Fewer boxers in history have polarized fans quite like Mike Tyson. In the late 1980s, the powerful and fearsome wrecking ball was a global superstar and the undisputed face of boxing around the world. There are still boxing fans today that can be found in barbershops and bars who will tell you Tyson was the best to ever do it. Despite the losses on his record, some fans are just that confident.
When it comes to assessing the wild and controversial career of Mike Tyson, it is not uncommon for advocates to focus on “Prime” Tyson. Prior to his imprisonment in 1992, the heavyweight phenom had blasted through his opposition, one by one, to become one of the most feared pugilists in history. As the youngest heavyweight champion in history, Tyson was tipped to become a legend.
There are few boxing aficionados that will argue with Tyson being referred to as a legend of the sport. However, I have personally noticed a growing trend of fans arguing that it was Tyson’s character and controversies that will always see him remembered, not his accomplishments inside the ropes. For some, Tyson does not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as men such as Muhammad Ali, Jou Louis, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, and Floyd Patterson.
If you grew up in the 1980s and/or 1990s as a boxing fan, it might be hard to hear that Tyson was not an all-time great. It might be even harder to hear some speak of Tyson as one of the most overrated fighters in the history of boxing. In fact, you may think that the idea of Tyson being nothing less than one of the best men to ever lace up gloves to be nothing less than absolutely preposterous.
So, is this a case of boxing revisionism gone too far, or do those who doubt Tyson’s credentials have a point? I decided to take a closer look.
Mike Tyson set a record as the youngest heavyweight in history, at 20 years, four months, and 22 days. He was a legitimate, defending heavyweight champion for over three years following his knockout of Trevor Berbick on Nov. 22, 1986. Tyson was transformed by the legendary trainer, Cus D’Amato, from a raw piece of clay into the most fearsome and formidable fighter in the world. For some time, Tyson was the baddest man on the planet.
By the time Tyson was 23 years old, he had amassed a record of 37-0. In boxing, you can only fight what is in front of you, and Tyson kept knocking down each and every one put in front of him. What made the difference with the young Brooklyn-born knockout artist was that his style was so unique to every other fighter in the division. At 5ft 10, Tyson was not blessed with height, yet had the answers to every question posed to him.
D’Amato was an incredibly astute coach who had instilled in Tyson the ultimate gift: confidence. With the veteran trainer behind him, Tyson became an avid student of the sport, spending hours upon hours watching old fights and reading about the greats that had preceded him. The young warrior possessed an intense dedication to training and sharpening his game and was always in peak condition under his mentor.
D’Amato passed away in Nov. 1985, when Tyson was 19, and would never get to see his star pupil win a world title. Following the death of a man that had represented a father figure to Tyson, his dedication and attitude to training was said to have slipped. Regardless, he spent the next 4+ years on top of the game, winning 26 fights straight before losing to James “Buster” Douglas in one of the biggest shocks in sports history.
In boxing, a legacy is measured on accomplishments. An all-time great has generally taken over their respective division/s – at least once – and stood out from the competition. They have typically exhibited skills, strengths, and attributes that are far from the run of the mill. They will be defined by their rivalries and abilities to find that little extra when it really matters. Think of Ali’s unbelievable knockout over the unbeaten Foreman, as an example.
One argument for Tyson’s greatness is that he achieved so much, so young. He won the heavyweight title younger than any other fighter in history and presided over the division with an iron fist. He had the ability to strike fear into the hearts of his opponents before he even stepped into a ring, mentally beating most of them long before the first punch was even thrown.
Another reason commonly cited when it comes to the greatness of “Iron Mike” is that the majority of his fights ended in early stoppages. In his first campaign as champion, Tyson ended 8 out of 10 defenses in KOs, only going the distance twice (against James Smith and Tony Tucker). He could get the job done, seemingly whenever he wanted to take a shower and go home.
The young Tyson made all of this possible with incredible skills and attributes. He had tremendous knockout power (in both hands), and excellent footwork and head movement. The peek-a-boo defense drilled into him by D’Amato helped Tyson bob and weave around his opponents, cutting in at odd angles with hooks and uppercuts and moving out of range and the centreline from counterpunches.
He was a fascinating, marketable Boogeyman that could shift pay-per-view numbers. He was the most famous man on the planet in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He struck sponsorship deals with numerous companies such as Pepsi and Nintendo, appearing in advertisements and video games. Tyson married actress Robin Givens and was, believe it or not, the darling of America at one point.
All of this success runs parallel with the period of Tyson’s greatest success inside the ring, the “Prime” Tyson era. From his WBC title win to his knockout of all-time great Larry Holmes, right up to his first round destruction of lineal heavyweight champion Michael Spinks, Tyson was the man in boxing. It is around this time (his win over Spinks) that many boxing historians credit with being Tyson’s prime and the period that many fans believe would have seen Tyson beat any heavyweight fighter in history.
The biggest names on Tyson’s resume were Holmes, Spinks, Berbick, and, perhaps, Frank Bruno. When an argument is made in favor of Tyson being one of the best to ever do it, most fans look to the years between 1987 to 1989 to further their case. Yes, Tyson certainly dominated the division – and had the titles to prove it – but for others, choosing to ignore his post-prison record and caliber of opponents doesn’t convince.
When Tyson’s public persona shifted from son of America to the controversial figure who was convicted of raping Desiree Washington, his career would never be the same. For many fans, a subsequent prison sentence and absence from the ring would rob the sport of the greatest fighter to have ever lived. The question is, can we judge Tyson on the early part of his career and simply ignore what came after?
It would be painful to even attempt to discount the ability of Mike Tyson as a boxer in the 1980s. In terms of raw talent and power, he was undoubtedly a great. As a huge boxing fan, I watched his comeback with anticipation as a kid and was encapsulated by his return. As an adult, I would often watch Tyson’s old fights and try to reconstruct what went wrong for one of my favorite boxers of all time.
When I discuss Tyson with the average boxing fan, the same old hyperbole and superlatives are thrown around, often with reference to the “Prime” Tyson, of course. The hackneyed question of who would win between Tyson and Ali (both in their primes) is annoying but still prevalent. However, rarely, there are deeper questions regarding his perceived greatness that come to the surface.
While Tyson had exceptional talent, did he waste it? His loss of Cus D’Amato, public divorce, imprisonment, loss of millions due to bad management, and his crippling demons would have been enough to knock most men off course. Did these things affect his work inside the ropes? Imagine going through even a fraction of the same problems and sitting at your desk on Monday morning with a beaming smile and no bags under your eyes.
Given that Tyson’s struggles affected his career, is it only fair to discount them when it comes to assessing his greatness? Of course not, things simply do not work that way. Tyson fought for almost a decade after his comeback win over Peter McNeeley, and this cannot be scratched off to prove a point about his talents and potential. The simple fact is that Tyson – like any other fighter with a legacy to examine – must be treated the same way.
First things first, Tyson lost to Douglas. Was it considered a big test before the fight? Not at all. On the contrary, Tyson was expected to dominate Douglas but was knocked out. Was it considered a big test after the fight? 100%. Tyson could not adapt and overcome the challenge of a fighter refusing to be intimidated and follow the script. Tyson could not get up and turn it around, despite the obvious excuses involving Japanese girls and a lack of sleep.
For “Iron Mike,” his biggest test inside the ropes would come against Evander Holyfield in November 1996. Holyfield had three losses on his record, to Riddick Bowe (2) and Michael Moorer. The former cruiserweight was the first A-level opponent (in their prime) that Tyson had arguably ever faced. Holyfield, once again, refused to be intimidated and made his opponent look flat-footed, unimaginative, and mentally weak.
Despite Holyfield looking below par in his return from retirement, he bullied Tyson and stopped him in the 11th. In the rematch, Tyson – who had lost patience with what he believed were intentional headbutts for the second fight running – spat his gumshield out in frustration and bit a chunk of his ear off. The Brownsville-born native proved that he could not deal with being on the back foot.
Tyson would continue to work his way through B-level opponents for the next few years, until a bout with Lennox Lewis was finally agreed to be fought in Memphis. No other state would sanction the bout following a brawl between both men at a press conference. In Tyson’s last chance to become a three-time world champion, he was badly beaten up and knocked out by Lewis.
The former dominant heavyweight would fight three more times, losing his final two bouts to the unfancied Danny Williams and Kevin McBride.
It is difficult for any true fight fan to look through the career of Mike Tyson without feeling a little sad. In the early days of the New York-native’s impressive assault on the heavyweight division, he looked as unbeatable as any other all-time great in the sport. Tyson will always have to deal with the accusations that he never quite lived up to his full potential, and there is an argument to say that this sentiment is true.
It is also very difficult not to feel sympathy for Mike, given the tough upbringing he had and the demons he faced throughout his life. It is encouraging to see him in a positive place right now and continuing to live a happy and stable existence. When he was at the peak of his powers, he did not seem to have the same respect for himself and this seemed to affect his ability to train and prepare for bouts.
Boxing is an incredibly difficult sport to take part in. Tyson did make it look easy as a young man, given that he blasted away pretty much everyone that was put in front of him. There is an argument that the vast majority of the opponents on his resume were not the type of fighters that would have considerable legacies of their own, and it is arguable that this does affect his claim as an all-time great.
When we compare the achievements of Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, and a number of other notable fighters in heavyweight history, they all seem to have responded to big challenges inside the ropes. In Tyson’s case, he never even got back up off the canvas to win a fight. The man who will go down as his biggest rival in the sport, Evander Holyfield, beat him twice in two fights. Lennox Lewis beat him with relative ease.
Regardless of what Mike Tyson could have done – or how much talent he had – his resume speaks for itself. There was brilliance, greatness, and some incredible achievements, but it does not come anywhere near that of other greats. Could he have beaten men like Ali, Foreman, Frazier, and Louis? Maybe. On paper, however, his victories over the best fighters of his era suggest that he would not have stood a chance.
The career of Mike Tyson is one that will forever be examined by true fans and pundits of the sport. In some cases, Tyson’s career reads like a Greek tragedy and one that we can only hope continues to have a happy ending. With such an incredible array of talent, but with a series of controversial and tragic occurrences, Tyson will always be one of the most intriguing figures in American history.
When we examine his career, there will also be a little division between those who believe that his tag as one of the greats is justified and those who believe that it is not. Is his legacy good enough to label him the greatest of all time? Not by a longshot. Did he have the talent to be the greatest of all time? There is an argument that he did. However, his career played out and he could not overcome the challenges that make a fighter a true great.
Due to his celebrity and notoriety, Tyson will always ignite debate among fans who tend to allow fame to compensate for actual achievements. The only diplomatic answer is that he had the talent to be one of the greatest, but could not put it all together to attain that mantle.
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