Was Mike Tyson a "great" boxer or just a very good boxer?

[VatoMulatto]

We all know he was a very good fighter and many people feel Mike had the potential to be the greatest ever....but do you consider him a "great" one?

[Kel1981]

Yes of course he was.

[lopetego]

at his very best, he was great

but his very best lasted what, 3 years?

excitement wise, he's still unsurpassed

[-PBP-]

I'm a Tyson "hater" and think he's overrated, not a top 10 HW, and has some of the most delusional fans in boxing history. And those Buster Douglas scorecards were an absolute disgrace and thank goodness Buster put his ass out of his misery. He lost to the best fighters he's ever faced and idiots have ridiculous excuses for every single one of his losses.

But I can't deny he was a great fighter. He unified the division at the age of 21.

[lopetego]

I'd like to add, a prime Lennox and prime Vitali would have beaten his ass at any point of his career

[Dr Rumack]

Overrated for sure but clearly a great fighter. No question.

[VG_Addict]

Tyson's great, but one of the most overrated fighters of all time.

He had no Plan B and was mentally weak. If he didn't get you out of there in the early rounds, he didn't know what to do.

[Dr Rumack]

Tyson's great, but one of the most overrated fighters of all time.

He had no Plan B and was mentally weak. If he didn't get you out of there in the early rounds, he didn't know what to do.

I think that's the most damning thing. Being one-dimensional is a forgiveable crime. One great dimension beats most fighters out there. But mental weakness is a different story.

[boliodogs]

I think he was a very good boxer but not a great boxer if you are talking about boxing ability. His hand speed and two handed punching power were what made him a great fighter but he had good boxing skill as well. He was able to make most punches miss him and he knew how to land his own punches.

[SplitSecond]

Physical monster.