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

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by mark ant, Apr 4, 2022.

  1. ironchamp

    ironchamp Boxing Addict Full Member

    Joined:
    Sep 5, 2004
    Messages:
    6,365
    Likes Received:
    1,032
    Little known fact but Tyson topped the p4p lists in 87, 88 and 89 ahead of some very esteemed fighters from lower divisions.
     
    Sangria likes this.
  2. Bulldog24

    Bulldog24 Boxing Junkie Full Member

    Joined:
    Aug 2, 2013
    Messages:
    11,184
    Likes Received:
    3,992
    Indeed. Though one magazine, KO I think, had Nunn #1 and Chavez #2 at one point (around spring ‘89)
     
  3. JackSilver

    JackSilver Boxing Addict Full Member

    Joined:
    Jun 24, 2017
    Messages:
    5,005
    Likes Received:
    4,839
    Nah. It's well known that Tyson was the last heavyweight to top the pound for pound lists
     
  4. JackSilver

    JackSilver Boxing Addict Full Member

    Joined:
    Jun 24, 2017
    Messages:
    5,005
    Likes Received:
    4,839
    I think you're wrong. Number ones remain at number one they lose.Tyson would have been number one until he lost to Douglas in 90.
     
    Sangria and ironchamp like this.
  5. RulesMakeItInteresting

    RulesMakeItInteresting Boxing Junkie Full Member

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2019
    Messages:
    8,615
    Likes Received:
    11,432
    I think you'll agree Spinks only won that second fight on paper, and even the first was really close (though even I, Holmes' biggest fan scored it one point in favor of Spinks).
     
  6. choklab

    choklab cocoon of horror Full Member

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2009
    Messages:
    27,673
    Likes Received:
    7,639
    Tucker Totally underwhelmed as a Pro. Nobody knew who Tucker was even by the time he was selected to meet Billy Douglas’s son for the title stripped from Michael Spinks. And nobody really cared either. The idea was win or lose everyone was going to get fed to Tyson anyway. Boxing had decided upon Tyson as the guy who was going to clean up. The TV and governing bodies were all bending backwards to make it happen. This was an exciting time. But looking back… I wish things had played out differently. More even handedly for the Tyson challengers. Tucker didn’t get a chance to establish himself as the IBF champion. He was already contracted to meet Tyson. Same with Smith. Both knew their next fight was with Mike Tyson. The kid kept busy while a lot of the division had been mothballed or rendered disillusioned from previous alphabetical politics.
     
  7. he grant

    he grant Historian/Film Maker

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2008
    Messages:
    25,217
    Likes Received:
    9,044
    I disagree completely .. People wrote off the Berbick loss to Thomas being too distracted doing too many things . a singer, a musician, a film. maker an athlete .. He was caught on a night unfocused by a highly motivated Berbick .. Before that he beat Witherspoon more convincingly than Holmes did and defended by KO over Weaver .. even in the loss he didn't take punishment .. as far as off drugs , on drugs , that's the story of the guys while career and who knows .. Tyson, even in his prime partied like a wild man too .. it was the era .. in addition, Tyson didn;'t just beat him he beat him up, knocking out a very tough guy with a terrific chin .. Thomas was ruined by that loss ..
     
  8. choklab

    choklab cocoon of horror Full Member

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2009
    Messages:
    27,673
    Likes Received:
    7,639
    Tyson ruined Thomas, but pinklon was already long removed from a decent win. The Weaver fight was a long ways away from the Tyson fight. Thomas had not look anywhere near as good since. The Berbick loss was quite gruelling for Thomas. He was a tough guy but in relation to where his career was when he fought Tyson, pinklin was no longer the man who beat Witherspoon more convincingly than Larry Holmes had.
     
  9. mark ant

    mark ant Canelo was never athletic Full Member

    Joined:
    May 4, 2017
    Messages:
    36,654
    Likes Received:
    16,551
    Smith just held the whole fight, it was awful.
     
    choklab likes this.
  10. mark ant

    mark ant Canelo was never athletic Full Member

    Joined:
    May 4, 2017
    Messages:
    36,654
    Likes Received:
    16,551
    Who`s? The ring mag only started to compile a list of the top 10 p4p fighters each month in 1989.
     
  11. mark ant

    mark ant Canelo was never athletic Full Member

    Joined:
    May 4, 2017
    Messages:
    36,654
    Likes Received:
    16,551
    Which magazines? He was p4p no.1 in the ring mag in 1989, that`s when that mag started to compile P4P lists in every new edition of that mag.
     
  12. NoNeck

    NoNeck Pugilist Specialist

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2012
    Messages:
    25,583
    Likes Received:
    16,498
    KO
     
    ironchamp, mark ant and Sangria like this.
  13. LoadedGlove

    LoadedGlove Boxing Addict Full Member

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2019
    Messages:
    3,527
    Likes Received:
    4,281
    Thomas was the first opponent who made Tyson look flawed during the early rounds of their fight. Had Pinklon not been cocaine dependent at the time, he may have taken Mike a lot deeper.
     
  14. Sangria

    Sangria You bleed like Mylee Full Member

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2010
    Messages:
    9,016
    Likes Received:
    3,813
    KO. Plus, The Ring had year end voting polls as Hagler was #1 and won in the P4P category in 1986.

    Tyson won in 87, 88 and 89 and was still #6 in 1990 and 1991.
     
    ironchamp and NoNeck like this.
  15. catchwtboxing

    catchwtboxing Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2014
    Messages:
    26,556
    Likes Received:
    35,054
    Pound for pound, Spinks. In absolute terms, Tucker.

    Shout to Thomas, but I think he was already used up by the drugs.
     
    choklab likes this.