Mike Tyson

[led]

as a boxer, i dont see anything that isnt likeable.

as a person, he is manic-depressive, which is probably one of the biggest reason for his rise and fall.

[StarshipTrooper]

I like the fact that he was a throw back fighter that patterned himself on Jack Dempsey. I also like the fact that he's the one fighter who is a keen ananlyst of the sport who also knows and appreciates it's history.

I dislike, and this isn't a knock on Tyson himself really, his cadre of KoolAid drinking nuthuggers that swear he either is or could have been the GOAT. Honestly, only Mayweather and the Klits have more obnoxious, unobjective nuthuggers.

Poet

[lucifer-belial]

Mike Tyson is well was a very good boxer despite what anyones opinion might be you cant just fake your a star and be the world champ, HOF and the number one contender in your division without having the skills to prove it. People dislike him for his personal life and thats just ****** ask him if he cares?

[T.McGrady]

He's a legend. He could've been the greatest to ever lace em up, but you know...

[Boogie Nights]

there's no middle ground for him. He's either trashed without mercy from everything in his life to his ring accomplishments, or he's made out to be God.

He's an ATG, a top 10 heavy imo

[BigStereotype]

overrated by some underrated by others,a true legend none the less

Perfect post.

[VibesMan]

A difficult fighter to have a balanced discussion on due to the extremes.

I tend to discount both the haters and the nuthuggers.

IMO a great who at his peak stood a chance against any heavy in history. I'd personally always pick Ali, George and possibly a prime Holmes to beat him more often than not.

What interests me is the various arguments about what constituted his prime.

I don't judge his prime simply by age or by when he stopped winning fights. For me his prime was simply when he did the things that made him so effective (head movement, combinations, fast feet). His prime ended when, for whatever reason, he stopped doing those things.

Prime Tyson pretty much ended with the Spinks win.

[StarshipTrooper]

A difficult fighter to have a balanced discussion due to the extremes.

I tend to discount both the haters and the nuthuggers.

IMO a great who at his peak stood a chance against any heavy in history. I'd personally always pick Ali, George and possibly a prime Holmes to beat him more often than not.

What interests me is the various arguments about what constituted his prime.

I don't judge his prime simply by age or by when he stopped winning fights. For me his prime was simply when he did the things that made him so effective (head movement, combinations, fast feet). His prime ended when, for whatever reason, he stopped doing those things.

Prime Tyson pretty much ended with the Spinks win.

I use the same standard for every fighter: Prime starts when a fighter has his reflexes AND the experience to make full use of it. Prime ends when the fighter's reflexes start to slip. By that standard I'd put Tyson's prime as being through the Ruddock fights: After he came back from prison it was pretty clear he no longer had the reflexes he once did.

Poet

[VibesMan]

I use the same standard for every fighter: Prime starts when a fighter has his reflexes AND the experience to make full use of it. Prime ends when the fighter's reflexes start to slip. By that standard I'd put Tyson's prime as being through the Ruddock fights: After he came back from prison it was pretty clear he no longer had the reflexes he once did.

Poet

Sorry, you saying he was still prime in the Ruddock fights or through by the time he got to Ruddock?

If it's "prime when he fought Ruddock" I think I'd disagree. I think he won those fights on sheer power and chin alone. For me it's up there with his most creditable wins as he actually overcame some adversity in these fights.

Still a good fighter but IMO the decline was already evident.

Post prison, Bruno apart, was pretty bad. I remember cringing during the Mathis fight. It's post prison he really started squaring himself up and started arm punching as the rot set in after the Holyfield fights.

[StarshipTrooper]

Sorry, you saying he was still prime in the Ruddock fights or through by the time he got to Ruddock?

If it's "prime when he fought Ruddock" I think I'd disagree. I think he won those fights on sheer power and chin alone. For me it's up there with his most creditable wins as he actually overcame some adversity in these fights.

Still a good fighter but IMO the decline was already evident.

Post prison, Bruno apart, was pretty bad. I remember cringing during the Mathis fight. It's post prison he really started squaring himself up and started arm punching as the rot set in after the Holyfield fights.

I would say he was still prime for the Ruddock fights. I would consider them two of his finest performances.

I use a pretty objective standard for prime I think, as reflexes are the key for any fighter really. If you limit a fighter's prime to just his most spectacular performances you wind up with the absurdity of saying certain fighters were "prime" for only a very small handfull of fights.

Poet