Why Tyson was the greatest ever in his "prime"

I completely agree with you, Tyson lost his defence and just wanted to walk through his opponents, which prooved a big mistake against douglas

 

If there was a boxing off between the top 15 ATG heavyweight fighters of all time, I have no doubt that Tyson would finish in the top 5. As to exactly where, I have no idea. But I would say the other four would likely be Foreman, Ali, Lewis, and Holmes, with potentially Liston or Louis, replacing one of these four.

 

Let's get real! We're talking a prime of what? 3 years maybe? Unless a guy dies in a car crash or something that's just too short, let say what's staring us in our faces's...he intimidated the hell out of people for three years and then got found out. When someone stood up to him he didn't like it and quickly deteriorated as a fighter, when he was what 24 maybe? Maybe his legacy as a fighter is top 20 as he won a couple of decent fights in the early 90's as well. Definately a good fighter, great at a push, the greatest...no chance, not in a million years.

 

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Not 1 heavyweight of all times could tko an undefeated beast in big Goerge Foreman not name Ali.

 

I think you have mis-understood what this thread is about. It isn't about Tyson's all time ranking as a heavyweight, he did not achieve enough in his career to be ranked as high as others before him and perhaps even after him.
It's about wether any other heavyweight could have handled him in his prime, his prime being before 88 and his split with Rooney and the other things in his personal life that had an effect on him as a fighter.
In some respects he was a bully and he did intimidate his opponents but by the time "He got found out" as you put it, he had lost a lot of the skills which had served him so well before. Like I said earlier in this thread people seem to forget what a great Defensive as well as Offensive fighter he was.
Just go back and watch some of his earlier fights pre Bruno, his opponents could hardly land a punch on him never mind a meaningful one.

 

prime 100% motivated tyson, pre his mental and psychological meltdown, pre believeing the hype train and relying on power all the time, pre the lazy training and reliance on the aura of tyson....that tyson, maybe the guy who beat up tyrell biggs, a beating i remember as poetic brutality beats 90% of heavyweights 90% of the time.....a marauding, powerful, fast tyson in his ubeaten and unbeatable mental state would give most h/w fits...and i include lewis in this...he may never rank as an atg when his carrer is looked at overall, too brief, too inconsistent, too many flaws..but for that brief time when iron mike was the most dangerous man on the planet, he ruled the heavyweights like no one before or since has..period..

 

This, in essence. The scared and past it Spinks that night would have been finished early by a long list of great heavyweight fighters.

Mike had skills. It doesnt take somebody who knows boxing to see he was a tremendous talent. But he had weakness. "Prime" Tyson had flaws that great fighters could have exploited. Tyson didn't fight many great fighters in their respective primes. He overwhelmed a weak heavyweight division.

Head to head, he is very, very strong, however. Tuned like a machine. That kid was bred to be a great fighter.