did you guys see Teddy Atlas with Skip Bayless saying Mike was overrated?

Hm, well depends who you ask. I think he is a lock for the Top15 at hw. I have him at 7. Is that overrating him? Perhaps. He doesn´t have many wins over big names and the one he does have was past it - Holmes. But he cleaned out the division in his 80s. Had a decent reign, longevity afterwards, was dominant and the second youngest hw champ ever. Enough to rank him that high IMO.

 

Who is Tyson best win against? Then compare it to some of Lewis's best wins, Holyfields or even Bowe's. Does beating Razor Ruddock, a 38-year old Holmes or Spinks compare to:

Lewis beating: Evander or Vitali
Holyfield beating: Bowe (1)
Bowe beating: Holyfield (2)

The 3 guys above all have superior "best" wins that Tyson and Tyson lost to the two of them he fought. Look, Tyson was the youngest HW champ in history for that I give him huge credit (and rightfully so) but he does not have the resume of a top 10 HW no matter how it is spun.

 

Why is Lennox's win in he which struggled with a 37 year Holyfield, being listed as one of the best wins :huh

 

Tyson beat the following champs/ex-champs

Trevor Berbick
Bonecrusher Smith
Pinklon Thomas
Tony Tucker
Larry Holmes
Tony Tubbs
Mike Spinks
Frank Bruno
Bruce Seldon
Francois Botha

He had as destructive a run towards the title as any champ who ever lived, better than Dempsey, as good as Liston.

 

And there was Brian Nielsen, who held the IBO title ! :rofl

 

I was going by quality of opponent and the point was furthered when you consider that Tyson lost to Evander twice. Admittedly not the best choice but you see where I was going with it.

 

no it wasn't, Holyfield was 34 when he beat Mike not 37.

 

Bayless was a sports wirter for the Dallas Morning News...and a radio show host for one of the first All-Sports radio stations in Dallas.....about 25 years ago.

He was always making outrageous statements just to be "controversial".

He finally left town and nobody has really missed him since.

 

So I guess we can add John Ruiz to the list because he beat Evander right around the time Lewis did too. atsch

 

He's an annoying *****, though his brother is a great food writer/chef.

 

I don't agree with Atlas a fight begins when there is resistance. If Tyson knocks out a great fighter in one round it shows he is great. Whether a fighter takes resistance is one aspect. But if Julian Jackson can knock out Terry Norris in 2 rounds and not take punches in return, how does that make Julian less great. I am not sure I get what Atlas is saying. The fighter is only great if he can take punches and then come back? Then Foreman against Ali would not have been seen as great regardless of beating Frazier or Norton.

 

and that list of guys Tyson beat were the top guys and champs on the 1980s and I put Tyson in the top 10 probably near 7 or 8.. Atlas is being unfair to Mike. Mike's win over Holmes was great since no one since then demolished Holmes like that even ten years later

 

I will say this that Spinks fight made no sense at all. I was sure spinks could go some rounds and land the right hand and maybe stop Mike. Mike never fought Witherspoon did he? That guy would have been tough.

 

A voice of reason in a wilderness of morons.

Mike is being criminally under-rated by those who have no perspective on the sport. His greatest crime was an intermittent and growing disinterest in the sport and trying to drag a style meant for short-term success into a decade-plus career. However, what he accomplished during his prime years was astounding and with little corollary in this history of the division.

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I054QXn1xS8[/ame]

:good