Quote Originally Posted by p4pking
Quote Originally Posted by porkypara
Quote Originally Posted by 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
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.