Is Mike Tyson one of the most overrated fighters ever?

[deathofaclown]

I'd say he was great for the sport, probably brought excitement and attention to it like rarely seen before. He's great in that sense.

I don't think he's one of the greatest when it comes to the actual boxing and resume. He's probably overrated in that sense. Actually, i don't even think overrated is the right word because most people who genuinely follow boxing are in agreement that he probably isn't close to being the greatest heavyweight.

He's more like the casual fans idea of the greatest, due to his reputation and is a great highlight reel kind of fighter.

He's still a legend either way and was an excellent fighter even if he wasn't one of the greatest. That shouldn't be forgotten either.

[sugar ray lenrd]

No. He went from overrated to underrated. Overrated in the 90s as someone invincible and which, he himself, admits led to his downfall when he become drunk on his power. After Rooney he wasn't the same. Underrated nowadays by the 00 generation who didn't follow him back then and don't realise the ****storm Tyson was going through. No, Douglas and Holyfield (AKA Evans) didn't expose him. The only person who beat Tyson was Tyson.

YES!!! you truly are BOXING!!! I couldn't have said it better. Good post.

[bojangles1987]

Yes, he is. The hype surrounding him back then created a perception the reality has never matched. He was a very good, impressive, great heavyweight, but when people talk like he's the greatest HW ever or would beat anyone in his prime, well, he never ever showed that in the ring.

[sugar ray lenrd]

People who say that Tyson isn't overrated I'm gonna put it this way

Is Tyson the best boxer since Ali?

Is Tyson in top 3 of boxers of all time?

Like some casuals says

It's like people doesn't even read my first post. I've never said that Tyson isn't a great boxer. Just not as good as casual fans thinks he is

People who say that Tyson isn't overrated I'm gonna put it this way ok stop it right there. lets change it around. How about if I ask these questions, People say Lennox, Vitaly, Wladamir isn't overated i'm gonna put it this way;

Is Lennox, Vitaly, Wladamir the best boxer since Ali?

Is Lennox, Vitaly, Wladamir in top 3 of boxers of all time?

bare in mind that Tyson only lost to great fighters with the exceptyion of Buster Douglas (there was the long count & that Buster had just lost his mother & he would've given any heavyweight hell), where as Lennox,Vitaly & Wladamir were beaten & ko'd by less stellar opponents.

I understand what you are saying, but also understand this site is not only filled with casuals, and honestly you are starting to sound like a casual, it takes one to know one.

[////]

I think the posts in this thread claiming that Tyson "beats any hw in history" pretty much answer your question

similar to ike and others, going to prison was the best thing that ever happened to his resume because it set up endless fantasy scenarios

[BKM-]

Don't get me wrong, I love Tyson, he's the face of boxing right now for me, a charismatic person.

A convicted rapist is the face of boxing right now?

[jmrf4435]

I'll bet a guy like usyk could beat him

[garfios]

Why people gets all emotional when they hear Golovkin's name? I don't even want to mention his name on this forum because his fans and his haters are equally ******ed

I've said you can make an argument for Golovkin's resume being better based on the fact that he has champion status for much longer period of time, not that his resume is better - that's debatable, at least you can try to understand that opinion.

They have almost the same level of defeated opposition (if you don't count old past prime Larry Holmes and small Michael Spinks, only two decent scalps in Tyson's resume) and no career defining win in their careers.

The difference is that there's way more obession with Tyson among casuals, they get angry when you tell them Tyson is far from being the most accomplished boxer of all time in terms of resume. They say he has THE BEST resume since Ali

It's way more annoying than stuff some Golovkin fans say

Matter of fact, Tyson doesn't have scalps of Tua, Holyfield, Klitschko level like Lewis. It's light heavyweight Spinks, old Holmes....and that's it

And I have more respect for Tyson than I have for 95% of boxers out here including Golovkin, but I have to be real

Mike Tyson beat around 12 or 14 hw champs in his career. I don't see ggg doing that. Mike was done right after he came out of prison. and you could see that his heart wasn't in the game after Cus died. He was a great fighter that fought everyone on his division even after his prime.

[Madison Boxing]

hes one of my favourite ever fighters but his cv is pretty thin.

[StreamFan68]

Mike being over rated...

Ok I thought this would be a great place to make my first post here... as I am a huge fan of Mike Tyson the fighter and luckily grew up sharing same age nearly as Mike.. Mikes accomplishments were nothing short of AMAZING.... I think looking back it was very hard to like Mike as a person , and that was kind of his goal...

If you look deep into his career and listen to him speak there are so many things about what went on during that time, that he put himself through that undoubtidly kept him from the objectors in this thread from agreeing that he was one of the absolute Top 5'ers or even you best ever...

Mike barely trained once he lost Cus... sometimes not at all.. He would abuse his body and mind right up to the day before these fights. But one thing to point out.. Nearly 75% of the people he fought were absolutely scared of him. He was not a boxer.. so its hard to really put him in that category and it stick. Mike Tyson was a very very vicious man with some gloves on and the instincts of a fighter. In all other worlds Mike would have simply been arrested for what he got paid to do in the ring.

So sizing him up as a boxer or one of the elite boxer's will always bring us to the fact Mike was not one. What he did manage to do is introduce savagry back into the sport.. And he DID fight some bums early on and near the end its true.. but that between time he fought some of the last remaining great heavyweights... He fought guys during that time that fought there ass's off... Guys with 33-0 records and knocked out 32/33 guys,... The likelyhood of KO's was much bigger back then... and Mike put the fear of God in these men...

I truly am fascinated by Mike Tyson now.. as he recovers from a hellacious life..But that is judging him as a person and thats unfair of me.. As a fighter Mike Tyson during those times was the most magnetic force boxing had..and he stepped in the ring and introduced us to things we wish we would get out of just a sliver of the fighters past and present, and future.. His ability to bring brutality back into the sport transcended it for a short time.. THAT is his mark... him being overrated only works for people that will not face him or get in the ring with him...thats the easy part... It was the getting in the ring and proving it that is where the difficulty comes in.

I can tell you this... Mike Tyson at 23 years old would have been far too brutal for todays top heavyweights... Far too brutal... If I am going to go down this road I have to be honest... There isnt a heavyweight out there right now that could make 7-8 rounds with him..not with his brutality in the ring... not IF Mike had his timing back... and a full camp..theres no way