Holmes is top 5 in most lists for ATG,, yet Tyson destroyed similar opponents C.Williams, Berbick, ,M. Spinks. Thing with Holmes is he is great but no one likes him whereas guys like Ali and Foreman people love,...bit like me im a great but jpeople dont like me so its hard to give credit. For example if Larry was popular like Ali he would be 50-0 but they gave it to Spinks twice. So Tyson win is excellent.
I'm not huge on Tua myself to be honest. As for Haye in the 90s, he might have pulled off a Bentt-esque big win or negatively won a few decisions, but he'd never be anywhere near the top. All the top guys and honourable mentions would beat him IMO.
Bentt really was horrible. He just benefitted from Morrison trying to kill him inside about the first ten seconds and left a big opening. Can't see Haye gambling on soaking up a few shots in return for a shot at glory, he just didn't have it in him. He'd have stayed at cruiser where he was safer.
Spinks definitely won the first fight. Larry is no longer underrated, simply because everyone now knows he was underappreciated for years and now you don't see people not giving him his due anymore.
To be fair that was a cracking fight....and in mitigation Cooper had sort of had Holyfield down a fight or two earlier
G. Foreman was a great fighter but if you look at his results against top tier opponents..it really misses big punchers. Wkor2 G. Cooney 28-2 (good win) LUD12 E. Holyfield 25-0 IBF, WBA, WBC, Lineal (decent showing) WUD10 A. Stewart 28-3 (tough fight, decent win) LUD12 T. Morrison 36-1 Vacant WBO (outboxed) Wkor10 M. Moorer 35-0 WBA, IBF, Lineal (great ko but was outboxed for the entire fight) WUD12 A. Schulz IBF, Lineal (won but should have lost) WUD12 L. Saverese 36-0 (decent win) LUD12 S. Briggs 29-1 (lost but alot of people thought he should have won, i thought briggs won) Those results dont smack to me of someone who was as good as everyone thinks, certainly when guys like Tyson, Bowe, Ruddock, Golota, Lewis, Tua, and Old Holmes are all running around fighting. Left Ike out as he came on when George was finished. I think becuase its George Foreman, the legend, the ICON, people tend to overate him as he is such a pick character. Of course if you add in his entire resume, he is a top fighter of all time...but just counting performances in the 1990s I just dont see him qualify as a top 8.
If Holmes was handsome, funny and liked as Ali was he would have been given both wins...50-0...history is made on very fine margins. Ali was given gifts wins against Norton and Young. Then again Holmes lost to Witherpsoon and Williams.
Problem for Larry is his period of dominance, was in a weak era, but his performances in Holyfield, Mercer, McCall fights shows how good he was considering his age...so people came to understand what a fighter he was.