Tyson is not the greatest HW of all time, probably the bottom halve of the top 10. That being said he is my all time favorite fighter.
His style is impetuous. A beast in his prime & always good for a quote or some crazy/illegal antics. His celebrity eclipsed his achievments but he was good for the game & seriously good at his best.
Even with his erratic behaviour, crazy private life, manic depression, blood sucking wife and mother in law, death of his mentor, negative entourage incarceration and 12923235 other things, Tyson accomplished A LOT. He´s a 2 time heavyweight champion of the world. People can say his reign came in a weak era, but I think the people Tyson fought were a little (not much) better fighters than recent Klitschkos defenses. The problem is: Tyson was THE MOST HYPED BOXER OF ALL TIME. In 1986, boxing experts said he could be the BEST HW EVER. It´s like the months prior to Star Wars Episode I premiere. It was IMPOSSIBLE to live up to that kind of hype.
Yes he is quite over-rated by the general population. The majority of his record was built around beating nobodies. When he stepped up and faced Holyfield,we saw what happened. He was a fine fighter. A good world champ, but certainly not an all time great. The aggression and big knockouts made him stand out.
So you are telling me that if you ask 10 people from the general public whos the best boxer/ or heaveyweight of all time at least half of them would not say Tyson?
Joe Calzaghe or others don't get the same treatment... just like them he fought bums until he stepped up and lost vs the Elite/not so Elite (Douglas)
:good Im not nocking Tyson, he was a great boxer, a definate all time great. But i think it was more the aura about him that carries him, he was more of an event. De la hoya gets stick for loosing all his big fights why not Tyson