Which Of these Heavyweights were best at there Peak there Prime?

[Stallone60]

Which of these Heavyweights were best at there peak prime for prime?
Tyson
Holyfield
Bowe
Lewis
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[The Surgeon]

Ive got all these guys career sets and watched them a bunch, and i am firmly of the oppinion that Mike Tyson on his best night was better than the other guys on theirs.

[bklynboy]

Ive got all these guys career sets and watched them a bunch, and i am firmly of the oppinion that Mike Tyson on his best night was better than the other guys on theirs.

I was a HUGE Tyson fan as he was coming up. I have to say that now I don't think he had the heart (even in his prime) to handle a truly tough fight such as Ali-Frazier III or SRL v Hearns (you're blowing it son). In my mind he truly was an underachiever: he had all the physical gifts but lacked the will.

I like this Cus D'Amato quote:

"When two men are fighting, what you're watching is more a contest of wills than of skills, with the stronger will usually overcoming the skill. The skill will prevail only when it is so superior to the other man's skill that the will is not tested."

I don't know if Tyson would have ever beat Holyfield if he didn't take him out or hurt him in the early rounds. Bowe would also have been tough for him but Bowe had some head issues as well.

I think that a prime Tyson would have destroyed a prime Lewis. He was simply too fast for him and Lewis's chin was not strong enough.

[The Surgeon]

I was a HUGE Tyson fan as he was coming up. I have to say that now I don't think he had the heart (even in his prime) to handle a truly tough fight such as Ali-Frazier III or SRL v Hearns (you're blowing it son). In my mind he truly was an underachiever: he had all the physical gifts but lacked the will.

I like this Cus D'Amato quote:

"When two men are fighting, what you're watching is more a contest of wills than of skills, with the stronger will usually overcoming the skill. The skill will prevail only when it is so superior to the other man's skill that the will is not tested."

I don't know if Tyson would have ever beat Holyfield if he didn't take him out or hurt him in the early rounds. Bowe would also have been tough for him but Bowe had some head issues as well.

I think that a prime Tyson would have destroyed a prime Lewis. He was simply too fast for him and Lewis's chin was not strong enough.

Tyson is always a contraversial one and will split opinions. I think he (at his best) was so hungry and so focused on becoming a great, he always wanted it more than the other guy. The man loved to fight. Mike lost his love for the tear up and never had the same spirit after jail, tho his skills had declined before that. I felt he showed heart in his fight with Bruno the first time, he ate a Bomb and was hurt and his response was swing back, Ruddock made him really work for it and Mike took heavy shots that would have stopped others and he kept pressing forwards. Even against Douglas he pulled out the contraversial long count after taken a hammering and when he went down he was out but still got to his feet. Just my opinion on that.

I Feel his best was better than the other guys best

[Barn]

I like Bowe on his best night personally.

[The Surgeon]

I like Bowe on his best night personally.

Great jab when put to use, the best inside game ive seen on a big man and a great uppercut - shoulda done more with his career. I would have fancied him over Lewis when they were supposed to fight

[Wild Blue Yonda]

Tyson, IMO. It wouldn't even be a competitive question if he had a Holyfield or even a Lewis-esque constitution, but even without that, I think he does enough to warrant himself the best, if not by too much, all things considered.

A sad indictment indeed of what an under-achievement Tyson's collective career is that, on accomplishments, I would see him ranked third on this list, superior only to Bowe.

[bklynboy]

Tyson is always a contraversial one and will split opinions. I think he (at his best) was so hungry and so focused on becoming a great, he always wanted it more than the other guy. The man loved to fight. Mike lost his love for the tear up and never had the same spirit after jail, tho his skills had declined before that. I felt he showed heart in his fight with Bruno the first time, he ate a Bomb and was hurt and his response was swing back, Ruddock made him really work for it and Mike took heavy shots that would have stopped others and he kept pressing forwards. Even against Douglas he pulled out the contraversial long count after taken a hammering and when he went down he was out but still got to his feet. Just my opinion on that.

I Feel his best was better than the other guys best

I never felt that Tyson was in trouble with Bruno. It was more like "oh, this guy is trying to make something of this." And it was also one of the fights where you clearly saw Tyson forgetting to jab, losing much of his defensive movement and simply looking for the KO. (On a personal note it was the last fight I ever bet on.)

Regarding the Douglas fight - he never got into it. I'm not saying he was a coward, not at all, I'm saying that little extra we see in ATGs (Ali, SRL) we didn't see in Tyson.

Tyson could have been (in my eyes) the best heavyweight of all-time if he had Ali or Marciano's will to win.

[Barn]

I never felt that Tyson was in trouble with Bruno. It was more like "oh, this guy is trying to make something of this." And it was also one of the fights where you clearly saw Tyson forgetting to jab, losing much of his defensive movement and simply looking for the KO. (On a personal note it was the last fight I ever bet on.)

Regarding the Douglas fight - he never got into it. I'm not saying he was a coward, not at all, I'm saying that little extra we see in ATGs (Ali, SRL) we didn't see in Tyson.

Tyson could have been (in my eyes) the best heavyweight of all-time if he had Ali or Marciano's will to win.

The thing is though. In his prime we never saw him fight anybody of note. So it's difficult to judge. While in Ali's case if he never came back he would have beaten Sonny Liston, Patterson, Terrel and Williams who were all good or great fighters, so their would have been a case for what he could have achieved. The same cannot be said for Tyson.

[The Surgeon]

I never felt that Tyson was in trouble with Bruno. It was more like "oh, this guy is trying to make something of this." And it was also one of the fights where you clearly saw Tyson forgetting to jab, losing much of his defensive movement and simply looking for the KO. (On a personal note it was the last fight I ever bet on.)

Regarding the Douglas fight - he never got into it. I'm not saying he was a coward, not at all, I'm saying that little extra we see in ATGs (Ali, SRL) we didn't see in Tyson.

Tyson could have been (in my eyes) the best heavyweight of all-time if he had Ali or Marciano's will to win.

Im gonna have to disagree with u on Bruno, i thought he was shook to ***** and way more hurt than Frank who had to take a count. But yeah the performance was poor and his focus wasnt there, he was already in decline at that point