Tucker. You live by the IBF rules, you die by the IBF rules. You need to play by the rules in every sport on the planet.

Spinks lost all credibility. Magazines and fans do not make a fighter a champion. Organizations do, despite how corrupt they can be. But that's always been the case with boxing. Take it or leave it.

Tyson was the official undisputed heavyweight champion. Youngest ever. It's in the record books. It's official. Your opinion and belief on the matter isn't official. Feelings are trumped by facts every...single...time!

 

This is my top argument as well. Patterson won the vacant title from a guy who lost his last fight! Patterson's claim is far weaker than Tyson's. But they're official, by the same alphabet groups that Tyson picked up one by one at a younger age than Patterson.

We need to go by what is official.

 

We've both been around this place for some time and the 80's group of heavies get **** on by people with an ulterior motive. It was a time of really big heavies who were powerful and could stick n' move. They were mobile. It was a talent laden division coming off the deepest and best amateur boxing program America had ever seen.

 

Larry beat Bonecrusher and Berbick, lol. And beat Bey who beat Page as well. So again, you failed miserably.

 

It's not tho. Tyson's claim was disputed, Spinks was the reigning lineal champion, so Floyd Patterson is still the youngest undisputed heavyweight champion.

 

Lineage becomes totally meaningless if lineal champs don't conduct themselves as champions and fight the best. Towards the end of his reign Holmes was blatantly ducking the best and taking easy fights. Thus making his claim to lineage meaningless. Spinks also took very easy fights after beating Holmes making the lineal claim even more suspect.

 

Just like Fury's lineal status now is meaningless although if he beats Usyk that alters things.

 

Yeah Fury needs to beat Usyk for his lineal claim to be taken seriously. But Fury has also fought very infrequently and largely avoided good opponents. If he was consistently fighting the best realistically he would probably have several losses and the punishment he absorbed would probably have shortened his career considerably.