How would Tyson do against My top 5 Heavyweights?

Question

I asked this question the other day and some Troll had it pulled. This is a serious question for serious fans. Tyson was fast and hit hard but lost every big fight he had. That is a fact that cannot be denied by even the strongest supporter of him. I have a massive library of film which includes Tyson and he is nowhere near as good as the following fighters. Their pedigree is undeniable. And anyone who answers direspectfully all I have to say is other than a light heavy in Spinks and a 38 year old Holmes name me 1 Hall of Famer Tyson has beat. SImple. So how do U feel he would do against my top 5?

1. Rocky Marciano

2. Joe Louis

3. Muhammad Ali

4. Jack Dempsey

5. George Foreman

All of the above beat HOF fighters and are legends burned into the minds of real fight fans forever.

Answer 1

Aceman, great question.

Mike Tyson was a good fighter, an exciting fighter, but fell short of being an all-time great. When pushed he didnt respond by digging down and winning as the truly great one do! (Perhaps this is also why I'm not on the Floyd Mayweather bandwagon)

I think the results are as follows.

Marciano wins a brutal 9th round KO coming off the canvas three times early in the fight and coming from behind on the scorecards to lay Mike out cold. I think Mike would have a ton of success early connecting, but not in getting "The Rock" to submit. Marciano would overcome and stop Mike in 9.

Joe Louis was more intelligent than most people thought, especially in the ring, and had scary punching power. I think Joe would dissect an on rushing Tyson and stop him in 3 pretty easy rounds.

I cannot tell you how many times I've discussed this matchup, and its not even close. Muhammad Ali, would beat the daylights outta Mike Tyson, no contest here. Fast jabs movement, and the showboating, Lawd, it'd be fun to see. Ali TKO15 Tyson.

Jack Dempsey....hmmmm, of the all-time greats on your list if Mike had one he could win this one might be it. I'll tell you why. While Dempsey was tough, aggressive and could hit, I suspect of the other undersized heavyweights on your list (Louis @185, and Marciano @ 180) he was the most hittable one of the three. He didnt out tough most fighters, instead he overwhelmed them, and I don't know even for all of Mike's flaws, that he could be overwhelmed by Dempsey. His frame was different than that of Marcianos' and he wasn't a good a boxer as Louis. This fight is a good one and could go either way. A pick, hmmmmm. Tyson eeeeks out a decision.

Heres a strange thought. Tyson beats the 1974 version of George Foreman, but is KO'd by the 1994 version. I always thought that the 90's version of George was the better fighter. better stamina, better jab, better boxer, and better use of his power. He was so calm, the 1974 version was well a bigger version of Tyson, but George after the Ali fight made the mental decision that he'd go out on his shield rather than lay down, as he had in Zaire. The loss to Ali made him a better fighter and that is a sign of true greatness, and his belief in God made him a better person.

Foreman KO 2 Tyson  in 1994. Pick em' prior Ali loss in 1974.

Keep Your Hands Up!!!

Big Nate Dog.

Answer 2

All of the five you mention are greater than Mike Tyson because of historical perspective. They are all gentlemen and Mike is not. Their achievements were greater than Mike because they were training diligently. But in a real fight in their prime Mike Tyson will beat three of the five. Blogbaba know alot about boxing but when it come to Mike Tyson, his point of view is biased because he had rapist.  

1. Rocky was the best pound for pound but he weight 185 lbs, he won't survive Mike punching power. Light heavyweight Archie Moore knock him down.

2. Joe Louis was a great fighter but he was a slow starter, Mike always start fast. If Max Schmeling can knock Joe down several times so can Mike.

3. Ali will box and stop Mike like Buster Douglas did.

4. Jack was a great puncher for his weight but he was a light heavyweight by today standard. A slugfest between him and Mike Tyson will resemble the Sonny Liston vs Cleveland Williams show down with Mike come out on top.

5. George Foreman will beat Mike like he did Joe Frazier. Style makes fight. Both are good punchers but George has the reach advantage and will hit Mike first.

Everyone has the right to their own opinion.

Answer 3

I think Marciano and Foreman would have kayoed Tyson in rounds one to three; Marciano and Dempsey would have stopped him in four or five; and Ali would have put him away in six or seven.

The HOF guys you mention didn’t get there by being stupid.  George and Joe were so strong and hit so hard, and Mike was so aggressive, that they could have engaged him early.  Rocky and Jack were smaller and would have needed to be more patient.  Ali would have let Mike spend his energy before taking him out.

Mike’s record (50-6-0 with 44 knockouts) says he was a knockout specialist.  He won 89% of his fights, and 88% of his wins came by knockout.  That’s a great record until we look and see that 86% of his knockouts came within five rounds.  That suggests that Mike needed a high knockout ratio to have that “great” record.  When his opposition is taken into account, it’s not difficult to see why he got it.  In Tyson’s fights that went beyond five rounds, his record is 12-6-0 with 5 knockouts.

In “fantasy” matchups we look at each fighter during his “prime” years.  But Mike’s “prime” cannot be measured in years.  It must be measured in ROUNDS.  He was usually great for three rounds (he only lost one fight within three, and that was by DQ against Holyfield when he bit off more than he could chew). After three rounds he was “over the hill” and after six rounds he was pretty well “washed up.”

Cyberzoneboxing.com summarized Mike’s career achievements as follows:  Ã¢Â€ÂœDuring his career, he defeated such men as Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks, Carl ‘Truth’ Williams, Tony Tucker and Frank Bruno.”  

Wow!  What a line-up!

Answer 4

1.Marciano -  Tyson by early KO. Too fast for Rocco, who was not hard to hit. Marciano never got hit by anyone like Tyson.

2. Louis - A bit unfair,because Louis would be better today than when he fought. Tyson in the 1940s might weight 190 lbs.  No one could stand and trade with Mike. Louis would need movement to beat him, which he did not have.

3. Ali - Tyson might drop him, but not KO him. All Ali after four rounds. Ali by careful decision.

4. Dempsey - Puncher vs. puncher. Again, if held in 1920s, Tyson is 190 lbs. Tough call. Probably Tyson due to Dempsey's flat foot approach.

5. Foreman - Tyson by early KO. Big George was not good defensively, Ron Lyle dropped him three times.

4-1, not bad for a guy you underrate.

Answer 5

Rock, Louis, Dempsey and Big George KO Mike inside of one round.  Ali, surprisingly enough would have taken a few rounds to beat Mike down, he lacked the raw punching power of the other four.

Great question.