Is Mike Tyson the greatest heavyweight of all time?

Holyfield is your best bet. Foreman is way too slow and would get eaten alive by Tyson's quickness, please do not compare Tyson and Frazier, aside from stylistic comparisons, they are NOTHING alike. Tyson had an excellent defence, was more controlled and precise and the speed to power ratio is not even comparable.

Foreman gets KOed by a prime Tyson.

Ali I highly disagree with, he struggled with lesser opponents, Tyson has a great style to beat him as well. Ali's the greater all time, but he would not be able to last with Tyson with that open defence that he had, if Folley was able to time nice right hands on a prime Ali, Tyson won't and then some?

Lewis, get out of here with that. Lewis was a great fighter, a top 5 perhaps and good H2H, but Tyson is the worst to put him in with prime/prime, the worst.

 

1. No
2. Top five
3. Hand speed, movement & explosive power

 

Head 2 Head is hard to match up accurately at heavy, as the power of these guys means that match ups could go either way with a couple good punches. Foreman, Lewis, Holyfield would all be interesting match ups. Foreman's sheer size and power make him hard for Mike. Lewis's jab and reach make things tough. Holyfield stylistically seems to give Tyson trouble, and has the chin to hang in there. All very tough fights IMO. The sort of match ups that realistically could go either way. If Lewis had a better chin i might pick him, but a prime Mike i think could potentially KO him. Still a very close fight however.

 

He should be somewhere between 7-10. As said, he lacks the one signature win, as his greatest paper achievements were winning a belt at a young age, and defeating big men in such dominant fashion.

I'd favor prime Ali and Lewis over him head to head for sure, with possibilities for Foreman and a few others as well. Lewis is a controversial choice, but he was such a master of holding on the inside and wearing guys down, he'd limit Tyson's window of opportunity.

Tyson might catch Lennox early and end it, but otherwise the consistency of clinches, jabs and chopping right hands would lead to a late KO or clear points win for Lewis.

 

Top 10, definitely. H2H top 5 easily, I would actually have him at 2, just behind Ali. 2 time champ, youngest champ of all time, half of his KO's coming in the first round, other than maybe Ali, most popular heavyweight of all-time.

 

Come on - who, seriously, would say Mike Tyson "was the greatest Heavyweight of all time"?

To be generous (and I'm being very generous for the thread's sake), I would rank him as high as, maybe, thirteen? Fourteen?

Even as far as great Heavyweight punchers he is outgunned. I'd quickly rank Joe Louis and Sonny Liston, AND Rocky Marciano ahead. Or hand-speed? I'd put Muhammad Ali and Floyd Patterson ahead of him there, two.

He doesn't reach number one in ANY aspect of the Heavyweight ATG rankings, in my book. Yes, he was phenomenal at one point, but no, showcasing those skills against Bonecrusher Smith and Tony Tucker does not merit ATG 1# considerations.

 

Ali, J. Louis, Foreman, Holmes, Holyfield would all beat him in his prime. Foreman was not as slow as Amsterdam claims. He had a strange way of fighting, but he had speed enough to keep a small Tyson off of him. Tyson was wild and swung for the fence in most of the videos Moralman has posted. Someone with height, some speed and enormous power like a prime Foreman would be a nightmare for Tyson. Foreman would destroy all those fighters from the eighties. If you noitce I am forcing the issue of Foreman beating a prime Tyson and he is only third on my list. All four would not be afraid. Holmes was off two years and had no buisiness with Tyson back then, but a young Holmes.

 

Talent wise. YES
Resume wise. NO

A PRIME Mike Tyson with Cus Dmato in his corner and I would favor Tyson over anybody. He was ferocious and he would rather die than lose with Cus in his corner.

 

Top 20 at best.

 

NO!!atsch Tyson top 15 maybe...

ALI:yep no 1...

 

I'm a heavyweight, does he defeat me? Oh you mean professional heavyweights? Or good professinoal heavyweights?

 

I hate to be an ******* here but...

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how the **** do you have Jack Dempsey above Ali?

Do you know who Harry Wills is? Do a Google search on "Jack Dempsey Harry Wills" and come back to me when you have a new ATG list.

 

I'm sorry but Lennox Lewis would have owned Ali. Too big, too powerful, too skilled for Ali.

 

Prime Mike Tyson is the greatest HW of all time.

The rest are more or less, ***gots.

 

No.

Since Louis, 8 or 9.

Fast. Strong. Mean. Vicious. Great finisher. Exciting.