But forgetting history, was he even the best of his own generation?
James Smith and Buster Douglas both demonstrated his weakness against a pure boxer style. He barely beat Smith, and Douglas completely outclassed him.
When his intimidation tactics failed, he lacked tenacity.
If he could not even beat Douglas, there is no way he was a top 10 all time boxer.
As good as Tyson was, Joe Louis, Marciano, Ali, Frazier, Liston, Billy Conn (not even a heavyweight), Dempsey, a young Holmes, Lewis (as we know), Holyfield, Douglas, Jack Johnson, Foreman, Joe Walcott, Jeffries would all take him apart.
He might be a top 20, but I think more likely a top 30.
If he were truly an elite great, then Buster Douglas, even with the firing of Rooney and giving the benefit of the doubt for some partying, would not never have beaten him.
And given the struggles with Douglas and Smith, how in anyone's imagination would he have beaten a Floyd Patterson or a Sonny Liston?
The trouble with ranking Tyson is that he faced journeyman competition in his glory years, and when he finally ran into some good (but not great) competition, he simply gassed.
I will give him one thing....his style depended on rapid head movement and punching speed, and that is a young man's game. Tyson (or anyone) could only keep that up for so long.
So, if we take him in those very early years and ignore the rest of his career, he looks a lot better.
But looking at his whole career, he was simply very very good.
But not a Marciano or Frazier.
Hardly Top 10 material. We only judge what you have accomplished and it's his fault for being taken to jail and losing years as a boxer. If Tyson is top 10 material, then which one of these fighters would you take out
Ali
Louis
Holmes
Foreman
Dempsey
Marciano
Jack Johnson
John Sullivan
Lewis
Liston
How about Top 15:
Tunney
Frazier
Jim Jeffries
Harry Wills
Max Schmeling
Top 20?
Sam Langford
Jersey Joe Walcott
Holyfield
James Corbett
And perhaps Mike is here.
#20 is his spot.
Can't really rank Tyson any higher than 8 or 9, he might have been the greatest of all time, but beating a ton of bums then getting carted away to prison doesn't mean he gets a pass on losing to Holyfield, Douglas, and Lewis.
My opinion from 1-10 is 5
Top 25
Mike tyson is # 10 on my list. His resume is not that great but he left behind a legacy that will be remembered.
Top 20 maaaaybe. His resume won't allow any more.
People say that Mike Tyson was lost talent but i don't agree with that.
I think he is among the top 10 greatest heavyweights ever, between the top 6-10.
Mike Tyson was one of the last undisputed heavyweight champions of the world, as undisputed champion he has more title defenses than Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano or Lennox Lewis, this was mostly in the late 80's & early 90's.
Some say his competition in that era was weak, he only got titles from paperchampions but his only real losses was an upset with Douglas, 2 losses to Evander Holyfield [who was juicing] & other losses as a senior citizen who was way past it [like Ali, Joe Louis, etc].
