Did people project Spink's greatness onto Mike Tyson?

Well, that isn't even true.

By 83, Saad, Mustafa, Scott, Lopez, Kates, etc were no longer factors.

Spinks list of challengers is pretty weak.

Spinks peaked just after a really good era in the division.

 

There were definitely those willing to pick Spinks.

 

Tyson did clean out the heavyweight division.

He beat the champs (WBC champ Berbick/WBA champ Smith/IBF champ Tucker/lineal champ Spinks) He destroyed the former champs (Holmes and Tubbs). He destroyed the #1 contenders (Thomas, Biggs, Bruno, Williams).

Mike Tyson was great. Spinks, too.

 

Mike was probably the greatest pressure fighter of all time. Incredibly powerful, fast , skilled and intimidating. He also simply had aloy of star power and was just downright entertaining to watch even when he'd lose

 

True. Tyson went thru a stale division like a scythe just when it was needed. Cleaned it out in no time in the most impressive of fashion.

 

No if anything the fact that tyson beat him so easily makes the win less meaningful in some peoples eyes. Ironically, If tyson had struggled more with Holmes and Spinks the way marciano did some people here would have been more impressed