Professional record: 50-6-0
Lineal Heavyweight Champion
2 time WBC Heavyweight Champion
2 time WBA Heavyweight Champion
IBF Heavyweight Champion
15 World Title fights won 12
15 Fights against Champions
Beat 10 Champions
9 Title defenses
5 Fights against Hall of Famers
Beat 2 Hall of Famers
Tyson had power in both hands having 20 KO's in the first round. He also had fast hands being able to pull these combos that he did working his way up from the body to the head with his famous hook to the body and following with a uppercut on the chin.
Another remarkable underrated skill that Tyson had is his ability to dodge punches. Using the peek-a-boo style that D'amato taught him in his advantage sometimes dodging lower than the belt. He would use that style and slip punches and then hammer you with hooks.
He had a successful career being the undefeated Heavyweight Champion at age 20 making him the youngest Heavyweight Champion to ever live. His career started going downhill after losing to Buster Douglas in 1990. Going to jail for a rape claim that never got proven cost him a lot.
In my opinion, even though I don't rate Tyson as highly as others do I don't think he became what he could and could have a much greater career but unfortunately that did not happen. But overall he had a good career.
Now, regarding where I rate him at as a Heavyweight, in my opinion, he is not as great as others think. A lot of people are impressed by Tyson and even rate him as the greatest but I do not agree with that a bit. I do not deny that he had amazing skill but rating him with Ali, Louis, and all these guys seems wrong to me. The level of fighters these greats fought against what Tyson fought does not compare. Sure he did win against Michael Spinks and Larry Holmes but Holmes was over his prime and even Tyson admitted that later after his career and Spinks, in reality, was a Light Heavyweight.
People often compare Tyson to the man many consider as the Greatest Of All Time Muhammad Ali and some say Tyson would beat him which I find completely wrong. The only real argument that I see about Tyson winning against Ali is that he was too aggressive and too strong for Ali which is also a bad statement considering Ali won against monsters like Earnie Shavers, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, Ron Lyle, Bob Foster, Floyd Patterson and the list goes and on. I believe possibly every single boxers that I just mentioned hits harder than Tyson so that argument goes out the window. Also just seeing how they compare in Title Fights and a number of fights is enough for me to pick Ali over Tyson. The Boxing Librarian made a video comparing their careers.
Final thoughts: Mike Tyson was an amazing Heavyweight in the 80's and 90's that grew up in Poverty and fought his way out of that lifestyle. Truly an amazing Heavyweight that gets the credit he deserves but sometimes too much of it.
Now, regarding where I rate him at as a Heavyweight, in my opinion, he is not as great as others think. A lot of people are impressed by Tyson and even rate him as the greatest but I do not agree with that a bit. I do not deny that he had amazing skill but rating him with Ali, Louis, and all these guys seems wrong to me. The level of fighters these greats fought against what Tyson fought does not compare. Sure he did win against Michael Spinks and Larry Holmes but Holmes was over his prime and even Tyson admitted that later after his career and Spinks, in reality, was a Light Heavyweight.
People often compare Tyson to the man many consider as the Greatest Of All Time Muhammad Ali and some say Tyson would beat him which I find completely wrong. The only real argument that I see about Tyson winning against Ali is that he was too aggressive and too strong for Ali which is also a bad statement considering Ali won against monsters like Earnie Shavers, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, Ron Lyle, Bob Foster, Floyd Patterson and the list goes and on. I believe possibly every single boxers that I just mentioned hits harder than Tyson so that argument goes out the window. Also just seeing how they compare in Title Fights and a number of fights is enough for me to pick Ali over Tyson. The Boxing Librarian made a video comparing their careers.
Final thoughts: Mike Tyson was an amazing Heavyweight in the 80's and 90's that grew up in Poverty and fought his way out of that lifestyle. Truly an amazing Heavyweight that gets the credit he deserves but sometimes too much of it.
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