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

He wasn't cocaine dependent.

 

I don't think he was. Pink might've looked unspectacular in the 3 gimmes leading up to Tyson but those were stay busy fights to keep him in line for a shot as he was still perceived as the best 2 or 3 heavyweights in 1987.

Tyson was asked in the post fight if he felt he was the best heavyweight out there and he answered with " I just beat the Pinklon Thomas, so now there's no disputing that I'm the best!"

Some people claim Tyson carried Thomas to the 6th. I don't think he did, but there are claims that he did.

 

He said in a Boxing News interview in around 2005 that he was addicted to cocaine at the time of the Tyson fight and for some years afterwards.

 

So he did, your correct. stay safe buddy.

 

I don’t know what to believe with that guy. First he said he was clean but went straight to heroin after the fight. Then he whined about some injury ruining the fight for him. Now you’re talking about an interview in which he claims to have been on coke.

I tend to think he had a decent camp with a great trainer and changes his story repeatedly because Tyson destroyed his pride.

 

Who knows ? Just stating what he said in an interview. Let's be honest, most of the Heavyweight top 10 back then had a habit.

 

This

 

How do you know he was cocaine dependent ? I don't think he made Mike look flawed. After a brutal beating in the first round he had a few competitive moments in a few of the following rounds and was then decisively ko'ed ..

 

Thomas and Tubbs were talented fighters, but din't have the dedication they should have had (Tubbs definitely wasn't in shape for Tyson), so I'd say Tucker or Spinks. Maybe Spinks gets the benefit of a doubt as the best on the night since Tucker carried a hand injury into the fight.

Spinks did very well at HW (even though I think he lost the Holmes rematch), but probably gets sold a bit short since Tyson just ran him over like that.

 

I'm thinking about the 1st round with Biggs. Not sure that was before or after

 

Always Berbick. He was prime, in good condition, and nothing suspect took place like in fights with Seldon, Williams, and Ferguson.

 

Berbick is a very underrated fighter. No question Tyson beat the best version of Berbick. And he did it in style.

 

Thomas said in an interview that he was addicted to cocaine at the time of the Tyson fight. I thought he made Tyson look pretty one dimensional.

 

Didn’t everyone make Tyson look ‘one-dimensional’ - you know like Tillis, Biggs, Thomas, Tubbs, Tucker…. All beat widely or battered to a pulp.

 

Even tho he made it look a total mismatch, its Spinks. Top quality fighter but tried holding back the tank.