Excluding Holmes and Ruddock, who was the best boxer that Mike Tyson defeated?

A lot of those were TKOs over mediocre opponents, and many of the opponents were on their feet. He didn't ko very many legitimate world class opponents. He hits hard enough to get your respect but he isn't remotely a power puncher.

 

Bruno definitely wobbled him a bit there. Tyson was pretty durable, so that must have been a real good shot. Bruno could bang for sure.

 

To me the Holmes victory wasn't earth-shaking, though I'm first to admit it was pretty damn impressive how Larry never got stopped again or before (even past the age of 50, which is pretty ****ing amazing). I would bet that Holmes would have stopped him in 10 back in the late 70s, early 80s. Even the guy who knocked the **** out of Tex Cobb would have beat Mike imo.

Mike beat a Berbick who was coming off a career-best win over a prime Thomas (he beat prime Page, too); an undefeated and no-joke-at-all Tony Tucker; a history making Michael Spinks (got to give him credit for beating the seemingly unbeatable Holmes that first time, though he didn't exactly look brilliant doing it); a 29 year old Pinklon Thomas (does anyone really believe Pinky didn't have much left in the tank at that point?)...

...all of those victories were superior to beating a just-turned-grandpa, 38 year old, 20 months out the ring Holmes in my humble opinion

That said, no one can take away what Mike accomplished overall in the 80s, he was absolutely sensational.

 

Stop, ffs just stop.

 

Truth hurts pal.

 

Tyson KOed Thomas pretty much one year after Thomas , uninspired , lost a close and sluggish decision to a motivated Berbick. Going into that fight many felt Thomas was the best heavyweight in the world. Tyson’s KO victory was a very big win. Tyson broke him.

 

Holmes was on fire the night he beat Cobb. That was an impressive performance. I think you could count the number of punches Cobb actually landed on one hand.

I think that guy could have taken Tokyo Tyson.

 

Going into the Berbick fight people might have thought Thomas was the best heavyweight in the world…but coming out of it nobody did. So coming out of it, Thomas had not done anything since then. No form at contender level. In fact the last name fighter Thomas beat going into the Tyson fight was still Mike Weaver, the fight previous to the Berbick loss. And that took place around the time Tyson was turning professional. Mike was fighting a guy who had not beaten a good fighter the whole time Tyson had been professional.

Is there another situation like this where a champion has a win over a guy who has not beat a good fighter throughout the duration of the champions career and it’s regarded as a good win?

when Ali fought Patterson, Floyd was coming off fight of the year. Nobody calls the Patterson win anything like one of Ali’s top wins.

Holmes beat Leon right after Spinks had some decent wins. Nobody calls that a top win either.

a challenger is only as good as his last win. Too many of Tysons challengers were not earning their shot with wins over world level opposition

If we look at the progress Tyson had made in the time his challengers last had a win worth anything we can see a lot of these key wins were almost set ups against severely disadvantaged opponents

 

But Berbick had just beaten Thomas earning his shot, Smith had a 1st round KO over Tim Witherspoon surely that counts for something.

 

Tyson beat the best possible versions of Berbick and Smith since both were coming off their career best wins. So I rate the Berbick win as one of Tysons best. The smith win was a bad fight. Not so much Tyson’s fault. But he still beat the best version of Smith.

Tyson beat the best version of Tyrell Biggs. Ruined him as a fighter.

In that regard that’s a better win than beating Thomas, Tubbs, Holmes and even Michael Spinks.

who knows what Biggs might have become without that? Surly he could have been a Greg Page at least?

 

I think Mike Tyson at his best defeated undefeated Michael Spinks in June 1988, Spinks went undefeated at light heavyweight, was champion of that division. He then defeated IBF Champion Larry Holmes in Sept 1985, then repeated that feat in April 1986. Tyson put Spinks away early to dispel any notion that Spinks was the real champion, total domination by Tyson.

 

⠟⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠛⢻⣿ ⡆⠊⠈⣿⢿⡟⠛⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣎⠈⠻ ⣷⣠⠁⢀⠰⠀⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠟⠋⠛⠛⠿⠿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⢹⣿⡑⠐⢰ ⣿⣿⠀⠁⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⠟⡩⠐⠀⠀⠀⠀⢐⠠⠈⠊⣿⣿⣿⡇⠘⠁⢀⠆⢀ ⣿⣿⣆⠀⠀⢤⣿⣿⡿⠃⠈⠀⣠⣶⣿⣿⣷⣦⡀⠀⠀⠈⢿⣿⣇⡆⠀⠀⣠⣾ ⣿⣿⣿⣧⣦⣿⣿⣿⡏⠀⠀⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆⠀⠀⠐⣿⣿⣷⣦⣷⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆⠀⢰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆⠀⣾⣿⣿⠋⠁⠀⠉⠻⣿⣿⣧⠀⠠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡀⣿⡿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⢿⣿⠀⣺⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⣠⣂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣁⢠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⣄⣤⣤⣔⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿

 

Pinklon was on magazine pound-for-pound lists in 85-86.

 

Tucker was touted as the guy to beat Stevenson in the ams