How good was a 'prime' tyson?

[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.

[DaxxKahn]

Tyson may have fought in a weak era but a Tyson at his best had

1. Speed and combination punching that is perhapes one of the top 5 of any HW

2. His conditioning was fantastic and his power was unquestionable

3. His jaw was fantastic....Just look at shots he ate from Ruddock

4. He had a support team that at the time Tyson believed anything they said was the word of GOD so as long as they encouraged him his mindset was that of a champion

To question if Tyson was really that good is almost pointless....No One questioned how good Michael Spinks really was as a HW until Tyson sparked him...At the time no one thought Tony Tucker was ordinary until Tyson beat him, Trevor Berbick though had 3 or 4 losses at the time Tyson beat him was a feared puncher, Frank Bruno who is still thought of as a highly skilled fighter in his day with his only downfall being a soft chin was starched early both times when he fought Tyson...Other then a loss early in his career Bruno only lost to the elite of his era...and all murderous punchers.....

Skill wise Tyson was as good as any HW in history....If his mind was not fragile he coiuld have been a top 3 ATG....

If Tyson would or would not have beaten Bowe, Holyfield, etc if he stayed on course? I am not going to specualte that....There are many peolole out there that have asked the question

"If Tyson kept on the way he was and had not ended up leaving the Catskill camp then ending up in prison would guys like Bowe, Holyfield, Mercer etc have been such big names in the 1990's or Tyson opponents?"

Not a crazy question IMO

[brucelee]

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.

Spinks would be thinking that he doesn't deserve that linear Championship after her was knocked down early and EASILY by Tyson.IMO

During that time, people were actually saying that Tyson would be like fighting Ali coz Spinks was still undefeated at that time. Many have been saying that Spinks would surely beat Tyson only to be viciously proven wrong.

By the way, Berbick was not a champion for nothing. He had been knocking people also and he was in no way an easy opponent for most heavyweights during that time. Tyson, again, disposed him easily.

[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

[Kel]

A prime, focused and confident Tyson had the ability to beat anyone ever IMO

It was only when his foot speed went that he struggled againsed bigger guys, he could get on the inside quicker than a taller heavy could throw a jab for fucks sake.

[SweetPea]

One more thing I want to add....

When people talk about Tyson being overrated, the focus always is on his lack of mental toughness. But IMO, a big reason why he would have lost to many top heavyweights is not because he lacked toughness, it's because he was a short, stocky short-armed fighter. A good tall long armed fighter is almost always going to beat a short, stocky, short-armed fighter.

Ali, Holmes, Foreman, Lewis, Bowe.... all those guys would have either beaten Tyson or had a very good chance at beating him, but it's not because I think Tyson would have cracked mentally, I just think he would have been tactically outgunned by fighters with much longer reaches and more height.

[Spicoli]

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

I dont know....Bowes willingness to often lay on the inside might have been a fatal flaw with a primed Tyson.Maybe I'm grabbing at straws but I remember Hide wobbling him,Before being bounced off the canvas repeatedly like he was drunk

[Gandalf]

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

Lyle, we have been through this before. You know Im not kidding.

Bowe was much better than the Douglas that beat Tyson in 1990. I dont doubt that. But the Tyson of two years earlier mauls them both.

And, no, Im really not kidding. Bowe at his best would have to fight fucking smart to beat Tyson and Tyson at his best was a beast.

[TitoFan]

Bowe? Mentally tough? Gee... I don't know. Whenever the thought of Bowe comes to mind, it's usually about a guy with a lot of talent that never had the mental fortitute to get the maximum benefit out of it.

As for the list of people that hurt Bowe in a fight, I would add Golota to the list. And before the "low blow" chants come pouring out, let me state that Golota was dominating Bowe in their fight BEFORE he stupidly, unnecessarily and inexplicably resorted to the low blow barrage.

So was Bowe good? Absolutely. Was he an ATG? Well... I'd stop short of building a bronze statue of him, if you know what I mean.

[SweetPea]

Prime Tyson was a dynamic force who was great to watch. However, I think prime Tyson is also overrated. Was Tyson in his prime one of the 10 best heavyweights ever? Ya. But there are people who claim prime Tyson could have beaten just about any heavyweight in history, and I think those people are nuts.

Tyson was fortunate, in that his prime occurred during a lull in the heavyweight division. His signature wins came over stiffs for the most part, and his big win was over Spinks, who was a great light heavyweight, but not a true top heavyweight. Spinks' claim to fame as a heavyweight was beating an ancient Larry Holmes, and then getting a gift decision in the rematch against an even more ancient Holmes.

If Tyson's prime had occurred several years earlier (when a younger Holmes was still champ) or several years later (after the arrival of Holyfield, Lewis, and Bowe) then I think he would have suffered at least 1 or 2 more losses.