Fun Fact: Mike Tyson defeated more world class SHWs than Wladimir Klitschko

I'm bored, it's late and since this forum has been flooded with an abundance of posts jacking over modern "super-heavyweights" ever since Fury defeated Klitschko, I thought it would be interesting to shoot down a popular myth: that the heavyweights Iron Mike defeated were smaller by current standards, which of course is nonsense.

Anyway, to make the comparison, we need to define 2 key terms here:

A) "World class"
B) "SHW"

World class - A fighter that had a sustained top ten ranking at the time he faced Tyson/Klitschko, and continued to compete at the top level afterwards

SHW - Over 6'3'' and 230 lbs

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With this in mind, I've come to the shocking conclusion that Wladimir Klitschko has faced no more than 3 opponents that meet the criteria listed above:

Samuel Peter - At 6'2'' and 245 pounds, Samuel Peter was an incredibly durable and heavy-handed heavyweight that gave Klitschko a tight go, following it up with beating several highly rated contenders and stopping Maskaev to become champion. Had a fairly lackluster career afterwards.

Tony Thompson - At 6'5'' and 250 pounds, Tony Thompson was an awkward and tricky southpaw, which combined with his size was a difficult package to beat. Didn't do much before fighting Klitschko but did a lot afterwards.

Kubrat Pulev - At 6'4'' and 245 pounds, Kubrat was a big, physically strong fighter with a stiff, heavy jab and good boxing skill. Beat 3 top 10-15 fighters in Thompson, Ustinov and Dimitrenko.

Honorable mentions: Jameel McCline, Monte Barret. Not quite as good as the men listed above, but still decent victories.

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Iron Mike Tyson in contrast has defeated 5 men that fit the above criteria:

James Bonecrusher Smith - At 6'4'' and 230 lbs, Smith was incredibly lean and muscular for his weight, and was the WBA champion at the time, stopping titanium chinned Tim Witherspoon in his prior fight. He also stopped former WBA champion Mike Weaver in 1. Had a fairly poor career afterwards, but still managed to compete at the top level for a while.

Frank Bruno - At 6'3'' and 230/250 pounds, Bruno was an athletic, heavy-handed and exceptionally skilled big man who defeated several top 10 opponents and gave a prime Lennox Lewis one of his hardest fights. Defeated Oliver McCall and became WBA champion.

Razor Ruddock - At 6'3'' and 230/240 pounds, Ruddock was a highly-avoided top contender with victories over former champions in Smith, Dokes and Weaver, as well as undefeated knockout artist Phil Jackson. In a way, he was essentially a more athletic, taller version of Sam Peter.

Tyrell Biggs - At 6'5'' and 230 pounds, Tyrell Biggs was undefeated and the first Olympic Gold medalist in the SHW division. Defeated Rid**** Bowe and Lennox Lewis in the amateurs. Exceptionally good movement and hand speed for his size. Had a fairly poor career afterwards, partly attributable to the mental and physical beating he received from Mike.

Andrew Golota - At 6'4'' and 240 pounds, Andrew Golota was a hard-hitting, exceptionally well-schooled heavyweight that gave Rid**** Bowe the beating of his life. After losing to Mike, he arguably defeated Chris Byrd and John Ruiz, both in title fights, proving he was still a very real threat at the top level.

Honorable mentions: Tony Tubbs and Francois Botha
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So there we have it ladies and gents. Not only did Tyson defeat more big men, he also defeated them in more impressive fashion, and they were arguably better fighters as well. :deal

 

6'5'' actually. Will fix.