is MIKE TYSON underrated?

[undefeated]

a prime tyson was devestating--crushing every1 in his way--he didnt go in to box he went in 2 knock hos opponents TFO! and he did

he was once a scientific fighter--had he stayed that way who knows how long he would have been champ.

he became a 1 punch hitter,,,this set him up 4 defeat

he only lost 1 fight in his prime...much like joe louis


now after having a 5 yr retirement.....he sure as hell was just a shadow of his former self

point being -the tyson b4 jail was a legend--after jail--like an old louis

nobody counts louis fights after he came out of retirement, how come they count tysons fights sfter retirement?

people focus on tyson after jail--not b4 when he really was a beast ripping through all his opponents, so i think hes underrated becaus pple focus on his after jail career

[ICB]

tyson isnt underrated by any means id say overrated

[Samson3000]

tyson isnt underrated by any means id say overrated

I agree, I love Tyson but the majority of his fanbase is severly delusional, with many thinking if he just trained hard enough he could still unify the heavyweight championship today.

[Purist]

It depends.

He's underrated in the sense of some people think all you need to do is not be afraid to beat him.

and

He's overrated in the sense that people think he could destroy everyone by the wind of his punch.

So it's 50/50 from different angles and perspectives

[Bx730NY]

tyson isnt underrated by any means id say overrated

I agree, I love Tyson but the majority of his fanbase is severly delusional, with many thinking if he just trained hard enough he could still unify the heavyweight championship today.

The two comments above should answer your question. He is one of the most underappreciated fighters because of his lack of mental stability. That shouldn't take away from the fact that Tyson on his best day, would probably have beaten any fighter from any era on their best day. He had it all. Speed, power, technique and IMO, a good chin. He only lost when he became complacent or just plain crazy. That man needs more appreciation.

[Samson3000]

tyson isnt underrated by any means id say overrated

I agree, I love Tyson but the majority of his fanbase is severly delusional, with many thinking if he just trained hard enough he could still unify the heavyweight championship today.

The two comments above should answer your question. He is one of the most underappreciated fighters because of his lack of mental stability. That shouldn't take away from the fact that Tyson on his best day, would probably have beaten any fighter from any era on their best day. He had it all. Speed, power, technique and IMO, a good chin. He only lost when he became complacent or just plain crazy. That man needs more appreciation.

There's no way in hell Tyson is underappreciated. Most people don't rank him in their top 5 heavyweights of all time, and yet these same people always pose the hypothetical matchup of Ali (usually their number 1) against Tyson. Not Ali-Lewis, Ali-Holyfield, Ali-Marciano, but more often than any other, Ali v. Tyson. That is the ultimate sign of respect.

[landmine950]

I think maybe the question itself is too vague.
Tyson..Over all? In his prime? his best era?
Over all as a boxer?
Career? in/outside of the ring?
Contibution to boxing?

[althetruthhindley]

over rated for sure was good to watch in the early days when people like star were a babe in arms lol

[porkypara]

a prime tyson was devestating--crushing every1 in his way--he didnt go in to box he went in 2 knock hos opponents TFO! and he did

he was once a scientific fighter--had he stayed that way who knows how long he would have been champ.

he became a 1 punch hitter,,,this set him up 4 defeat

he only lost 1 fight in his prime...much like joe louis


now after having a 5 yr retirement.....he sure as hell was just a shadow of his former self

point being -the tyson b4 jail was a legend--after jail--like an old louis

nobody counts louis fights after he came out of retirement, how come they count tysons fights sfter retirement?

people focus on tyson after jail--not b4 when he really was a beast ripping through all his opponents, so i think hes underrated becaus pple focus on his after jail career

If his prime had come 5 or 10 years latter he would have had to face Lewis,Holyfield or Bowe to even win the HW title not the washed up fighters he did fight.

Not his fault I know but he was lucky there was a serious lack of talet around when he was in his prime.

[p4pking]

a prime tyson was devestating--crushing every1 in his way--he didnt go in to box he went in 2 knock hos opponents TFO! and he did

he was once a scientific fighter--had he stayed that way who knows how long he would have been champ.

he became a 1 punch hitter,,,this set him up 4 defeat

he only lost 1 fight in his prime...much like joe louis


now after having a 5 yr retirement.....he sure as hell was just a shadow of his former self

point being -the tyson b4 jail was a legend--after jail--like an old louis

nobody counts louis fights after he came out of retirement, how come they count tysons fights sfter retirement?

people focus on tyson after jail--not b4 when he really was a beast ripping through all his opponents, so i think hes underrated becaus pple focus on his after jail career

If his prime had come 5 or 10 years latter he would have had to face Lewis,Holyfield or Bowe to even win the HW title not the washed up fighters he did fight.

Not his fault I know but he was lucky there was a serious lack of talet around when he was in his prime.

How do you know whether he was lucky though... He could have been unlucky, becasue he never had a chance to get the great names on his resume when he was at his peak.. Id say he would have had a good chance to beat any of those 3 in his prime, and they probably would have made for some of the great fights he never really had imo. Win or lose if he had faced more adversity in the ring I think alot of people would have more respect for him. He does have the one great fight imo with Razor Ruddock, but he was already past it a bit.. As for the threads question I think Starr's post was dead on.. It all depends. Most people either underrate or overrate him, I would say. Id have him top 5 at his best, in terms of who would win between all heavy's.. But probably not top 10 in a greatest HW list... Either way he was an ATG.... Anyone who argues that I think is underrating him.

[Kev]

I'd say the casaul fan grossly over estimate him, whilst a large proportion of 'hardcore' fans tend to sell him short.

In my opinion he probably makes the all time top 10 but only at number 10.

[El Kabong]

I don't rate him in the top 10 all time....he's top 20 but near the tail of it.

He was mighty impressive but at the end of his career there were guys A LOT better than he was, even in his prime. I'm not dissing Mike but being realistic about Bowe, Lewis, and Holyfield....those guys were DAMN GOOD and not to mention Old Foreman...I watched Foreman-Holyfield today and Big George still had enough in him to take it to the big boys of the division.

Mike Tyson never got the chance to fight a big time fighter in his prime....you can't say Michael Spinks...he didn't "fight" Mike Tyson he fell down....you can't say Larry Holmes...he was out of his prime.

Frank Bruno, Donovan Rudduck, Andrew Golota, Lennox Lewis, and Evander Holyfield were his chances and he did REALLY well vs Bruno and Rudduck but by the time he locked up with Evander and Lennox he was so far past it he couldn't do anything.

[cockey cockney]

a prime tyson was devestating--crushing every1 in his way--he didnt go in to box he went in 2 knock hos opponents TFO! and he did

he was once a scientific fighter--had he stayed that way who knows how long he would have been champ.

he became a 1 punch hitter,,,this set him up 4 defeat

he only lost 1 fight in his prime...much like joe louis


now after having a 5 yr retirement.....he sure as hell was just a shadow of his former self

point being -the tyson b4 jail was a legend--after jail--like an old louis

nobody counts louis fights after he came out of retirement, how come they count tysons fights sfter retirement?

people focus on tyson after jail--not b4 when he really was a beast ripping through all his opponents, so i think hes underrated becaus pple focus on his after jail career

If his prime had come 5 or 10 years latter he would have had to face Lewis,Holyfield or Bowe to even win the HW title not the washed up fighters he did fight.

Not his fault I know but he was lucky there was a serious lack of talet around when he was in his prime.

How do you know whether he was lucky though... He could have been unlucky, becasue he never had a chance to get the great names on his resume when he was at his peak.. Id say he would have had a good chance to beat any of those 3 in his prime, and they probably would have made for some of the great fights he never really had imo. Win or lose if he had faced more adversity in the ring I think alot of people would have more respect for him. He does have the one great fight imo with Razor Ruddock, but he was already past it a bit.. As for the threads question I think Starr's post was dead on.. It all depends. Most people either underrate or overrate him, I would say. Id have him top 5 at his best, in terms of who would win between all heavy's.. But probably not top 10 in a greatest HW list... Either way he was an ATG.... Anyone who argues that I think is underrating him.

Yep i take Prime Mike beating Lewis, Holyfield and Bowe personally. Yea Mikes career isnt one of the greatest of heavies on a all time level....but on a top 10 'best' in terms of ability at their best i have Mike VERY HIGH.

[El Kabong]

Lewis and Bowe both had the perfect style to beat Tyson

Holyfield would ALWAYS at least frustrate Tyson to no end....I do think he'd still beat Tyson in Mike's Prime

[undefeated]

as far as a prime tyson(85-90) vs the other greats go

i still think a prime tyson 4sure could not have beaten ali or foreman

its fair 2 say he has a chance 2 beat

holmes-either way--holmes would make tyson eat his jab-tyson would bash in holmes w/body shots
frazier
marciano
lewis
holyfield