If Tyson got banned for life in 1997

I don't think losses or crappy performances years-past-prime really affect the all-time ratings at all.
Who here rates Tyson on his fights with Botha, Golota, Lewis, and Danny Williams ?

It's like Ezzard Charles, Muhammad Ali, Ray Robinson ...... do their ratings really suffer from the fact that they went on too long ?
Holyfield's still struggling on, a mere 5% shell of what he once was, but he's not rated down for that - not by anyone who knows their stuff.

Really, a lifetime ban and going out on the ear bite would have probably been good for boxing and possibly good for Tyson as a person, accelerating his journey towards maturity and happiness that he seems to have found today .... but from a boxing history perspective it would have been a sour footnote and end to his tremendous career.

 

I would rate him no.9 instead of no.11. One-sided asskicking Knockout Losses to Old Lewis who was 36, And teh mediocre British-level Danny Williams And fat pikey lardass Bummy McBride are bad for his legacy.

 

The losses to Holyfield are about where he declines too steep to be unfairly penalized much. I'd have him about the same- It was evident he was far enough gone against Lewis, Williams, and McBride to give those losses a rather large pass.

The Holyfield losses and the Douglas loss are legitimate, and occurred against still formidable versions of Mike. These hurt his legacy the most.

 

I don't think anything he did past 1997 gets him rated much higher, but had he been banned for life it would have affected his legacy just for that reason. Mike Tyson was so dominant from 1985-1990 that had he retired after Douglas, he would have been inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995 or 1996 easily.

 

They are being unfair to him then. That's like people judging Holyfield on his fights since 2000.

As for "aura", I think Holyfield knocked whatever was left of it into the dust in 1996. Thing is, auras aren't real. Some of the greatest fighters never even had one.

 

It doesn't affect my ranking of him, if anything destroying Golota past prime adds to his legacy

 

Lets face it.

Sam Langford lost to a lot of people who were not fit to lace his gloves in his prime, but his legacy seems to have endured.

 

Jerry Izenburg once said
"Mike Tyson was a fine fighter, but once he got to Tokyo, all that was left was the aura of a fine fighter"

Tysons ambitions ended really with the Holyfield fight. He knew if he coudlnt beat "Old Man" Holyfield, there really was no point. However he beat the **** out of Golota (Who just beat Bowe twice) and put up a brave effort against Lewis.

 

Can you imagine what a peak Tyson would have done to Golota?????

 

Golota didn't actually beat Bowe, but I know what you mean.

I think you should check Golota's record between the Bowe fights and Tyson fight though. You'll see he fought Michael Grant and Lennox Lewis in there somewhere ....

 

I'd be more concerned with what Golota would have done.
Low-blowed Tyson at the stare-down, or cried and ran off during Michael Buffer's "let's get ready to rumble" .... or something worse

 

It wouldn't make 1 bit of positive difference to me, if anything it would diminish it a art.

The douglas loss affects his legacy obviously, and had been imprisoned before that fight he might be ranked higher. But from 93-03 he was clearly past his best yet only holyfield and lewis could beat him, he rose to the top of the contender rankings multiple times in his comeback and if anything that improves his legacy. The only loss that works against him is douglas. Remove that and I think he gets ranked a lot higher.