**tyson,,one of the best heavyweights??**

Show me where Tyson has a real A grade win? Holmes was finished, Spinks a terrific 175 but only an average HW, and they are probably his 2 best wins.

 

He's on the fringe, his career started great then bombed

 

he is between 10 and 15 for me

 

His fights with Tyrell Biggs, Pinklon Thomas, and Trevor Berbick were pretty dam impressive. He took some savvy boxers and destroyed them. Noone did to Holmes what Tyson did to him either and Holmes went on to win some good fights and be competitive with some good fighters.
Its hard to say how he would do against a prime Holyfield, Lewis, or Holmes or whoever, but based on the fact of how he, versus others competed against some of the above mentioned fighters, its fair to say Tyson at that time during his prime 86-89, was a hell of dominant force.

 

Top 20 (Hvy) sure, top 15 probably, top 10 maybe, top 5 possibly in certain scenarios.

 

A brilliant fighter at his peak, but I'd put several heavyweights above him on an all-time list.

He lost the undisputed championship by a convincing knockout defeat to Buster Douglas, at age 23. He didn't do enough after that to really smooth over his damaged reputation. No excuses.

 

I'd add the Tubbs win as another terrific performance. He took apart a durable guy with clinical ease. That left hook to finish things was a beautiful punch.
Not many heavyweights would have made Tubbs look so ordinary.

 

Yes your right. Tubbs was very underated because of his body, but really a good solid fighter with very quick hands.

 

Tyson and Holmes both beat great opposition.

 

I think anywhere from about 7-10 is reasonable, depending on the criteria of the individual who rates him.

He did manage to win and unify the heavyweight crown at a very young age, and is considered by most as the youngest champ that ever lived ( some still give it to Patterson. )

He also cleared out an entire division and generation of its best talent, plus has the earliest KO of another all time great. He later became a two time champ after returning to the ring following a 4 year abscense, and is somewhere around third for most heavyweight first round KO's.

There are definately some reasonable arguments out there for keeping his rating low, but frankly I think his resume is as good as most, and certainly worthy of the title ATG...

 

He beat everyone that was put in front of him up until the Douglas fight. Do you know of anyone that he intentionally ducked ? He probably should have fought Holyfield in 1989 or 1990 instead of fighting a decade removed from his prime. Even worse with Lennox Lewis having just entered the pro game in 1989 He was nowhere on a level that he could handle Mike Tyson at that time. I would have liked to have seen Mike fight Ray Mercer or Michael Moorer but they were just entering the pro ranks as Mike had been on a rampage and had fought and won 30 plus fights ,was the undisputed Heavyweight champ , there is no way these guys would have lasted one rd with Mike. Tyson beat the people put in front of him.He accomplished alot in a short period of time.Yes he did tarnish his career a bit with his wild ways but anyone that doesn't think Tyson is an ATG then they need to educate me on what the defintion of an ATG is.

 

While it's true that Tyson has no A Grade win, he has very under rated depth in his resume combined with some very nice scalps nonetheless.

Holmes was far from "finished" too, considering he beat an unbeaten Ray Mercer 4 years after Tyson bombed Larry out. I'd say too that his wins over Ruddock are the best wins on his resume, Razor was very dangerous.

I rank Tyson very highly, and usually rank him anywhere from 3-5, depending on criteria. If it's purely resume Tyson is lower but still a lock for the top ten, regardless of what people say imo. Wins over Biggs, Holmes, Ruddock, Tubbs, Smith, Tucker, Berbick, Thomas, Golota, Stewart, Bruno, Williams are a very nice set of wins. And most of the things that Tyson is faulted for i.e. never getting off the canvas, no "A Grade wins, losing to a journeyman" Lennox Lewis deserves the SAME criticism for but somehow doesn't.

 

I agree. I'd say that Tyson from the Biggs fight to the Spinks fight was Tyson at his absolute best and also against the best opposition of his first career.

I enjoy watching him fight Holmes too, he looked better on the inside and in clinches against Larry than against anyone else he fought. I watched his Biggs fight the other day too, damn impressive. That version of Tyson would of bombed Douglas out within 6.

 

I haven't got a clear picture yet on the old timers, last time I did a list I mostly had modern fighters on it from Joe Louis on. I think I had Tyson behind Lewis at #5, that basically means I love the guy, and I do.

The guy basically ****ed it all up one night against Buster Douglas, when he got back from jail it was all gone.

 

I believe tyson was the crack head champion of the world!! just about eveybody he beat was a crackhead..........