How good was a 'prime' tyson?

[Spicoli]

Wow..take a breath...Tyson had sensational power/speed.Its when fighters came back on him that the questions demanded answers

[Dark Lord Al]

Tyson had great power and speed , but as time when on it showed he didnt have the stomach for fights when the other guy fought back.
No way a prime Tyson beats Ali or Foreman ( primes ).

[:::PSL:::]

I just watch "the best of Tyson" volume 1 & 2 the other night on ESPN.

He was pretty fvckin agreesive fighter. It's like.. Tyson is the pitbull in the ring, and his opponents are french poodles.

[GAME]

Tyson in his prime looked amazing. I think he could possibly beat any fighter on his best day but it cant be proven cuz he never fought a big name in his prime. Round about the Bruno fight in 89 he began slwoing down through all the money and distractions he had, then after Douglas he was ruined so we never saw how he'd do against a great fighter

My guess is if Tyson met an ATG when he was at his best he'd stand a pretty good chance.

[BIG H]

Tyson had great power and speed , but as time when on it showed he didnt have the stomach for fights when the other guy fought back.
No way a prime Tyson beats Ali or Foreman ( primes ).

You can't say none of his first 27 opponents fought back! He was just so good that their attempts to fight back were blown away.

[El Kabong]

I think Tyson was great in his prime but I doubt he could beat any of the top ten all-time heavyweights just on a heart standpoint. Tyson had great skill but anytime someone stood their ground he had trouble.


I would have LOVED to see Tyson fight Bowe, Rahman, Briggs, Mercer, and Morrison

[BIG H]

I think Tyson was great in his prime but I doubt he could beat any of the top ten all-time heavyweights just on a heart standpoint. Tyson had great skill but anytime someone stood their ground he had trouble.


I would have LOVED to see Tyson fight Bowe, Rahman, Briggs, Mercer, and Morrison

He would've detroyed all of them, except perhaps Bowe imo

[El Kabong]

Actually I think at the time which was obviously post prison ( 1992-1999 ) all of those guys would have been very difficult for Tyson to beat.

Riddick Bowe had the perfect style to beat Tyson...big guy, didn't take any shit, and had big power.

Rahman I would compare to Frank Bruno, he wasn't as good as Bruno but he had the same length and power and Tyson would have more trouble because he would have been older and Frank rocked him a time or two. Tyson would win but it would be interesting.

Briggs was big, strong, and had quick hands in his prime...I think it would have been close until Tyson landed a perfect counter punch to KO Briggs.

Mercer was just tough and gutsy. A better boxer than Oliver McCall but perhaps with a chin that's about the same level.

Morrison had big power and he could box a little it would have been a brawl.


Also Tyson vs the Michael Moorer who beat Holyfield would have been a good fight too and with the back story of Teddy Atlas training Moorer....wow what a fight that would have been

[BIG H]

Actually I think at the time which was obviously post prison ( 1992-1999 ) all of those guys would have been very difficult for Tyson to beat.

I was talking about prime for prime. Very hard to say what would have happened post prison. Probably pre 96 I would still have backed him against all OF those except Bowe.

[brucelee]

I agree Big H. Tyson would have blown them into pieces. hehehe.


No matter what people say, Tyson would have beaten anybody had he concentrated on his boxing career not his jail career.

I suggest that before somebody posts something about how great or not great a fighter is he should at least watch 10 of his fights. Remember that Tyson was the youngest Heavyweight champ. That was a great accomplishment already.

I am a Tyson fan because I have seen his fights when he was knocking people out. I am of the belief that was his prime period. After unifying the heavyweight titles, Tyson lost his mind and was never the same. He was not in his prime when he fought Douglas. In fact, Douglas fought an already very troubled Tyson.

[Lance Uppercut]

Tyson was the youngest Heavyweight champ. That was a great accomplishment already.

I wonder what Michael Spinks thinks about this.

After all, he was still the heavyweight champion when tyson beat berbick for an alphabet title, and Spinks would go on to successfully defend the real/linear Heavyweight Championship against Jerry Cooney 7 months after Tyson picked up the alphabet trinket from Berbick.

[Gandalf]

I think Tyson was great in his prime but I doubt he could beat any of the top ten all-time heavyweights just on a heart standpoint. Tyson had great skill but anytime someone stood their ground he had trouble.


I would have LOVED to see Tyson fight Bowe, Rahman, Briggs, Mercer, and Morrison

He would've detroyed all of them, except perhaps Bowe imo

And even Bowe may have had his hands full. Tyson at his best was nasty.

[El Kabong]

And even Bowe may have had his hands full. Tyson at his best was nasty.

Are you kidding me Riddick Bowe had ALL the tools to beat Tyson prime or post jail.

Bowe was bigger, he was mentally tough, he has never been KO'd, he RARELY if ever got hurt (I never saw anyone other than Holyfield or Lewis in the amateurs do it).

Bowe was better than the Douglas that beat Tyson in 1990...he was MUCH better

[Andre]

Im obviously a Tyson fan, and for good reason.

There wasn't anything like Mike in his early 20's. He was an absolute wrecking machine.

That particular heavyweight era WAS a bit light, but Im not sure how much it impacts his legacy.

If youll just look at what Mike brought to the ring in those magical years, it's enough to make any heavyweight of any era second guess thier own confidence.

Raw, natural destructive power. Crazy speed (often overlooked), GREAT head and trunk movement, and a pitbull's mentality for inflicting pain in rapid concussive barrages. He was the total package. It was short-lived, yes, but while it was there, it was truly something special.

His was a star that burnt out quickly. Many people try to dismantle his entire career after the Douglas fight, but I say watch that fight again. In Mike's first loss, you actually learn a ton about him.


I'll say this, and Ive said it on many occasions, there are FEW heavyweights that could have handled that particular Douglas on that particular night. Mother recently passed away, he had nothing to lose and everything to gain. He was in so much pain and turmoil, he didn't have anything left to be afraid of.

Watch that fight again. Douglas..was...SHARP. Bouncing on his toes, throwing crisp hard shots, absolutely peppering a very suprised Mike into submission.

If you need a good example of what kind of chin Mike had, too, here's a good one. Mike absolutely got his ass kicked over ten long rounds that night. Took some hellacious shots before going down.

Lennox Lewis? Lennox pounded a very faded Mike over 8 rounds (I think) but look how many bombs he had to land at will before Mike said "fine, im done."


Tyson had it all, he just didnt have it overly long. I give Mike a chance against heavyweight in boxing history within the first 2/3 of any fight.

Ahh, leg IRON MIKE a hearty welcome to ya .

Douglas had a blessing on his head that night and he belived in himself and the job at hand 110% , good luck came all the way with him in his belife too. Everything came together for him, but it nearly didnt except for a certain bell in one round from memory.