Top 10 heavyweights of wlad's era...

[El Kabong]

It would actually take Mike Tyson quite some time to stop Tony Thompson.

[Master]

It would actually take Mike Tyson quite some time to stop Tony Thompson.

Not 12 rounds.

[TitoFan]

Picking a prime Tyson is not hating on Wlad. It's considering some obvious factors. People like to point out the riff-raff that Tyson faced. But he also faced some top opposition, and some tall guys with a lot of reach. Lyle pointed out Tyson's height and reach vs. Wlad's height and reach. But Tyson beat a very good (and hard-punching) Razor Ruddock, who was just as big and had more reach. End of that argument. People also choose to ignore that Wlad was knocked out several times earlier in his career. His chin is suspect. The fact that most bums who have faced him later on come into the ring scared shitless, doesn't exactly dispel the "weak chin" rap. He hasn't been challenged by someone of Tyson's skills, quickness, and explosive power. Someone mentioned Tyson getting KO'ed by Holyfield. That was due to an accumulation of punches. Holyfield fought Tyson without being intimidated, just like Buster Douglas did. They both hit Tyson with numerous punches, before Tyson went down. Doesn't mean Wlad can do it. Wlad fights more timidly, more defensively, taking advantage of scared shitless opposition. Cannot be compared to Tyson. Tyson would gladly take one or two (or three) right hands from Wlad on the way in to take off his head with one of those airborne left hooks. Tyson, as opposed to Wlad, did not have a suspect chin. In fact he had a pretty good chin. Accumulation of punches is what put him down. Boxing is a matter of styles. We're not arguing here who had the greater championship run, or better record. We're arguing who would win between a prime Tyson and a prime Wlad. Prime Tyson was full of head movement.... hard to hit. His bobbing and weaving got him inside many good fighters. Wlad would've been no exception. Wlad would've been scared to get tagged by Tyson, and for good reason. Tyson would've gladly risked a shot or two from Wlad. Heavyweight fights are often defined by a single punch. That's really all Tyson would need against Wlad.

[THE PHILOSOPHER]

It would actually take Mike Tyson quite some time to stop Tony Thompson.

Tyson fighting a soutpaw!! Don't be silly! Tony thompson is better than james smith and buster douglas, trust me.....smith was outboxed by axel schultz, levi billups and marvis frazier lol

A motivated and fully fit thompson would not have lost to david bey, mike white, jesse ferguson and stefan tansgstad, nor would he look like a whale in the ring like buster often did, thompsons size and southpaw stance would have been awkward for tyson when you consider he did struggle at times with rangy tall fighters and he never fought southpaws!

Thompson put up a better fight against Wlad than Chambers, haye, Chagaev, Rahman, Peter II, Byrd II, Austin, Brock, and Brewster II. Chambers lasted longer, but never won a minute of any round.

The only opponent Wlad had more trouble against in the past 5 years was the elusive and skillful Ibragimov.

I also read he beat up Haye in sparring. You underrate thompson, for me he is the best american HW, i rate him higher than chambers, mitchell and kingpin johnson.