Who ranks higher as a heavyweight, Joe Frazier or Mike Tyson?

Those losses to Foreman are bad. Really bad. Tyson would have done better.

 

Frazier.

 

I mean in terms of greatness achieved. Frazier fought & beat better competition in a more competitive era aswll as showed more heart & determination. So in a P4P sense he has a higher standing than Tyson (IMO). However, that doesn't mean he beats Tyson H2H - as I would favour Tyson pretty heavily there.

 

The FOTC win has Frazier above Tyson, for mine. It is probably the greatest of Heavyweight victories, while Frazier's eventual losses were, exclusively, at the hands of Top-10 All-Time Greats.

Tyson probably has a few more rated opponents on his ledger, all-told, but I don't think that's enough to earn him a rating above Frazier's achievements.

 

Bob Foster was trash at heavyweight. That's a throw away win.
Ellis wouldn't even be a heavyweight today and would be Tyson's easiest defense.
Bonavena would struggle in Tyson's era.
Quarry was alright, but not enough to make Frazier's title reign comp the same as Tyson's.

 

Thank you.

 

I will also say this: I can't really fathom having either man more than 1-3 spots higher than the other on a top 10-15 list. Their resumes are awfully close overall.

 

I rate Joe higher in an all time great heavy list but head to head Tyson wins a fight between them. A slow starting Frazier gets stopped by a quick out of the blocks Iron Mike. I rank Frazier higher because I see him giving the likes of prime Ali and Holmes a tougher fight than Tyson would give them.

 

Foreman was probably the second or third most powerful puncher in boxing history, in the absolute prime of his life. Frazier's prime passed with the punishing (for both fighters but especially Joe) FOTC (a fight which featured perhaps the greatest heavyweight performance in history).

Accounting for styles, Tyson might have actually rocked Foreman early on. But he wouldn't have made it past the second round, either.

Mike had only one way of coming in, he had no variations. He never had the ability to change his game plan: if he couldn't succeed at coming straight in (with an admittedly superior defense to Frazier's) he would eventually hold off and be far less effective. Foreman would have simply bullied him into his big punches, and Mike would have been down himself before the first round was over. Unlike Frazier, Mike never ever rallied after being knocked down. He certainly never got right back up, jumping up and down and clapping his gloves together.

Mike also had problems with people who intimidated him right back (see Holyfield stare downs, especially the second fight). Only Sonny Liston was a greater intimidator than Foreman.

Tyson rocks George hard early on (which pisses him off), then he gets floored at least twice on the way to pulverization and accompanying unconsciouness in round 2.

 

How many ATGs under 30 did Tyson beat?

 

Frazier

 

Frazier for me. He had the right opponents at the right time in the best era of heavyweight boxing imo.

 

Tyson should rate higher. Quick name 1 fighter the Frazier beat that Tyson wouldn't and before get smart he's 1-2 vs Ali so Tyson get three tries.

 

And, loses all three.

 

So you think a prime Tyson looses all thee matches from exile Ai. All three times? Could that Ali tie Tyson up? Not in the third or second match. Three chances, I bet Tyson wins one.