Is Tyson in your Top 10 all-time heavies

That's not how I remember it.
Seth Abraham and Don King were planning the tournament as early as late'85, and Tyson wasn't even in the mix then. Thomas-Berbick in March '86, and Holmes-Spinks in April were already be promoted as build-up to unification.
Tyson wasn't confirmed as an entry until September '86, Thomas was supposed to rematch Berbick. Tyson's popularity made him eligible, and Jacobs/Cayton decided to enter him at the last minute, after considering the options of fighting Larry Holmes or Gerry Cooney.

It would be a crazy distortion of history to imply or state that the unification series was set up by King to grab control of Tyson !

I dont remember it being called the "Acefield". Where did you get that from ?

 

Tyson was with HBO in 85. The only fighter who chose not to enter who was in the mix at the time was Mike Spinks who was tied to Butch Lewis. King was promoting Tyson on a fight by fight basis. He was looking forward knowing that Tyson was going to clean out his stable of fighters.

 

:rofl:rofl:yep word up Pachilles

 

Pachilles just make me howl, such a backwards, ironic, hypocritical post.

 

The Acefield Tournament was to eliminate and qualify the main fighters in the mix for the unification series. All the fighters that Tyson faced pre and post title leading up to it, (besides Spinks) were Don King fighters.

 

no, but...so close

 

Tyson may have been with HBO but he wasn't committed or even scheduled to appear in the series of unification matches.

My original point was to point out that the quick unification of the titles was nothing to do with Tyson's brilliance (as SuzieQ implied) but was a plan that was going ahead anyway.
The setting up of the unification series itself had nothing to do with King having designs on Tyson, that came later.

Spinks was entered as featured in the build-up and promotions, with Butch Lewis being advertsied as King's co-promoter, but then Lewis pulled Spinks out. Around the time Tyson was entered.

King persauded Jacobs and Cayton to enter Tyson in August 1986, and it wasn't easy by all accounts.
Yes, by then King had his eyes on Tyson and knew Tyson would boost the tournament and maybe win it in style. But the series was already being advertised and built up months before that, and before Tyson had really made himself impossible to ignore.

 

Shut the **** up, Jimmy Corkhill

 

****, die

 

coming from the guy that ranks Rocky Marciano #1 and Muhammad Ali #4

 

There are two types of legacies. One is a long legacy which cleans a division and usually has a few blemishes along the way, but eventually overcomes them to extend that legacy for some period, despite a fighter not being at the best. Usually this fighter will fight onfor too long and still try to be the best (and often accomplish it) even though he is not a smidgeon on what he used to be. Ali, Louis and Johnson are three leaders in this category, although to a lesser extent, Holmes, Foreman, Langford and a few others have similar type careers, just not quite as good.

The second type of legacy is the type where a fighter star burns very bright for a short period of time, but once he has reached his goal, the desire and everything disappears and he knows it is time to leave thegame for good. The smart ones get out and stayout once this happens, for there is no reason for them to climb the mountain a second time even though they are such champions, if they were forced to they probably would. This category fits fighters like Marciano, Dempsey, Foreman, Sullivan etc. To be honest they make the right decision in not going around longer, and their should be nothing their legacies could add, because they are not going to be the better fighters than what they were in their prime, but in many peoples eyes, they will be criticised for not pulling the pin at the wrong time.

Now, the reality of Marciano is that he won the title, he cleaned his division of every single decent challenger and he retired at the right time, when there were no big challengers and he no longer had the desire. Further, he did it all without losing a fight. That, in many ways is the perfect career and, it is arguable, that this earns him the no1 spot. It really depends on which type of legacy you prefer and whether or not you want to let subjective factors such as weight or reach or percieved depth of era or age of competition affect your judgment.

 

My list is:

1. Joe Louis
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Rocky Marciano
4. Larry Holmes
5. Lennox Lewis
6. Jack Johnson
7. George Foreman
8. Joe Frazier
9. Sonny Liston
10. Jack Dempsey

Who is an "obscure shithouse" on that list?

 

Oh Tommy you shouldn't take things to heart so much little boy

ps - see your avatar pic?.......:good

 

nice

 

i have tears coming down my face i'm laughing so hard