Boxers you are confident could have beaten Mike Tyson at his peak?

[MartialMind]

For the brief period of time where everything was firing for Mike and he was at his absolute peak, are there any boxers in history you feel very confident could have beat him at that time?

[Rusty Tromboni]

For the brief period of time where everything was firing for Mike and he was at his absolute peak, are there any boxers in history you feel very confident could have beat him at that time?

Fury is the obvious answer. And it wouldn't even be competitive. He'd **** Mike.

Vitali probably wins the most one-sided victory after that.

Foreman, after Fury, has the best chance to stopping Mike. But I suspect he only musters a UD, and it's competitive.

Wilder is less likely than Vitali to run away with a lop-sided decision. And less likely to stop Mike than Foreman. But he's the next best in each category. Great fight. Steel pipe vs. Bowling ball. I favor Wilder, but not by much.

Wlad should win a snooze fest. And could stop Mike late. But that would be the ugliest if all the fights.

Ali from FOTC beats Tyson, but it's competitive. Neither man is stopped - unless Tyson really is as fragile as his detractors maintain.

Holyfield is a 50-50 pick. His raison d'etre was to defeat Tyson. He carefully charted his career to accomplish the task. And he fashioned his style to be the perfect Tyson foil. In the rematches with Bowe and Lewis we saw the skills that make me believe at his best he COULD beat a prime Tyson. But even the shot and hopeless version of Tyson was making a fight of it in their matches, so i'm not too optimistic for Holly.

Lewis, Holmes, Bowe, Young, Joshua, Golota and Wallin are all competitive. But for one reason or another I wouldn't make them favorites. Not tonight.

[NChristo-]

Holyfield had his number, not sure I could pick many others over him 100%.

[Mikeh333]

Sonny Liston. That telephone pole jab.

[Sadiqkingofko]

Holyfield in same fashion as the first fight
Lewis by late KO
Fury by UD/MD

[QueensburyRules]

Holyfield had his number, not sure I could pick many others over him 100%.

- - When Mr Field was going life and death with Tubby Qawi who had been booted out of the LH division and almost died in the hospital afterwards, Mike was knocking grown heavy champs out and setting records .

Insert snickers here:

******!!!SNICKERS!!!)))

[Rusty Tromboni]

- - When Mr Field was going life and death with Tubby Qawi who had been booted out of the LH division and almost died in the hospital afterwards, Mike was knocking grown heavy champs out and setting records .

Insert snickers here:

******!!!SNICKERS!!!)))

This.

Tyson was a shell of his former self and he still gave Holyfield two tough fights.

[Rusty Tromboni]

Holyfield in same fashion as the first fight
Lewis by late KO
Fury by UD/MD

You don't make no sense.

Holyfield was camped out at Cruiserweight. And Lewus in the amateurs.


THEY didn't want any part of Tyson. Yet you're saying they beat him!?!? Too bad you weren't around to tell them that.

And while they stop Tyson, Fury only gets a UD?!?

[Blond Beast]

Fury is the obvious answer. And it wouldn't even be competitive. He'd **** Mike.

Vitali probably wins the most one-sided victory after that.

Foreman, after Fury, has the best chance to stopping Mike. But I suspect he only musters a UD, and it's competitive.

Wilder is less likely than Vitali to run away with a lop-sided decision. And less likely to stop Mike than Foreman. But he's the next best in each category. Great fight. Steel pipe vs. Bowling ball. I favor Wilder, but not by much.

Wlad should win a snooze fest. And could stop Mike late. But that would be the ugliest if all the fights.

Ali from FOTC beats Tyson, but it's competitive. Neither man is stopped - unless Tyson really is as fragile as his detractors maintain.

Holyfield is a 50-50 pick. His raison d'etre was to defeat Tyson. He carefully charted his career to accomplish the task. And he fashioned his style to be the perfect Tyson foil. In the rematches with Bowe and Lewis we saw the skills that make me believe at his best he COULD beat a prime Tyson. But even the shot and hopeless version of Tyson was making a fight of it in their matches, so i'm not too optimistic for Holly.

Lewis, Holmes, Bowe, Young, Joshua, Golota and Wallin are all competitive. But for one reason or another I wouldn't make them favorites. Not tonight.

I like all of what u said here. I just always pipe up about “prime tyson”. I feel like a broken record always saying this, but I feel I have to or I’m accused of being a Tyson hater, even though I’m a huge fan. My dad said a guy named Evander Holyfield will beat Mike Tyson after the Spinks fight. He put his money where his mouth is when they finally fought, and would only take even odds. So thats my reality. I find it hard to separate how good a guy could have been with how good they actually were to quantify their greatness. Training, focus, determination, heart, will, consistency, longevity is all part of boxing. Tyson being in jail, hard to quantify the damage. But Holy was taking tons punches during that time on the other hand. It’s like one car sitting in a barn seizing up while another is being bagged on. A lot will agree that when Tyson fought McNeely he was in his best looking physical condition at 220lbs. When people use the term “shell of their former self” that doesn’t leave much room to describe fighters even worse off. If the Tyson who fought Holy was a “shell” then what was the Tyson who lost to Buster? Or the Tyson who blew everyone away leading up to the Holy fights that made him a favourite each time?! I mean Holy lost twice to Bowe and to Moorer? People said he was washed up. It’s not like anyone was saying Tyson was slower or was less of a puncher than Holy. I just think Tyson was tailor made for Evander. Tyson missed, Evander makes him pay. Tyson looks to the ref in the clinch, Evander never stops fighting. Evander took the right to the body, right uppercut. He’s all wrong for Mike.
Okay I wrote a bunch on my critique of one matchup, sorry, but truthfully I really liked everything you said. It was refreshing to hear. I apologies, because I could just as easily right a bunch on backing up all the other matchups u described. I’ll try to do that next time. Good post.

[MartialMind]

I like all of what u said here. I just always pipe up about “prime tyson”. I feel like a broken record always saying this, but I feel I have to or I’m accused of being a Tyson hater, even though I’m a huge fan. My dad said a guy named Evander Holyfield will beat Mike Tyson after the Spinks fight. He put his money where his mouth is when they finally fought, and would only take even odds. So thats my reality. I find it hard to separate how good a guy could have been with how good they actually were to quantify their greatness. Training, focus, determination, heart, will, consistency, longevity is all part of boxing. Tyson being in jail, hard to quantify the damage. But Holy was taking tons punches during that time on the other hand. It’s like one car sitting in a barn seizing up while another is being bagged on. A lot will agree that when Tyson fought McNeely he was in his best looking physical condition at 220lbs. When people use the term “shell of their former self” that doesn’t leave much room to describe fighters even worse off. If the Tyson who fought Holy was a “shell” then what was the Tyson who lost to Buster? Or the Tyson who blew everyone away leading up to the Holy fights that made him a favourite each time?! I mean Holy lost twice to Bowe and to Moorer? People said he was washed up. It’s not like anyone was saying Tyson was slower or was less of a puncher than Holy. I just think Tyson was tailor made for Evander. Tyson missed, Evander makes him pay. Tyson looks to the ref in the clinch, Evander never stops fighting. Evander took the right to the body, right uppercut. He’s all wrong for Mike.
Okay I wrote a bunch on my critique of one matchup, sorry, but truthfully I really liked everything you said. It was refreshing to hear. I apologies, because I could just as easily right a bunch on backing up all the other matchups u described. I’ll try to do that next time. Good post.

I think fans are quick to make excuses for Mike but prime Tyson always had more to do with his mind and training being focused more so than him ever getting out of shape which happened many years after the mental aspect.

By 1990 he lost most of his original team who guided him to becoming a champ, had gone through a bitter public divorce, was admittedly suffering from mental illness and was on a lot of prescription meds and he spent the night before the Douglas fight partying with Bobby Brown and **********s until the early morning.

The Tyson after 1990 wasn't the same guy as he was in 1988. Physically he was fine but his mind was a mess.