How Good Was Tony Tucker? Is he a HOF

It sucks to be from a decade with a GOAT like opponent, much like all of the NBA ATGs that never got a ring when Jordan was on a roll. The same happens with the fighters in that time frame.

 

Very.

Had the potential, but not by deed.

 

Third best 80's fighter.

 

He was very good

 

One of the better heavies in the 80's and 90's, but not hall of fame material.

I do agree, he's underrated. If Tucker had more fire he could have had a better career.

 

Hide could hit. I think it was Bowe who said he was the hardest puncher he ever faced. The Ruiz fight was at the end of his career and wasn't the Seldon fight a doctor/ref/corner stoppage?

Still, on paper it does sound quite odd.

 

Incorrect, Tony Tucker was 34 when he fought Lewis and still on top of his game. His victories over Norris and McCall gave him a mandatory position in 93'.

 

One of my favorite fighters massively underrated or overlooked.

 

Average fighter.

Average career.

 

HOF potential, didn't live up.

 

Pretty sure he would have won the HW tournament if Tyson hadn't been around, and that would have landed him HOF status.
Sadly for him, Tyson was around at the time.

 

Well yes, but not that strange when you consider that by the mid-late 90's when he was stopped by those guys he was pushing forty (36, 38, and 39 respectively in those matches), shot to bits, fat, undisciplined and long since disenchanted with the sport. The loss to Lewis effectively delineated the end of Tucker as serious contender, and even there he wasn't the same in his early 90's comeback as he was in the 80's. It wasn't even a matter of having a "short prime"; he was a thirteen year veteran when he fought Lennox. His prime was in the back-half of the 1980's and he spent over 2 full years of that wasting away on the shelf (after Tyson).

So yeah, not really apples to apples. It wasn't like a prime Tyson & Lewis failed to stop a guy and then Seldon, Hide & Ruiz all stopped the same guy in comparable form. By '95-'98 he was an empty husk.

 

Tucker was good to very good, not great. He was doing just fine vs Tyson until the hand injury.

Under rated? I think so.

 

briefly elite, but never HoF.

killed his longevity with drugs, thats the 80s for you.

with consistency he may have been. or if he had taken an ATG scalp like he wasnt far from with tyson.

 

average fighters dont become HW champion.