it's a shame that top fighters often peak at different times. Quite often if you are a great/good but have no one at your level to test you then your legacy, in some peoples eyes will always be in question and I think that is the problem here.
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it's a shame that top fighters often peak at different times. Quite often if you are a great/good but have no one at your level to test you then your legacy, in some peoples eyes will always be in question and I think that is the problem here.
dont mind me just taking out the trash :)
:flush:
Awww, I was goading that fool !!
:(
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Originally Posted by flo10bjk
tyson improved a lot when he got his discipline back after converting to islam allah gave him power and he became the best
Ha ha - fuck me, it is either the second coming of Muhammed or the athlete formerly known as Cassius is a member !!!Quote:
Originally Posted by HonorableMuhammed
Well I base my opinions like this,,Quality of opposition,,Longevity,,Consistancy,,and ability to rebound from a loss....Lewis had a longer prime like you said..He also fought and beat better fighters,,,Mike's prime was in a weak era...When he faced adversity he bombed out...A lot of it was due to personal problems he let effect his career...Mental make up is just as important as physical when it comes to a fighter...Personaly I dont count the Douglas loss against Tyson..IMO it was a fluke Douglas could never repeat...I do go by the rest of the losses though...Quote:
Originally Posted by X
Truth is Tyson wasted most of his prime in prison...Mike won the title at such an early age he had so much more to learn...His personal life ruined a fighter who IMO didn't reach his peak...If Tyson had stayed around the right people he would have become even better...After he was already champion...Tyson could have went down as the freatest HW in history he had the goods we all know that...but we will never know...So I go by what they accomplished....
Daxx, I totally agree with everything you said - I still just think that the saying "it's better to burn out like a comet than slowly fade away" applies to Tysons's talent.
He had more talent that Lewis, he was more eye catching, he did absolutely dominate the HWs for a few years (at least as long as Dempsey and Marciano did) and i belive that eh would have been competitive against almost any HW in history.
Yes, he could have been the greatest ever, yes he was mentally wierd, yes he was stupid with hangers on, yes he lost his prime in prison ...... but he wasn't half good while he was out in the late 80's early 90's.
Don't diss Tyson for dominating the Heavyweight division he came along in cause it isn't his fault he came in that era, just like it isn't Lewis' fault for being in his era. You can say all you want to about saying Tyson had a padded record but I ask you WHO ELSE WAS OUT THERE FOR HIM TO FIGHT IN HIS PRIME? He fought them, he beat them and climaxed at Mike Spinks, end of story, he dominated his Era, and Lewis was after his era and he dominated that one, leave it at that.Quote:
Originally Posted by DaxxKahn
It is what it is...As far as a career goes Lewis was better...Plain and simple....Prime or no prime....If they met in their primes Tyson wouldnt be able to bully Lewis...Lewis would not just allow Tyson to hit him or use false Bravado like many of Tysons opponents...Spinks was beat long before the bell rang...I never said Tyson sucked Inever made any other remarks than Lewis fought better comp and IMO would have won if the two met in their primes...Why are you defending Mike like you know him...Compare records and look at the outcomes...Longevity makes a great fighter...AS I SAID ALREADY BUT YOU OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T READ THE ABOVE POST CAREFULLY no one know what Tyson could have done...Until then you have to go by what he did...Other than being the youngest HW champ Lewis accomplished much much more....PLAIN AND SIMPLE.....Quote:
Originally Posted by P.G.H Angel Eyes
I just think everbody pays to much attention to how Tyson was post 96 (even post 89) whose to say that Lewis or anybody else would've been able to stand up to Tyson circa 1989. It would not be the same scenario as it was in 2002.
If Tyson retired after the Spinks fight would anybody really seriusoly be claiming that he only ruled by fear and if you stood up to him you could beat him - I don't think they would Tyson was shot from 89 onwards, but in his prime I only see Ali beating him
If he retired after beating Spinks everybody on this site would have him top 5 of all time Heavyweights, so whuy don't they now, surely you judge a fighter in his prime?
He nearly did retire after Spinks aswell.
People didn't step up to Tyson, he forgot his art and became nothing more than a puncher.
Exactly, people forget, he had a great jab, with that quick double jab, awseome hooks from both sides, excellent defence, probab;y the best lateral movemnt I have ever seen from anybody above Middleweight, people's memories are to clouded with the slugger that he later becamse - infact I'm sure that half the people that comment haven't even seen him in his primeQuote:
Originally Posted by AdamGB
I am a big LL fan, but objectively imagine the Lennox Lewis against Briggs, McCall (1) Rahman (1) Klitchko for example, he was so open he would've got knocked out - sorry it's true
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Originally Posted by BIG H
It's a bit unfair to ask people to dismiss the last 15 years of Tyson's career though. Its hard not to remember him by his loses.
Obviously his prime (late 80s) was more about the manner he won than whom he beat. I reckon that 80's Tyson starts favourite against any heavyweight in history. Whether or not he'd of beaten the other greats is just "if my aunty had bollocks she'd be my uncle" stuff.