How is Mike Tyson not considered top 5 Heavyweight of all time?

[champion4ever]

Luis, Ali, Holmes, Klitschko, Lewis, they all better than Tyson so he can't be top 5. Simple.

It's not Luis. It's Louis. Joe Louis to be exact

[champion4ever]

By the time he left Don King he was spiritually broken. He had no more fight or life left in him anymore. He should have retired but he was in such financial ruin from years of being ripped off by others and poor money management skills, he proceeded to fight on even though his passion for the sport was no longer there.

[hugh grant]

Who did better vs Marquez? Floyd or Manny? 3 life and death close fights and knocked the **** out or an easy dominating 12rd UD?

Actually to be greater all time 3 razor close wins is better than a dominating win.
But as Floyd cheated scales he doesn't even qualify for a win, let alone dominating win.

[Boxing Goat]

H2H Mike stacks up well but in terms of accomplishments, he's not all that decorated really.

[GhostofDempsey]

I would place Louis, Lewis, Holyfield, Foreman, and Ali ahead of him, as well as Holmes, Marciano, Dempsey, and Liston. I rank him evenly with Frazier, and higher than Norton, Klitschko, Walcott, Patterson, Johnson, and others who make the usual top ten lists.

It's difficult to rank some fighters when they fought in eras that were lacking big talent or were avoided. When Tyson was in his prime Bowe didn't want any part of him. He defeated two HOFers in a washed up Holmes and a blown up LHW in Spinks. But when you take into account his skill, ability, power and ring presence in his prime, he would KTFO Wilder and AJ on their best night. Shows you how far the HW division has fallen.

[HandsofIron]

he'd murder wladimir. his chin is garbage for an elite historic HW.

but i don't think he'd beat a lot of the great HW who had a good chin and the right style. rid**** bowe, muhammad ali, george foreman, holmes in his prime, i'd pick them all to beat tyson. tyson was very limited. say what you want, being under 6' and giving up as much as a foot of reach is a huge deal. if he couldn't get you early on he would be fighting at a big disadvantage later in the fight when he was no longer the same puncher.

Yeah, Wlad was a lil bit chinny but he's just way too big for Tyson. Some folks are underestimating the sheer size of Lewis and the Klit Bros.

[HandsofIron]

this definitely isn't the case any more. HW make a lot more money than fighters in any other weight class at the moment. that has historically been the case. casuals drive ticket sales, and HW fights are great TV and even better in the arena.

I was talking about fan appeal and marketable of the fighters.

[CubanGuyNYC]

This is one of those topics that’ll just never die. Lol At his absolute peak, Tyson could beat anyone in heavyweight history. But that peak was fleeting. Mike didn’t beat anyone of note, and he fell notoriously short on more than one occasion. Does that sound like top five material? Sheer ability just isn’t good enough. Sports history is littered with the ghosts of unrealized potential.

[CubanGuyNYC]

Yeah, Wlad was a lil bit chinny but he's just way too big for Tyson. Some folks are underestimating the sheer size of Lewis and the Klit Bros.

You can’t be a “lil bit chinny” and survive versus an absolutely prime Tyson. But I agree that some of these giant heavyweights would probably be too much for most historical champions, including him.

[HandsofIron]

You don't give any justificaton for that claim though - just 'well that's what I think and that's it'.
Whereas me and other posters have laid out clear and factual reasoning why he isn't top 5.

He beat two greats in Holmes and Spinks and lost to two greats in Lewis and Holyfield.

Tyson lost to Lewis because Lewis was so much more bigger than him. Tyson's a Heavyweight (220) and a short one at that. Lennox Lewis, on the other hand, is a Super Heavyweight (250). I keep telling folks that's a whole new weight class that Mike had to go up against.

During his comeback/post-prison, Mike regained the titles and ran out of opponents so boxing's PTB bring in a former Cruiserweight, Holyfield, to challenge him; shoot his ass up with roids Bain style (look up the Evan Fields controversy) and loses to a juice head. Even than, a roided Holyfield still couldn't KO Mike completely.

The Douglas loss was when Mike was at his lowest - he fired most his team, didn't train for that fight, he was partying and high on drugs and hooked up with the infamous and shady Don King who was know for bribing and fixing fights.