Yes or No: Usyk would have beat every opponent Tyson faced pre-Douglas.

Does the forum agree or disagree with this take? I am not arguing that Usyk would have beaten Tyson, but I will say Usyk would have cleared the gauntlet and would beat all of Mike's 37 wins where he was considered to be in his prime.

I'd even pick him to beat Buster in Tokyo.

 

To write off Spinks so callously is either ignorant or disrespectful to the art itself.

 

I think greats of one era generally would beat non -greats of other eras so I will say yes. The Holmes who fought Tyson was not the best version of Larry and Michael Spinks was an all-time great fighter but was just a good heavyweight champion. Usyk goes undefeated against this group.

So the answer above is what I posted yesterday .... and now there is this.

I am going to add a caveat to the equation. Just taking the ten fights before Douglas, Iron Mike fought Trevor Berbick through Carl "The Truth" Williams over a 32 month period. I don't believe Usyk could beat all of these guys over the same timeline.

Iron Mike didn't get hit much and fought less than 52 rounds during the ten fights. Usyk is not a big puncher at the weight and there is a reasonable chance he would have had to fight a high majority of the 123 scheduled rounds. Guys like Pinklon Thomas, Tony Tucker and one or two others could very conceivably have found a way to beat Usyk.

 

Berbick would be a rough night for Usyk similar to Chisora, and fighters like Tucker who was a tall very durable Heavyweight would be interesting as would the Tokyo version of Douglas.

I would say Usyk would be the favourite against Tyson's opposition yes but it's not a certainty he would go undefeated.

 

Absolutely he beats them. Spinks would be a little tricky for the first few but Usyk would still decode him by the 5th or 6th and start pouring it on for a late stoppage or UD.

 

Yes but Tyson smashes him to pieces

 

No. Tucker unlike current fury had an iron chin and legs for 12 rounds. Tucker of the tyson fight is criminally underrated because of his 3 year coke binge afterwards and the way his career went after that. He hit Tyson with triple left hooks and ducked under Tysons overhand right as a 6'5 man. Extremely athletic.

The others are fights Usyk has a very good chance of winning.

 

Tucker would be Usyk's toughest opponent.

I think Tucker can potentially beat Usyk when he's at his best. He's got the size, the speed and enough skills.

 

I'm saying yes.

 

In a God fearing world you would be brought to the pain for this comment..

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Not sure about that.

I could see Pinklon Thomas, Carl Williams, Berbick, Bonecrusher, Tucker giving him trouble, maybe he loses to one of these. And Spinks would be a really tough match up, and possibly that old version of Holmes too.

 

He hasn't got the wins to be "criminally underrated." C'mon, now. This is the Tysonfan narrative, kind of like Corrie Sanders to Vitali Klitschko, or Ortiz to Wilder.

He was a promising heavyweight who managed a good win against Douglas, when Douglas, who was ahead on cards, gassed and got himself stopped. More power to Tucker, but that doesn't make him the bogeyman.

 

In the same timeframe?

Fighting 38 times in 6 years?

Fighting twice in 1989. 3 times in 1988. 4 times in 1987? Fighting 13 times in 1986 the year he won the title?

AND…..PUNCHING ALMOST ALL THOSE PEOPLE KTFO?!

I don’t know…….how do you think Usyk would have done in comparison?