Quote Originally Posted by Punisher136
I see him in his prime as being in the top 3. A lot of people think he was just a bum who put four good years together b4 he fell apart. You can't really say who's the best heavyweight boxer of all time unless you could use a celebrity deathmatch time machine, bring them all back, and have a tournament seeded randomly. A prime tyson gives any great heavyweight a defeat or a run for his money.
At his absolute peak he may have been the 3rd best. Someone could argue a bunch of other guys, but you could certainly make a legit argument for Tyson too.
I just don't think you can say someone was the best ever just because they were great in their short prime. Part of being a great athlete is being able to win even after your skills and youth begin to fade away. The greats can still win even when they're not at their best. That's what separates Ali from Tyson. Ali had a whole second career where he was past his prime.