Quote Originally Posted by Manju
Given the way his career ended, the mess his personal life became, and the general sense that he never reached his potential and/or went downhill too soon, Tyson is currently underrated.

If nothing else, his punching power should not be doubted. With his bob-and-weave style, defensive ability, and tremendous (for a heavyweight) hand speed, he was a much more complete fighter in his prime than some other great pure punchers: Foreman, Shavers, and Liston. Mike though, was mentally weak (despite a great intelligence--no dumb people read Mao for fun), and never possessed the determination to win once the going got tough. In this sense, he had the mentality of a classic bully: if he didn't get you right away, you had a real chance to get him.

Specifically, he never learned to fight backwards, and thus was unable to adapt as he aged (like Ali). Despite great boxing knowledge, he never won on guile or strategy, relying almost exclusively on power and intimidation. Holyfield and Foreman, though not as intelligent as Mike, were much more determined and mentally tough. Men of Faith, they really fooled themselves into believing they were destined to win. Tyson, remarkably self-aware, reflective, and mentally tortured, was in a way too sophisticated to be a true warrior. War is not the time for nuanced men of self-doubt.

But Foreman, IMO, was the hardest hitter in boxing history. His destruction of Frazier--5 knockdowns and the last resulting in Frazier being lifted off the canvas by Foreman's sheer punching power--is arguably the greatest knockout in history. Frazier was the champ, had defeated the greatest heavyweight ever, was undefeated himself and on his way to becoming a legend. Never before or since has a fighter so great been destroyed so thoroughly.

That's some very eloquent writing, and welcome to the forum, a CC from me for such a well written piece. However I would argue that your assumptions about Tyson's intelligence, self awareness and ability to reflect upon himself as you allude to ("Tyson, remarkably self-aware, reflective") may be somewhat misguided. My view is that someone that aware and reflective would not have ended up in the situation Mike has. Also you state "Specifically, he never learned to fight backwards, and thus was unable to adapt as he aged (like Ali)". I think you miss the point on both guys here. Ali had other health issues later in his career as a boxer and Mike did too, his psychological issues and the time he'd done. With regard to "no dumb people read Mao for fun", most people in prison read this kind of stuff. Lots of dumb people read lots of stuff and interpret it incorrectly. Just reading something doesn't make one intelligent, 5 yr olds can read. But finally Tyson's power can't be denied. His ability as a boxer early on can't be denied. The amalgamation of his private life with his sporting life has been a shame and has tainted IMO the career of one of the great boxers of our time.