Strong era's that produced weak champions.

Michael Moorer & George Foreman in 1994.

And let's not even get into the ABC beltholders.

 

James Buster Douglas in 1990. Tyson, Holyfield, Ruddock, Tucker, Dokes, Carl Williams, Witherspoon, with Bowe, Lewis, & Mercer still to come. He scores the biggest upset in boxing history and then gets knocked out in his first title defense, in a one-sided fight.

 

Douglas won the title from an ATG and won in impressive fashion. The night he beat Tyson he was not a weak champion.

 

The 1970's hands down. It produced Spinks.

 

1930´s

Carnera, Braddock

 

Carlos Baldomir

 

The early to mid 1930's were indeed a bizarre time to have weak champions. When considering the extreme deprivations and hardships of the Great Depression, it would be expected to produce extremely hard and durable champions in the boxing ranks. (Could it be, than boxers down on their luck were more receptive to throwing fights, for the sake of an easier payday, or even survival?)

 

Tyson was not a weak champion at the time either. If Tyson was in with Frank Bruno that night in the Tokyo Dome, he would have looked sensastional.

Douglas won the title from a mediocre ATG. Tyson was beaten in his prime at 23 years of age, never once got up off the floor to win, and apart from regaining the title against Bruno, proved nothing of any significance after the Douglas defeat.

Knocking your opponents out in devastating fashion over a considerable span of time doesn't automatically make you an ATG.

 

90s with Foreman and Moorer (not to mention Bruno, Seldon and Botha the title holders)

70s with Spinks

 

Jim Jeffries never got up off the floor to win and neither did Lewis. Nobody gives them **** for it.

Tyson losing at age 23 to Douglas is no worse than Joe Louis losing to Max Schmeling at age 23.


Tyson was the youngest HW ever to be called champ. He is also the last fighter to single handedly unify the titles and has 9 title defenses to his credit and 12 Championship wins.

If he is not an ATG in your book then you really need to reevaluate your criteria.

 

Lewis came back to avenge both his defeats though. Tyson on the other hand panicked during his rematch with Holyfield, and decided a DQ was the best way to end the fight, rather than trying to win. If he never won, then at least he would have went out giving it his best shot, and would no doubt have gotten more praise for losing by looking up at the lights on his ass rather than biting ears.

 

Tyson never got chance to rematch with Douglas therefore he couldnt right that wrong. Against Holyfield, I'm starting to believe more and more that he snapped. There are many other ways to quit than to bite an ear. He could have thrown elbows, thrown low blows to get disqualified but considering his emotional instability he just went into a fit of rage.