The general boxing thread

[theHotHead]

All we can really say is who are the greats of HW boxing all time. Hard to compare them directly.
For me (in no order)

Ali
Holmes
Fury
Tyson

Before Ali was before my time so couldn't really say.

Outside those 4 there have not been any HW greats IMO

Lennox Lewis says hi.

This fkin thread is a crease, my god.

If I tried to do a top 5 I would do the old greats a disservice because I haven't watched enough of them. But based on fights I saw I would have to go:

Tyson
Ali
Holmes
Lewis
Fury

Why Tyson ? Because he instilled a level of fear that no other fighter did, in an opponent, he looked scary as f**k, half the fighters he beat before a punch had even been thrown. No fighter comes closeto that intimidation level, for me. Otherwise I would have Ali top with Holmes a close second.

[theHotHead]

Mike Tyson doesn't have a single elite fighter in his prime on his record. We can all scream that the 80s version would beat Holyfield and Lennox until we're blue in the face but the reality is he lost to the better men at the time and that's his legacy. Can't be top 5.

Michael Spinks says hi.

[Jedi]

Mike Tyson doesn't have a single elite fighter in his prime on his record. We can all scream that the 80s version would beat Holyfield and Lennox until we're blue in the face but the reality is he lost to the better men at the time and that's his legacy. Can't be top 5.

Michael Spinks says hi.

Light heavyweight division says hi.

I have no problem with you being a Mike Tyson fanboy and talking about him being scary and and other bullshit but fact of the matter is when he stepped up and faced the best he came up short every time. He can't even sniff the top 5, in fact he's not even top 10 in my book.

[Rockape]

All we can really say is who are the greats of HW boxing all time. Hard to compare them directly.
For me (in no order)

Ali
Holmes
Fury
Tyson

Before Ali was before my time so couldn't really say.

Outside those 4 there have not been any HW greats IMO

Lennox Lewis says hi.

This fkin thread is a crease, my god.

If I tried to do a top 5 I would do the old greats a disservice because I haven't watched enough of them. But based on fights I saw I would have to go:

Tyson
Ali
Holmes
Lewis
Fury

Why Tyson ? Because he instilled a level of fear that no other fighter did, in an opponent, he looked scary as f**k, half the fighters he beat before a punch had even been thrown. No fighter comes closeto that intimidation level, for me. Otherwise I would have Ali top with Holmes a close second.

I can’t argue with that list. It’s pretty much spot on for me.

[theHotHead]

Mike Tyson doesn't have a single elite fighter in his prime on his record. We can all scream that the 80s version would beat Holyfield and Lennox until we're blue in the face but the reality is he lost to the better men at the time and that's his legacy. Can't be top 5.

Michael Spinks says hi.

Light heavyweight division says hi.

I have no problem with you being a Mike Tyson fanboy and talking about him being scary and and other bullshit but fact of the matter is when he stepped up and faced the best he came up short every time. He can't even sniff the top 5, in fact he's not even top 10 in my book.

In your book looooool. But he is top 3 in almost every boxing journalist's lists, top 5 at worst.

Haters gonna hate ..

[theHotHead]

Jedi, name a more feared heavyweight than Tyson

[jayramfootball]

Jedi, name a more feared heavyweight than Tyson

Tyson before he lost his way outside the ring was without doubt one of the all-time greats and absolutely dominated the division.
I can't reach back before Ali in terms of direct experience but I do know that in the 80's Tyson was EASILY the most dominant HW. Nobody considered he would lose. The world was in absolute shock when he lost to Douglas.
Ali never inspired that level of awe, Holmes never did, Fury doesn't.

[Phil71]

I followed Tyson from the mid 80s when he was a young boxer just arrived on the scene.

He is without doubt the most exciting fighter I've ever seen. I have never looked forward to any other fighter's fights as much as I did his. He was phenomenal. An extraordinary fighter.

[Jedi]

I can't think of a more feared heavyweight because there isn't one. Mike Tyson had an aura of invincibility like no other fighter in the history of boxing. And many believed at the time that nobody would be able to touch him. But that doesn't mean he was that guy that people made him out to be. People also thought Joshua was unbeatable before Ruiz chinned him. He needed to prove it in the ring, but when he faced those truly world class opponents in their prime, Tyson lost every time.

He was a scary man on the outside but inside he was a deeply troubled and insecure soul. It is very well recorded and he admitted it himself countless times. And those insecurities are what eventually made him crumble in his toughest, legacy defining moments vs guys who didn't fear him and came to fight.

Teddy Atlas breakdown of Mike Tyson:

[theHotHead]

Jedi, Joshua doesn't command even a quarter of the fear that Mike Tyson demanded!! Why would anyone think Joshua was unbeatable when he got beaten by Whyte as an amateur and be got wobbled by Whyte in their rematch! Tyson in his prime wasn't even stung let alone wobbled, that neck !!! Joshua has fought nobodies.

Joshua in other eras would be domestic or European level max. Its a reflection of how poor the heavyweight scene is, that Joshua is seen as a top fighter. How can big bad America have Deontay Wilder as their best and only hope! UK has Joshua, Whyte and Fury as contenders

[Va-Va-Voom]

Jedi, name a more feared heavyweight than Tyson

Sonny Liston

Ali was terrified

Floyd Patterson was so afraid of him he only fought him after JFK told him he should.

Foreman said Liston is the only fighter to ever back him up in sparring and the only person to ever intimidate him.

Tyson himself said Liston is the most intimidating fighter in history.

[VCC]

I followed Tyson from the mid 80s when he was a young boxer just arrived on the scene.

He is without doubt the most exciting fighter I've ever seen. I have never looked forward to any other fighter's fights as much as I did his. He was phenomenal. An extraordinary fighter.

And actually a real scholar of boxing his defensive fighting was as good as his offensive, hid head movement was fantastic.
Shame he was not bigger, any big fighter who couldn't be bullied threw a good jab and followed it with a good overhand right or uppercut when Tyson moved forward would beat him. As we saw with a very ordinary Buster Douglas

[VCC]

Jedi, name a more feared heavyweight than Tyson

Sonny Liston

Ali was terrified

Floyd Patterson was so afraid of him he only fought him after JFK told him he should.

Foreman said Liston is the only fighter to ever back him up in sparring and the only person to ever intimidate him.

Tyson himself said Liston is the most intimidating fighter in history.

Foreman was also 6,4 I think Liston was 6foot although people considered him 6 foot 6

[VCC]

Jedi, name a more feared heavyweight than Tyson

Liston
Before clay/Ali the day after come along
Foreman was thought to be unbeatable until Ali also

[DiamondGooner]

Wilder above Foreman?

His best win is Ortiz ffs.

I think DG has been smoking the hard stuff ......

He is placing to much value on Fury beating Wilder 3 times, FFS, Wilder isn't even good and his so-called punch power - meh. Fighting a load of bums padding out his record doesn't make him a hard hitter or great. Fury has boxing skill but there is not a hope in hell that Fury could stand up to heavy weight greats like Foreman, Ali, Tyson and Lewis. He wouldn't beat Frank Bruno because Fury's knockdown power isn't up there.

You've just disqualified yourself in spectactular fashion with that statement.

That's worse than even what JayRam has come out with.