dayokanu:

Tyson dominated in his prime. When was Holyfields prime? he never had any.

Did you watch Lennox vs holyfield? i blamed myself for watching the 2 bouts. It would have been better to read live commentaries on the internet.

Douglas was plain fortunate just the way Hasheem rahman was against Lewis.

Ali was a journalist man The Lips of Louisville they call him Tyson had no time for those press romance.

It was always straight to business and Gbam!!! You are out cold.

Tyson is a bully? Yes Boxing is a brawl sport not for Gays like Holyfield and Lennox who were hugging one another throughout.

I swear they both had erections during the bout. Evander even came twice Allah I saw it!!!!

How won't Tyson dominate when he was surrounded by weaklings?

You forgot to point ut that Lewis came back to whoop Rahman's ass did Tyson ever avenge defeat to any of his conquerors abeg give this debate a rest some boxing afficionadoes don't even think he is worthy of making the top 10

http://dmboxing.com/WordPress/?p=175

Tyson Knocked out Holmes cold in the 4th round.This was Homes only knockout of his career yet this writer feels Holmes is better.

Tyson sent Spinks Holmes nemesis down twice in the first round and into early retirement. Mike Spinks 1 loss was to this enfant terrible called Tyson!!!

dayokanu:

Tyson Knocked out Holmes cold in the 4th round.This was Homes only knockout of his career yet this writer feels Holmes is better.

Tyson sent Spinks Holmes nemesis down twice in the first round and into early retirement. Mike Spinks 1 loss was to this enfant terrible called Tyson!!!

If you looked carefully you would see he was comparing them in their prime

So if we should go by your ridiculous analogy that means Kevin McBride,Danny Williams are both greater than Mike Tyson

I list my top ten as (in order) Jack Johnson, Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano, Gene Tunney, James Corbett, Larry Holmes, Jim Jeffries, and Ezzard Charles.

perfect, jack johnson is no.1 to me, mike tyson would have been neutralized by jack johnson. more people would appreciate floyd mayweather after it's all said than john. a better pound for pound fighter than roy jones and comparable to sugar ray robinson

I would say Ali because he knew the entertainment aspect of boxing and did well in that was well as in the boxing aspect

You guys dey yarn opata.

How can you compare Tyson to even Holyfield? Holyfield was King of lightweight and cruiserweight for years before he even stepped up to heavyweight. His fight with Mohamed Qawi is these lower divisions is ranked as one of the best of all time. Mike Tyson was scared of Holyfield:

In 1990, Holyfield beat Seamus McDonagh, knocking him out in four rounds. Holyfield by this time had been the Ring Magazine's Number 1 contender for 2 years and had yet to receive a shot a Tyson's heavyweight title.

Then a deal was signed for him to defend his crown against Mike Tyson in November 1991. Tyson delayed the fight, claiming he was injured in training, but was then convicted for the rape of Desiree Washington and sentenced to six years in prison, so the fight did not happen at that time.

Why is Tyson fighting guys like Buster Douglas when Holyfield is the no 1 contender? It is only after Holyfield won the belt that Tyson dared to fight him.

Lets not forget that Mike Tyson lost twice to one white boy and couldn't even qualify for the olympics. What kind of nonsense is this?

If you want to talk about power or knockout punch, George Foreman has way more power than Mike Tyson.

Tyson is only the third best heavyweight (not boxer) of his generation, talkless of greatest of all time. We are talking about a man who paid Lennox Lewis $4million not to fight him when Lennox was the mandatory challenger. His style may be more exciting but that does not make him the best. If excitement is the criteria for greatness, then Mohammed Qawi and Marvin Haggler were far more exciting to me than Mike Tyson. Tyson went to prison for 47 months, so what? Mohammed Ali was inactive for 43 months after the Vietnam fiasco and still came back to dominate the world. Still I ask, which important fighter did Mike Tyson beat? Is it a 40 year old Larry Holmes? Mike Tyson did not beat any single fighter who could be considered a great. Infact, he is remembered more for his defeats than his victories. So how can he be considered the greatest?


Please read this:

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/boxing-news/lotierzo1803.php

I have watched the amateur and professional boxing career of Mike Tyson since 1982. I have never seen a fighter who has been afforded so many excuses by the public. Never have I heard more fans make excuses for a fighter after suffering a loss. As of this writing he has been beaten 4 times, knocked out in three of his defeats with each one more severe, and he quit in his other defeat before he was stopped. Against Buster Douglas his fans say he threw the fight or he was drugged, why was it that they couldn't accept him being beaten. I've even heard some say Holyfield waited until Tyson was shot before facing him, which has to be the most uninformed opinion in history! It was Holyfield who was shot when he and Tyson met in November of 96. Most fail to mention that Holyfield is 4 years older then Tyson, and he has faced the very best the heavyweight division has had to offer, which cannot be said about Tyson. Holyfield also has had a much tougher career then Tyson because of him not being blessed with one punch knockout power, many of his fights turned into wars and going the distance. In fact Holyfield resurrected his career off the wins he scored over Tyson. I've even have had fans tell me that Tyson should be rated above Holyfield in the overall ranking of histories greatest heavyweight champions. How can that even be said in jest ? Not only has Holyfield clearly beaten Tyson twice but he had the better career. He's fought fighters that Tyson avoided and has faced and defeated better fighters then Tyson throughout his career, no boxing fan or historian can question this. Holyfield proved he's clearly the better fighter period, why can't some Tyson fans accept it?

How about his defeat by Lennox Lewis? Again some try to convince themselves that Mike was drugged or wasn't himself. Do you realize Frank Bruno put up a better fight vs Lewis then Tyson did. The fact of the matter is, Mike Tyson was never as good as the media or fans thought or wanted to believe he was. He's been a front runner against overmatched opponents and he's been thoroughly beat by the best fighters he's shared the ring with. A review of Tyson's career leads to only one conclusion. However physically talented he may be, he is maybe the most overrated champion in heavyweight history. He has been the loser of the three most important fights of his career, and that is not an opinion it is a fact.

When reviewing the career of Mike Tyson it must start with the exceptional job done by his management team. Tyson managers Jim Jacobs and Bill Cayton did the best marketing job in history with Tyson. Remember how they circulated a highlight tape of the fighters first 5 pro bouts to the mainstream sports media and writers. He was matched so perfectly with opponents that he would not only beat but he would look like something from out of this world in the process. Make no mistake Mr. Tyson can punch with both hands, and he is extremely fast for a fighter who hits as hard as he does. And he is a great front runner.

However, a close examination of Tyson's career reveals several telling facts indicating that he is not all that he was built up to be. His first 20 opponents are probably among the worst of any heavyweight at the start of their career. He actually fought guys who were inactive for three years and had lost their last 8-10 fights by knockout ! He won the WBC title from 32 year old Trevor Berbick in Nov 86 to become the youngest heavyweight champion in history at age 20. This is the same Berbick who was knocked out in one round by Bernardo Mercardo.

Tyson then wins the WBA title in March 87 from Bonecrusher Smith by decision, Bonecrusher was stopped in 12 rounds by Larry Holmes in Nov 84, and Tyson only decisions him 3 years later. He then goes on to win his title-unification bout with undefeated Tony Tucker by unanimous decision in August of 87, however the only fighter who was hurt or shook in the fight was Tyson by a Tucker uppercut. After a 7 round stoppage of 15-0 Tyrell Biggs he stops 38 year old Larry Holmes in 4 rounds in Jan 88. Holmes hadn't fought in two years, trained on a rowing machine and tread mill and only sparred a few times at his own gym, and had no training camp. Holmes said before the fight needed 3 million to pay off a building. The best testament to Tyson's punch is that Holmes was never stopped before or since. After Holmes Tyson goes to Tokyo to fight the human blimp Tony Tubbs. Tubbs is in such good shape he comes in at 237 pounds forfeiting a 50,000 $ bonus for not coming in 230 or below. Tyson does what he should and blows Tubbs out in two rounds.

In his next fight he beats former Lt. heavyweight champ Michael Spinks in one round in June 88, this is what his whole career is built on. Remember this is the Spinks who got a gift decision over 36 year old Holmes two years earlier in their rematch. However impressive Tyson was vs Spinks, in my book beating an old overfed Lt. heavyweight is not a pass to the Hall of Fame. After a brief marriage to Robin Givens he fights china chinned Frank Bruno in Feb 89 and TKO's him in 5. Bonecrusher Smith knocked out Bruno for a 10 count in Feb 84, Tim Witherspoon also knocked out Bruno for the count in July 86. Why is it so monumental when Tyson TKO's him 5 years after Bonecrusher and 3 years after Witherspoon. This is the hysteria I could never understand after some Tyson fights.

In July of 89 he stops Carl "The Truth" Williams in one round, (Quick hook by Ref Randy Neuman), the Truth had been KO'D for the count by Mike Weaver in 86 on Tyson-Ferguson undercard. Once again Tyson is perceived as a boxing immortal off a stoppage of a fighter who's known to have a questionable chin. Then comes Buster Douglas. Going into the Tyson fight Douglas had been KO'D in 3 of his 4 loses. In his title shot before Tyson he was KO'D by Tony Tucker, or as some have said he quit. This is some guy to lose your title against when you are about to turn 24 and in your absolute prime. Yes this is close to Tyson's prime, punchers mature much sooner then boxers do. I guess if I told you going into the fight that Douglas was in the best shape of his life and Tyson was in the worst shape of his career you would've picked the 42-1 underdog Douglas? Tyson should be eliminated from all-time status for that defeat alone. How could he get knocked out by a stiff like Douglas, I don't care how bad a shape he was in, he was in good enough shape to drop Douglas in round 8 with one right uppercut after getting shellacked up to that point in the fight. Maybe if he hung on to lose a decision it wouldn't be so terrible but he was knocked out by a STIFF, not TKO'D but KO'D. Douglas affords Tyson another record, the youngest fighter to lose the heavyweight title.

After being dethroned by Douglas Tyson scores first round knockouts over Henry Tillman and Alex Stewart, obvious confidence builders for Tyson's shattered psyche. Next is Razor Ruddock, the one arm bandit. Before talking about Tyson-Ruddock, let's not forget that Ruddock was KO'D by journeyman Dave Jaco prior to this. Tyson-Ruddock I, Tyson once again is the benefactor of quick hooked referee Richard Steele as Ruddock lives up to one arm bandit billing. However it must be said that other then a brief Ruddock flurry that shook Tyson in the 6th round Tyson was in complete command. Tyson-Ruddock II, Tyson wins a 12 round unanimous decision after dropping Ruddock in rounds two and four. Ruddock actually stands up to Tyson and Tyson accounts him self very good proving that he is the better fighter. Then after serving 3 year jail conviction for rape Tyson is released from prison and fights boxings version of murders row, starting with Peter McNeely, (Remember Ali fought Second ranked Jerry Quarry in his first fight after his exile which was 43 months, Tyson's absence was 47 months) followed by Buster Mathis Jr, Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon as their names say just about all you need to know about them. Mathis couldn't punch, Bruno and Seldon had no chin. However we can't forget that Tyson paid Lennox Lewis 4 million $ so he didn't have to fight him, thus clearing the away for Seldon.

After the Seldon farce he fights Evander Holyfield in Nov of 96. This is Holyfield coming off the two worst fights of his life. He was KO'D by Bowe in the 3rd match up between them in Nov of 95 and couldn't even put down former middleweight Bobby Czyz in May of 96. After Holyfield is cleared by the Mayo clinic he fights Tyson. Holyfield goes on to knock Tyson down in round 6 and thoroughly kick Tyson's butt before stopping him in round 11. Oh' Holyfield hadn't scored a stoppage over a heavyweight since Bert Cooper in Nov of 91 but he stops Tyson. After one postponement he and Holyfield fight again. Tyson by quitting in this fight says more about him than if he got knocked out again. When Tyson realized that he was on his way to being stopped by Holyfield for a second consecutive time he wanted out. So he hid behind the ref crying about being head butt by Holyfield. Isn't that something, the fighter who made a career out of hitting on the break and after the bell looks to the referee to save him. Tyson is DQ'D in round 3 for biting both of Holyfield's ears. This is after a stern warning from ref Mills Lane to Tyson for biting Holyfield's ear the first time. After Tyson is threatened with disqualification he goes and bites Holyfield's other ear the very next time they clinch, he wanted out of the fight. By biting and acting crazy he saved his career because he convinced the public he was so mad at Holyfield that he wanted to injure him, he even went so far as to push Holyfield after the fight while his back was turned !

As a result of biting Holyfield the Nevada boxing commission revokes Tyson's boxing license. After 6 months of inactivity Tyson returns to the ring and fights six nondescript opponents before facing Heavyweight Champion Lennox Lewis in Memphis. The twice beaten Lewis is recognized as the worlds best heavyweight and true champion. Lewis provides Tyson a chance to redeem himself for the poor showings against Holyfield and a chance to lay claim to again being boxings premier heavyweight. Lewis suffering one punch knockout loses to Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman is thought to be just right for Tyson by some due to his chin which has come under it fair share of criticism. On June 8th 2002 Lewis inflicts Tyson with the worse beating of his career. On this night Lewis bust Tyson's face up knocking him down in round 4 and knocking him out in round 8. A sullen Tyson can only offer praise and respect to Lewis in ring center after the fight while wiping the sweat from Lewis' face with his hand. Since Lewis Tyson has fought one time, scoring a 49 second KO of Clifford Eitenne in what has been a staple of the type fight Tyson returns with following a defeat.

When evaluating Tyson the fighter it must be stated, physically he may be as gifted as any heavyweight champ in history other then Muhammad Ali. He has very quick hands that carry knockout power in both. He was somewhat elusive to hit with upper-body movement, not quite the bob and weaver as Frazier but still effective. Some have questioned his chin, I don't. He's been stopped by non-punchers in Douglas and Holyfield but this was due to absorbing many blows throughout the fight. Tyson has a sturdy chin, its what happens to him inside when he gets hit. Tyson's make up inside is his short coming, those traits identify him more then his physical skills.

I once asked Larry Merchant to compare Frazier and Tyson. He said the difference between Frazier and Tyson is, "Frazier was a mile wide and a mile deep, Tyson is a mile wide and an inch deep". When Tyson has been confronted by an opponent who came to win instead of getting paid he's folded every time !

The true test of greatness is how a fighter reacts in the face of adversity, or how he handles defeat. When Tyson has been in with fighters who caved in front of him he was a wrecking machine. He killed guys like Berbick, Stewart, Tillman, Seldon, and Francis. Who has Tyson defeated among his 50 victories that merit anybodies top ten list ? Tyson has been beaten 4 times, three times by knockout and once he quit before he was stopped. Every time he's been beaten its been worse and has followed form. A game start, however if the opponent stood up to the assault he crumbled.

As mentioned earlier, Tyson was the best hyped fighter in history. The public fell in love with him and wanted to see him register a knockout, the opponent didn't matter, it could've been anybody which is who it was a majority of the time. He's fought set-ups his entire career, not that the outcome was pre-determined but their was always and angle. Fighters were coming off long periods of inactivity, or they where tailor made for him like Eitenne. In some fights the fighters were well past their best days or in the midst of a long losing streaks. One only needs to look at the circumstance surrounding the first Holyfield fight to see that Tyson has always avoided, a true challenge. ! Holyfield was in the middle of the worst rut of his career coming off being stopped by Bowe and an awful showing against Czyz in his two previous fights. Their was no public out-cry or demand for this fight, Holyfield was not considered any more then a faded ex-champ going into his fight with Tyson. The determining factor in putting this fight together was the fact that Tyson deemed Holyfield safe, and Tyson knew Holyfield would be the fighter he would be measured against in his era. Tyson wanted a win over Holyfield, even the watered down eroded version was good enough ! After having everything in place to beat Holyfield, Holyfield proves he's the better fighter and takes him apart.

I ask, is this the body of work of an all-time great? I thought great fighters were supposed to win the so-called signature fights of their career ? The Tyson fans have all kinds of reasons and excuses for his defeats. The bottom line is that you can search all day and you'll never find that signature fight on his resume.

He's been knocked out and has quit in the biggest fights of his career, and he has no excuse other then he was not good enough. The truth is that he's more remembered for his defeats then his victories, what other great heavyweight can you say that about?

@Ibime,

I must tell you that this writer is so biased in his opinion.

Which boxer was not stopped by a freak Tyson had Douglas, Lennox had Mccall/Rahman, Holyfield had Bowe.

Moreover Holyfield and Lennox were not fighters at all they are just hunks who cant do anything.

Tyson defeated Spinks, Holmes, Ruddock who was number 2 and many more.

Many people don't like Tyson cos he is a bad boy but Holyfield conned the public into believing that he is a born again xtian.

This is a guy who has like 10 children outside wedlock this is a guy who won majority of his bout via unanimous decision.

Who would deny that holyfield was headbutting Tyson in those bouts. Tyson sent Bruno to the hospital in round 5 while Lewis took 7 rounds yet the writer did not notice

A 20year old Tyson won the belt from a 32 year old Berbick and he felt their was no BIG deal Gimme a break berbick was the WBC heavyweight Champ!!!

Iron Mike was the first heavyweight to Unify all the titles WBC, WBA and IBF yet you feel this guy is not the Greatest or do you think he was picking the titles on the floor?

dayokanu:

Which boxer was not stopped by a freak Tyson had Douglas, Lennox had Mccall/Rahman, Holyfield had Bowe.

Riddick Bowe was no freak. He was a qualified fighter. Rahman caught Lennox with a sneak shot. That is not the case with Buster Douglas. Go and watch the Buster Douglas fight again. You will see that Buster beat Mike Tyson black and blue for the last three rounds. It was no freak result.

dayokanu:

Moreover Holyfield and Lennox were not fighters at all they are just hunks who can't do anything.

Lennox used his size too much maybe, but Holyfield was an accomplished boxer who was smaller and weighed less than most of his opponents.

dayokanu:

Tyson defeated Spinks, Holmes, Ruddock who was number 2 and many more.

Abeg comot old man Larry Holmes name from that list. Tyson cannot beat Holmes in his heydey: the same way Holmes cannot beat Ali in his heydey. That fight came after 2 year retirement from Holmes.

All the rest that Tyson beat are nobodies.

dayokanu:

Iron Mike was the first heavyweight to Unify all the titles WBC, WBA and IBF yet you feel this guy is not the Greatest or do you think he was picking the titles on the floor?

Gimme a break! Who was hoilding the titles that Tyson collected. All nobodies. The Heavyweights in the 80's were as rubbish as the heavyweights in the Marciano/Jersey Joe Walcott era. As soon as some greats came onto the scene in the 90's, Tyson was nowhere to be found. Don King tricked HBO into organising a unification tournament, otherwise Tyson would not have unified the belts so young. HBO bought into it because of the hype surrounding Tyson, due to his reputation as a knockout King.


Finally, comparing Tyson to Ali is blasphemy. Ali fought 3 fighters with similar styles to Tyson and beat all of them. Sonny Liston is the most similar boxer to Tyson in history. Yet he suffered 2 ignonimous defeats to Ali without even putting up a fight. Ali would be too fast for Tyson just like he was for Liston. Another knockout king that Ali faced was George Foreman. George Foreman who killed a cow with one punch. The greatest knockout king of all time. Ali was already old when he fought Foreman, yet again, he was too fast for him, slipping all his punches on the ropes. Another Tyson-clone was Frasier. Frasier's left hook is just like Tyson's. Ali beat him twice and Frasier won once. Yet, none of these knockout Kings could KO Ali, so is it unfit Mike Tyson who cannot last more than 5 rounds that will KO Ali? Ali is too fast for him. Ali is the only heavyweight who fought with the style, foot speed and hand speed of a middleweight - and he learnt it from Sugar Ray Robinson.

Dayokanu,
We meet again.
I don't agree with your points on Tyson.
First,he had no competition.You mentioned he dropped Holmes,giving him the only knockdown in his career.Holmes came out of retirement and was nearly 39.I know Holmes beat Ali,but Ali then was on medication to treat the Parkinson's syndrome that he would later become synonimous with.Spinks was the beneficiary of a highly dubious win over Holmes,and refused to meet Tyson's toughest opponent till dat (Tony Tucker-took Tyson the full 12 rounds)
Second,he lost his title to a fluke:Buster Douglas is an utter nobody in boxing.There's no need to argue.Douglas has no pedigree in boxing at all.
Third,he was dodging Holyfield for most of his career in his prime.He posponed a fight after Holyfield beat Douglas (easily) on injury,and then got jailed.
Fourth,you mentioned jail time.
Like a brother said earlier:if Tyson's ways were more sober,he would probably have lasted twice as long as he did.Ali was stripped of his title for not going to Vietnam.He didn't get himself involved in situations where he could be accused of rape.
Fifth,Tyson had no matches you could call a classic,unless destroying nobodies under a minute is what you call classic.There was Ali-FrazierI,II&III, each with its own tale. There was Ali-Norton I,II&III. There was the Rumble in the Jungle.These are all classics in themselves.
Sixth, for the greater part of 20-odd years,Ali was the man.He beat every credible opponent of his time and avenged every loss,except for Holmes and Berbick,because he was struck with Parkinson's.Tyson was pretty much done by 91 after starting out in 85,more like a flash in the pan.
I rest my case

Ibime
Nice defence.
The article might seem biased,accoding to our guy dayokanu,
But most of it is true.
Tyson was a sorry piece of crap after Lewis destroyed him.

According to the article, everyone Tyson beat was either a cripple, epileptic or was bribed to throw the match.

Tyson was ill prepared for the Douglas bout yet he knocked out Buster before the ref did some Ojoro that allowed 14seconds.

Tyson was shorter than most of his opponents he had a shorter reach yet he crashed them all in the opening rounds

Ali is the Greatest!

His movement, Tenacity, Strength and Mindgames

Are features you wont find in Tyson or anyother boxer.

Have you forgotten this famous quote by Ali

"I am the greatest".

Tyson?
of course he looked strong cos he fought some idiots!!!

why should Tyson who couldnt beat Holyfield and Lewis be the greatest?

Ali or Lewis are my people anytime anyday.

But wait, can we ever have someone like Ali again?
. . .he's the only one who punches and sting like a bee
Ali should be the greatest!!!

did somebody say Sugar Ray or Foreman?
hehehehe

TKB,

You can come here o flaunt the Ali story i told you?

Ali was just like this English comedian/Boxer prince Naseem who was the entertainer on the ring. Tyson has no time for such nonsense.

Ali would perform better as a back up dancer for some musician or a PR guy for a gang

dayokanu:

TKB,

You can come here o flaunt the Ali story i told you?

Ali was just like this English comedian/Boxer prince Naseem who was the entertainer on the ring. Tyson has no time for such nonsense.

Ali would perform better as a back up dancer for some musician or a PR guy for a gang

Mr Oga what are you still arguing now? don't you know when you are losing or have lost an argument how can you compare Ali who only got KO'd once to a Tyson that was KO'd 5 times and was disqualified once in a fight he was obviously going to lose anyway comparing Ali to Tyson is boxing blasphemy as Ibime has rightly pointed out
Do you know Ali has been inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame and he has beaten 7 other members that belong to that league a man that could beat Sonny Liston twice (this guy was more feared than Tyson) George Foreman,Joe Frazier and Ken Norton these are all fighters that would bury Tyson alive

Please stop comparing the Greatest (Ali) to a farce like Tyson

@Ibime
Thanks for such a long but detailed and thorough analysis of both fighters

What is the difference between Ali and Naseem.

Besides their Isalamic names, Both were showmen who were more famous for their lips than Fists

dayokanu:

What is the difference between Ali and Naseem.

Besides their Isalamic names, Both were showmen who were more famous for their lips than Fists

Thank you for bringing Naseem to the equation that is who you should be comparing with Tyson because they share a lot in common they where both pretenders to the throne who never bounced back from set-backs and defeats

What kind of a champion pays other fighters to avoid them this Tyson is great indeed

Might as well add Vitali Klitschko to this list. . . . . . after a four year lay-off, he comes back and reclaims a title he never lost in his very first championship fight - something the great Ali couldn't do after a mere 43 month stint off the scene!

Never considered Tyson in this league of boxers. . . . . . no technique, no skill and doesn't have the stomach to go the distance - just brute force - and doesn't win boxing matches all the time.

Klitschko vs Peters shows that much. . . . . . some of Tyson's defeats reveal even much more.

RuuDie:

Might as well add Vitali Klitschko to this list. . . . . .  after a four year lay-off, he comes back and reclaims a title he never lost in his very first championship fight - something the great Ali couldn't do after a mere 43 month stint off the scene!

Una no say that man use oyibo juju take beat our brother? If not how him go dey behave like egyptian mummy not even a blow chei i no fit cry

oh my dazeeeee!i saw this thread late and all i can read are some peeps tagging Tyson the greatest of all time.Damn!If you are a boxing afficionado born in the late 70s and early 80s and not so keen on checking out facts,that is allowed.How could anyone compare a tactless and guiless boxer like Tyson to the great Ali.I mean Ali reigned in the golden era of great boxers like Frazier,Norton and Foreman.Another era of keenly contested boxin event that is any close to that didnt even happen in the heavyweight category.It was in the middle weight where the golden four reigned supreme:Mavin Haggler,Roberto Duran,Sugar Ray leonard and Thomas "Hitman" hearns.
If you need any match to confirm Ali as the greatest and a tactician,go watch Rumble in the Jungle.Omg,Sauron indicating Ali's someone who loses stamina and rest on the rope,these are tactics Ali used to wear pound for pound fighters and dogged chasers like Foreman and Frazier out.In the fight @ zaire,dude was takin body shot and abdominal blows Tyson cant survive and withstand for 2 rounds.

Prison is no excuse.As a sportman you were suppose to be disciplined and Tyson wasnt.Tyson an animal?go watch Foreman,Frazier and Norton wear ur skull out with heavy punches and u will understand y Ali evolved a wear- em -out- in- the- early round,knock- em- out -later jabs and punches.These kinda fighters take no prisoners,not the dollar-infested circus ,Don-king stage-managed fights and promotions we had during Tyson era.Tyson can not and will never come near Ali,u can only punch what u see man and Ali is damn too fast for Tyson.Tyson is just a tactless pugilist.

Never considered Tyson in this league of boxers. . . . . . no technique, no skill and doesn't have the stomach to go the distance - just brute force - and doesn't win boxing matches all the time.(Touche)

@kay_pumpin
The arguers have since stopped they know its an exercise in futility to compare a true great and champion like Ali to a farce like Tyson

@a40

Omo mayne,its funi dude cld even consider a Tyson who is always clue-less defensively to a guy who can go 20 rounds and still fly like a butter-fly and sting like a bee

I just wonder why some people just feel that urge to argue even when its obvious that its not an objective one someone that survived the roughest toughest and baddest boxers ever to step into the ring and was only knocked down once towards the tail end of his carrer is being compared to a man that can't even last 5 rounds of boxing without losing its mind-boggling

u knw err one is entitled to his or her own opinion,however asinine and puerile

Greatest in terms of what, style, flair, crowd pulling, opponents beaten etc

Simply put, there is no right answer, each boxer had their own unique modus operandi and following, and each is a legend in their own right and there is no way of knowing for sure who would have emerged outright winner had they fought in the same era. All we can do is stand in awe of their accomplishments.

Only Two names, my friends. . .


Jack Johnson and the "brown bomber". . . Joe Louis



Period.

This is a really interesting but clear cut thread. Tyson was great but can never be the greatest. How many of u watched Tyson vs Tony Tucker and Tyson vs Bone crusher Smith? Even in his prime, These guys lasted the distance with him and it was very controversial then, however the fight was given to Tyson. Hypothetically speaking I think A strategist like Ali in his prime will finish a Tyson in his prime. Another point to consider is that in the history of boxing Tyson does not even carry the heaviest punch, George Foreman does and Ali finished him. Tyson went to jail for 3yrs but could not come back(& who says u can't train in American Prison) though he could not have any competitive fight in that period. The same applied to Ali when he was banned for about 3yrs, he couldn't have any competitive fight, but he came back to be champion again.(Tyson was even beaten before he went to jail. I think all this Tyson going to jail is not an excuse but only one of the reasons that affected his career that he couldn't be considered as the greatest. Great he was but definitely not the greatest. Remember Tyson only broke ali's record of being the youngest champ but lost it at age 28 but Ali was still able to become champ after 30yrs old

Ali all the way he was not just a fighter he was an entertainer, he was very smart  he was a combination of skill and brains. He is to boxing like Jordan is to basket ball or Pele is to football every generation has a golden boy in sports, business etc . Ali will always be remembered as one of the greatest boxers of all time.

A-40:

@kay_pumpin
The arguers have since stopped they know its an exercise in futility to compare a true great and champion like Ali to a farce like Tyson

Says who??
Arguers stopped because u kept beating about the bush. . . .

How can anyone say Tyson triumphed cos there was no good boxer around in his time.
Its the equivalent of Maradona was good because there was no Cannavaro, Vidic or Sammer in his time.
A boxer that became the world heavyweight champion at 20?? Are u guys shitting me??
Tyson in his prime would MURDER Mohammed Ali.

Iron Mike is the greatest boxer of all time. . . . .We are talking about his on-ring performance not his attitude outside the ring.

~Sauron~:

Says who??
Arguers stopped because u kept beating about the bush. . . .

How can anyone say Tyson triumphed because there was no good boxer around in his time.
Its the equivalent of Maradona was good because there was no Cannavaro, Vidic or Sammer in his time.
A boxer that became the world heavyweight champion at 20?? Are u guys shitting me??
Tyson in his prime would MURDER Mohammed Ali.

Iron Mike is the greatest boxer of all time. . . . .We are talking about his on-ring performance not his attitude outside the ring.

What is your point exactly? What does the Maradona analogy have to do with this argument where they not good defenders in his era? that you didn't know them does not mean they where not good you guys stopped arguing because you have nothing to argue about

How does his becoming the World Heavyweight Champion at 20 equate to him being the greatest why didn't he recover from the bashings of Lewis and Holyfield

How can you compare someone that was only ever knocked down once in the tail end of his career to a chump like Tyson that was beat down 5 times and was disqualified for biting his opponents ear once is that not cowardly? biting your opponents ear when you know you can't beat him

Ali fought with guys that Tyson would not stand for two rounds.A Tyson that couldn't beat Danny Williams,Lewis and Evander would he have survived Foreman,Liston,Norton or Frazier? abeg stop arguing for the heck of it jare Tyson is a chump and would not be compared to the Great Ali