Tyson: Best Fighter of the last 20 years?

[JUYJUY]

What do you think?

I know that Whitaker, Holyfield and De La Hoya were the best of the 1990's with maybe a young Mosley not far behind, but Tyson was lb4lb #1 in the mid-to-late 1980's. He was the best fighter in the world. Tyson, at his peak in 1987, would beat any Heavyweight 20 years previous and easily any Heavyweight since (the only fighter who might be able to beat him would be the Ali that fought Liston, THAT Ali may be the one fighter to cause Tyson a problem).

The Heavyweight division was filled with plenty of talent when Tyson came along, you had excellent operators such as Pinklon Thomas, Tony Tubbs and an undefeated Tucker, they make Holyfield and Lewis look like muscle-bound sacks of **** by comparison. Yet the 215lb kid Tyson cleared out the division in a few short years of speed, power, sharp defence and amazing accuracy. After tearing through the ranks as an awesome prospect, he knocked down Berbick three times with one punch to become the Youngest Heavyweight Champion of All Time. He soon became the first boxer to ever unify the Heavyweight titles.

He beat the WBC champion, then beat the WBA champion, then beat the IBF champion, then beat the former WBC champion, then beat the former IBF champion, then beat the former WBA champion, then knocked out the Lineal champion in one round. After knocking out the Lineal champion in one round, he hinted at retirement because he had nothing left to prove. But he fired his trainer Kevin Rooney and just became a walking freakshow in and out of the ring, Post-June1988 he was just looking for the one big punch rather than throwing combinations.

He abandoned everything after leaving the Catskills - he was hardly ever at the gym, stopped moving his head, stopped throwing jabs, stopping throwing body shots, stopped throwing combinations, stopped fighting often, and starved himself before each fight to get down from 250lbs because he hadn't trained (which caused him to be a shadow of his former self against Bruno, Williams and Douglas).

But Tyson, who was so damn good that he achieved Everything in just a few years before going off the rails, surely must be a real contender for the best fighter of the last 20 years? Also bare in mind that he overcame adversity by coming out of a four-year prison stay to regain the Heavyweight titles!

[Dirt E Gomez]

The first paragraph alone I disagree with. Foreman and Frazier both beat a prime Tyson... or the "prime" that we saw, regardless of prison time. In the past 20 years there has been Holyfield, Lewis, Hearns, Hagler, and Duran... All leave better legacies in my eyes than Tyson.

[JoeLouis1938]

yea man, he brought boxing back from the dead for a little while. He put a spark back into the sport and everybody liked him He was amazing to watch and people followed his every step because they were so interested.

[enadeus]

Well maybe the best heavyweight in the last 20 years, but there were many other people at lighter weights who I would consider just as good as Tyson, p4p. Tyson cleaned out the heavyweight division, and then self destructed. He uses illegal tactics when he is frusturated with opponents he can't beat like low blows, headbutts, arm twisting, and bitting. Mike Tyson was designed for one thing, to knock people out, and when he could no longer do it, he had no confidence and that led him to self-destruct. That is why I don't think he is the best fighter, sure he was a fighter in all means, but there are so many more notable fighters.

More so, look at the general publics perception of Mike Tyson, a crazy ******. Ask anyone. His legacy is forever tarnished.

[Truth]

He uses illegal tactics when he is frusturated with opponents he can't beat like low blows, headbutts, arm twisting, and bitting. Mike Tyson was designed for one thing, to knock people out, and when he could no longer do it, he had no confidence and that led him to self-destruct. That is why I don't think he is the best fighter, sure he was a fighter in all means, but there are so many more notable fighters.

Thats not true at one point he was the ULTIMATE PUNCHER/BOXER. Tyson had it all, even when people faught he was able to win. When he got out jail and left Kevin Rooney thats when what you said came into effect.

[jabsRstiff]

"when Tyson came along, you had excellent operators such as Pinklon Thomas, Tony Tubbs and an undefeated Tucker, they make Holyfield and Lewis look like muscle-bound sacks of **** by comparison."


This statement.....epitomizes the foolish, absurd things said by JUYJUY.
I saw all of those guys fight, & none of them were on the level of Lewis or Holyfield. Just more propaganda from this guy.


Mike Tyson is nowhere near the best of the last 20 years. There are so many fighters who blow him out of the water.

I'm also tired of hearing how he was so great with certain trainers, & in a certain camp.
All you guys are telling me when you cite that nonsense, is that Mike Tyson had absolutely no ability to ADAPT, & fell apart when he was UNCOMFORTABLE.

[Super_Lightweight]

hmm

Tyson was flawed even in his prime and you could see it in his fights vs Ferguson and the Truth Williams.

He fell in love with his power very early on and it screwed him.

[Kimmy]

All you guys are telling me when you cite that nonsense, is that Mike Tyson had absolutely no ability to ADAPT, & fell apart when he was UNCOMFORTABLE.

This is so true and Jabs has just laid down the law to the idiot Tyson fans, Karma for jabs!

[Truth]

This is so true and Jabs has just laid down the law to the idiot Tyson fans, Karma for jabs!

Thats not true, I have seen many Tyson fights where Mike faught back and won.

[kallsop]

The general public pays most attention to the heavyweight champion, and Tyson was young and dynamic and undisputed champion. He cleaned out the division, but couldn't hang with the next generation (Holyfield, Lewis, Bowe if they had met, ...).

It wan't only the poor training and eroding skills and lack of morals that caused the decline. The new fighters could handle Tyson, plain and simple.