prime tyson vs prime lewis

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Originally Posted by BIG H

If Tyson is so overrated, why did nobody else set the Heavyweight world alight for so many years before or since him. If he was in the same league as the likes of Mercer and Morrison why didn't they dominate like he did, his era was no worse than almost any (apart from 2) in history.

People just remember the slugger he became and no the great fighter he was. If he retired in 89 he would be in everybodies top 5 greatest heavyweights of all time and he still is in mine!!

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cc bro, a prime Tyson was dynamite!!!

reason why he set world alight because he was baddest man on planet good marketing im not saying it wasnt hes skills that done of course it was but the whole bad guy thing was good for them to make money off of him. and ps what would ur top 5 list be by the way big h

Tyson's style made him more suseptible to be beaten by a guy like Buster Douglas than it did another slugger

HOWEVER

For your question about why didn't anyone "set alight the heavyweight division lik ehe did" well that's painfully obvious people got bored of Ali and Holmes and all of their shit talking ending with UD's instead of KO's. Tyson was exciting to watch but who did he fight? And how did he fair vs guys who were at the top in his generation of fighters?

Tyson is the Dan Marino of his era...he's flashy people pay attention to his great feats of ability but he was never able to "win the big one" when compared with Holyfield (Joe Montana - not flashy but did enough to win) and Lennox Lewis (John Elway - struggled to win but once he did he dominated) he's just not on their level. Yes he was the youngest heavyweight champ ever but thanks in part to the lack of any good heavyweights out there and extremely good match ups for him done by Cayton and Jacobs.

I don't rate Tyson in my top 5 or top 10 but he's definantly top 15

i dont either thats why im curious what big h top 5 list is then if he rates tyson top 5

After prison I think Tyson could have been beaten by Morrison, I liked Mercer's chances vs him and no one mentions MCCALL he could have beat Tyson too, he KO'd him in sparring before.

I still think Riddick Bowe would have humiliated Tyson though many disagree with me...he could box he could bang he was a big boy who didn't put up with bully tactics...he'd whup Tyson.

i agree with u bowe is very underestimated i think he would take tyson  mercer vs tyson id say 50-50  and for oliver mccall 70-30 in tysons favour

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Originally Posted by galaxy76

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Originally Posted by The Promoter

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Originally Posted by galaxy76

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Originally Posted by ICE COLD BOXING

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Originally Posted by galaxy76

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Originally Posted by VanChilds

I think saying that Tyson was mentally toughest with Rooney in his corner is a little misleading. First of all Tyson at his most mentally and emotionally sound is still less than what I think necessary for great fighter. Not to mention he was beating up a bunch of average fighters at best. Who doesn't feel on top of the world when they are beating up a bunch of cans?

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Spinks is a hall of famer, he took Holmes to two razor close decisions, that's no fluke! Tyson took him out in one round. Look at Lewis' record the only great name is Holyfield. If your trying to say Tysons opposition was limited, Lewis never really fought anyone either until Holyfield!

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thats not true lewis beat razor ruddock in 2 rounds and ruddock gave tyson 2 hard fights ill give u list of good people he beat

tommy morrison
razor ruddock

andrew golota and golota was fresh off battering bowe around
frank bruno
tony tucker was 49-1 when he fought lewis and tucker gave prime tyson tough fight
gary mason ok gary mason wasnt world class but he was 35-0 when he fought lewis
henry akiwande ok again he wasnt world class but he had 32-0-1 record at that time

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Don't give me Morrison & Ruddock. Morrison was blasted out by Mercer who went on to loss to a Holmes who Tyson cooled in 4 rounds. Tyson fought & beat Ruddock 3 years after his prime! Look @ my previous posts I'm talking up to Spinks. Tyson's prime ended in 88 IMO. Plus Tyson had already taken care of Tucker in 87, 6 years before Lewis. My comment about Lewis comp was only to state that Lewis' opposition was no better than Tyson's on the way up. If anything Tyson's was better.

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Tyson's "prime" ended at 22 years old?...you play these "telephone" references with Morrison, Mercer, Spinks and Holmes...but the fact is Tyson beat up a 38 year old Holmes after a two year layoff if you want to count that fight you have to count the Lewis/Tyson massacre as a valid fight...arguing about Spinks is ridiculous, he was a great Light Heavy that capitalized on an opportunity to pocket 13.7 mil and because a fight ends in one round or 12 rounds is generally irrelavant if you believe styles make fights...ask yourself a question, why did Tyson avoid Mercer, Holyfield,Morrison and Foreman? a Tyson/Morrison fight would have been the biggest grossing fight in history..... and why did Mike make such "b" level fighters like Douglas and Ruddock look so good? Answer: because Tyson was/is overrated, face it...

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Bro I don't count the Holmes fight not at all, only using it to show how bad Morrison & Mercer were. Someone else brought those two guys up, just saying Tyson had already out done them. Arguing Spinks is ridiculous, what are you on about he went 30 rounds with Holmes who was in no way past his best!!! Fights like Douglas & Ruddock came when Tyson was on the slide, as I said in all my posts here Tyson was going down hill after the Spinks victory. You could see it in his 1st fight with Bruno. Put any of those guys in with a Tyson prior to 88 & he knocks them all on their a**!!!

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Tyson going Down hill at the time of the Spinks fight? Tyson was 21 years old for chissake! So was his prime when he was 19 years old? Was his prime when he decisioned Smith, Tucker or KO'd the neighborhood "crack addict" Biggs??? The Berbick KO was nice but remember Berbick was KO'd by Bernardo Mercado in a one round blowout so it had been done before...

If Mercer and Morrison were so bad, why wouldn't Iron Mike have any part of them? they would have been huge paydays and (according to you) easy blowouts?..Instead Mike chose Frank Bruno, Carl Williams and Buster Douglas(oops)...When you compare Tyson's opposition prior to 1988 it was good not great, with about 3 or 4 tough top tier fighters...Over the course of Mike Tyson's title reign his opposition(and results) pale in comparison to LL and Holmes, it's just a fact...

Mike Tyson was an exciting fighter that fought great at times but overall he did not have the championship legacy that Larry Holmes, lennox Lewis or even Evander Holyfield did...Mike was the youngest ever and no one can deny it or take that away from him, but that's as far as his legacy goes...

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Originally Posted by Lyle

Tyson's style made him more suseptible to be beaten by a guy like Buster Douglas than it did another slugger

HOWEVER

For your question about why didn't anyone "set alight the heavyweight division lik ehe did" well that's painfully obvious people got bored of Ali and Holmes and all of their S*** talking ending with UD's instead of KO's. Tyson was exciting to watch but who did he fight? And how did he fair vs guys who were at the top in his generation of fighters?

Tyson is the Dan Marino of his era...he's flashy people pay attention to his great feats of ability but he was never able to "win the big one" when compared with Holyfield (Joe Montana - not flashy but did enough to win) and Lennox Lewis (John Elway - struggled to win but once he did he dominated) he's just not on their level. Yes he was the youngest heavyweight champ ever but thanks in part to the lack of any good heavyweights out there and extremely good match ups for him done by Cayton and Jacobs.

I don't rate Tyson in my top 5 or top 10 but he's definantly top 15

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Great analogies! :coolclick:

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Originally Posted by ICE COLD BOXING

ps what would ur top 5 list be by the way big h

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1 Ali
2 Louis
3 Tyson
4 Foreman
5 Holmes

That is my list of the 'Greatest' not the 'Best' ;)

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Originally Posted by Lyle

Tyson's style made him more suseptible to be beaten by a guy like Buster Douglas than it did another slugger

HOWEVER

For your question about why didn't anyone "set alight the heavyweight division lik ehe did" well that's painfully obvious people got bored of Ali and Holmes and all of their S*** talking ending with UD's instead of KO's. Tyson was exciting to watch but who did he fight? And how did he fair vs guys who were at the top in his generation of fighters?

Tyson is the Dan Marino of his era...he's flashy people pay attention to his great feats of ability but he was never able to "win the big one" when compared with Holyfield (Joe Montana - not flashy but did enough to win) and Lennox Lewis (John Elway - struggled to win but once he did he dominated) he's just not on their level. Yes he was the youngest heavyweight champ ever but thanks in part to the lack of any good heavyweights out there and extremely good match ups for him done by Cayton and Jacobs.

I don't rate Tyson in my top 5 or top 10 but he's definantly top 15

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you could have stopped at Montana....Elway will always s*ck a** in my mind......:) go Cleveland!!!!!!!!

dont see how u can have tyson above holmes and foreman =(

but oh well everyone has different opinions

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Originally Posted by ICE COLD BOXING

dont see how u can have tyson above holmes and foreman =(

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Like you said just opinions, but for the record, I don't think the result would've been any different if Holmes had've been prime when he fought Tyson, his chin still wouldn't taken those shots.


Interesting take on the Heavyweighs

http://coxscorner.tripod.com/boxchart1.html

I also agree with something BK has picked up before that there is a difference between 'Greatest' and 'Best'

What I mean by that is Riddick Bowe is not in my top 10 'Greatest' HW of all time, but I think on the night he beat Holyfiled in November 92 he was the 'Best' HW of all time, byb that I mean he would've beaten any HW in history

yes ill agree with u there bowe would be up there but what u aid about holmes i dont agree with