Muhammad Ali's exile

[res]

I know you hate Mike Tyson, but can't you at least concede that he brought a lot of fans to the sport? In that regard he was as big a dog as the others you mentioned.

The people responsible for making something what it is during it's "fetal stage" tend to get more credit because those are the decisive years. I can't rank Tyson on an equal level with Louis, Ali or Dempsey when it comes to making the sport what it is; he definitely belongs on a short list though.

[Anthony342]

You knowing Mike Tyson when he was 14 is irrelevant to this topic. I'm not a Tyson fan, but I don't blind myself to reality. I've been in the MGM Grand when Mike entered as a fan, and the response was thunderous. You can't honestly say that Tyson didn't bring in countless new fans when I've heard from many of them for years now. Over and over I hear how "Mike Tyson got me into boxing". You hear that from young fighters as well. I absolutely hate Oscar De La Hoya, but don't deny that he brought in new fans as well (on a smaller level).

Can I ask why you hate De La Hoya? And is it as a fighter, a person or both?