I think you need to check out some old threads on this. https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/tyson-vs-tillis-who-really-won.255919/
You must have seen a different fight to anyone else, Tillis What's that got to do with the price of bacon?
Not really. Like with Holyfield, it took massive amounts of punishment to floor and stop Tyson. Even after decking Alex Stewart flush, knocking him down 3 times, Stewart was still with it enough to get up each time and continue fighting. And Tysons chin >>>> Stewart chin (RIP Alex Stewart). Like I said before, I can accept that Foreman hit harder than say Lewis, Bruno, Ruddock etc. But Foreman in his prime was 220- 225 lbs. Saying that he hit so much harder than power punchers that were 20, 25, 30 lbs heavier than him that he would do in 1 or 2 punches what it took them a combined hundreds of punches to do is absurd. Earnie Shavers is widely considered a harder puncher than even George Foreman and I hope you don't believe that Shavers would one punch KO Tyson. Assuming he landed flush. Sure, it probably would have rocked him. But strangely enough, very rarely does anyone argue that Shavers would just blast a young Mike Tyson out as soon as his boxing glove whooshes pass Tysons head, but absolutely do that with Foreman, even though Shavers is widely considered the harder puncher. Because the whole theory of Foreman beating Tyson hinges on the assumption that Tyson falls right away. Which never happened in his career. Those who felt Bruno and Foremans power class both as roughly equal. Now Foreman, especially a younger Foreman was more effective in the use of his power but those like Leroy Caldwell and there were others who fought /sparred both Bruno and Foreman or Bruno and Shavers say that Bruno belongs in their company as far as power is concerned. I say that to say that if size and power was all there was to it, Bruno could have just marched straight ahead and punched Tyson out with wide uppercuts. And as I said, I'll assume that Foreman >>> Bruno in punching power, but those who felt shots from both put them in the same neighborhood.
Maybe not as an overall fighter or when it comes to ATG legacy. But many people do believe that he was the harder puncher.
Tyson had all those title fight wins but the reality is Trevor Berbick or Tony Tucker might be the best fighter he ever beat. With that in mind it's hard to argue his opposition wasn't a bit weak.
I am the first to admit this was a valuable learning fight that should have no baring on the champion Tyson became, however, Tillis was a close, competitive fight. If Tubbs or Thomas had been as active against relevant fighters as Tillis recently had going into his fight with Mike then when it was Tubbs and Thomas turn to meet Tyson they might have produced better opposition than they did in championship fights.
Very few here don't know that Ali beat a poor version of Williams, and quite a few hold up a pre-1989 Tyson as invincible. Hell, it's pretty common to see posters say that Tyson was the over the hill fighter against Holy. Tyson gets more passes for prime or near prime losses than perhaps anyone bar Duran.
I would say average, rather. Marciano, Dempsey or Wlad didn't have superior opp. A similar case could be made for Johnson, and while Louis's win(s) over Walcott probably is better than anything Tyson has, it's not a huge difference. Louis being past his best at the time gives it a boost, though.
It's interesting to compare Tyson's title run with Golovkin's. I'd say that Berbick, Smith, Tucker, Spinks and Williams were all at least on the level of Geale and Lemieux. Jacobs is probably better than anyone Tyson beat, but I had that fight a draw on the other hand.
Still think that was an underrated list of fighters on tysons cv. They we,re almost all good allround boxers. Douglas showed what he could do giving the chance against tyson. Tyson turned up lethargic looked undertrained etc. Bearing that in mind tho douglas would have been another on his list of opponents people would have called hopeless if tyson did end up beating him. He showed on the night tho how good he really was. Very few weaknesses to douglas,s game that nite. For me personally it was all down to tyson not being prepared for it etc. But it did show that douglas as well as the other guys tyson battered in his reign of terror we,re anything but mugs.
I'd say a few of Louis's opposition were better. Marciano had Walcott too, of course. But I agree Tyson's opposition was only relatively weak, and average is probably more accurate.