Mike Check: The Top 5 Reasons Mike Tyson Will Never Be Considered One of the Greatest Fighters Ever

Number one: He beat some good fighters, but he never beat a great fighter.

This was not all Mike's fault. In fact, I don't think anyone is to blame for the lack of quality opponents in the heavyweight division at that time. He came up through the ranks at a time when the division was statistically the worst in boxing. Added to the lack of real competition was the corporate re-structuring of the boxing mecca Las Vegas in the wake of almost 3 decades of mob control. The new breed of promoters and hotel/casino owners built heavyweight boxing up to an almost gladiator-like opulent spectacle and they were thirsty for blood. Watching a human bulldog like Mike run Rampant in a 2 or 3 minute bloodbath seemed to satisfy the celebrity sadists. It's arguable that he would have beaten better opponents anyway, but that is speculation. He spent his best years beating up on a string of dead tomato cans.

Number two: He hit really hard, but he was not a physically strong as he should have been.

Mike possessed a lot of successful tools a boxer have in order to be successful. He had hand-speed, a textbook uppercut, good power in right and left hooks, He knew how to work the angles and go to the body. Most of all he knew when he had his opponent completely figured out and how to finish him. But as early as his 6th professional fight, his sparring partners began to comment secretly that despite his punching power, he was unable to break routine tie-ups and clinches - which they probably did frequently. Although Mike used his body well in a fight, his predisposition for knockouts weakened his overall fundamental strength training. Unlike Floyd Patterson for example, who despite having fought his entire heavyweight career as a cruiser-weight (195lbs) he was a master of breaking clinches as a much less imposing figure.

Number three: Mike was completely one dimensional

All of the greatest fighters, from the big and powerful (Jack Johnson and John L. Sullivan) to the technical (Joe Louis and Cassius Clay) have all had an important similarity - they had many weapons in their arsenal. I could be wrong, but I don't think I EVER saw Mike Tyson throw a jab in a pro boxing match. In his defense, with most of his opponents there was probably no need. That doesn't mean it would not have been useful, I mean even Sonny Liston threw an occasional jab. Looking back at some of Sonny's fights he probably should have thrown more.

Number four: Styles make fights

Floyd Patterson could never figure out how to beat Sonny Liston, although he was every bit as good a fighter as Sonny. It took 3 wars of attrition for Muhammad Ali to assert his dominance over Joe Frazier (Ali-Frazier II was kind of a weird chess match. Ali wouldn't get off his bicycle and Frazier could not cut off the ring.) A fighters style is almost as important as his skills. Tyson's offensive firepower overshadowed his glaring lack of technical defense. He always had trouble with the same type of fighter; tall with a good jab, except of course Larry Holmes who by the time they fought had diminished capacity for ring tactics of any kind. This weakness lead to a few dubious footnotes (i.e. Buster Douglas) in Mikes career. The great fighters find a way to offset their liabilities.

Number five: The blind was being lead by the even-blinder

Unlike the aforementioned lack of quality contenders, the management aspect of Mike's downfall must be attributed at least in part to his poor decision-making. After firing his trainer Kevin Rooney, the death of his manager Jimmy Jacobs and a disastrous marriage to Robin Givens, Mike opted to let notorious promoter Don King control his career. King quickly surrounded Mike with an army of cronies and freeloaders. Don King had been seen by most boxing professionals as being responsible for the destruction of more than a few fighters careers. This apathy was most apparent during the Buster Douglas fight on February 11, 1990. (Douglas came in as a 42 to 1 underdog) A fight in which Tyson's eye was badly swollen and his corner crew did not think to bring an "en-swell"; a small piece of metal kept on ice used to cool the area of a bruise or a cut by applying direct pressure to decrease the blood flow to the area. By the time the understood that Mike was getting plastered by Buster's cannon-like jabs, the best alternative they could think of was a rubber glove filled with ice water. It didn't work.

It is arguable just who mike would have beaten when he was in his prime, but the actual bottom line remains the same. The great fighters he fought (Evander Holyfield & Lennox Lewis) beat him soundly - and even journeyman fighters such as Buster Douglas, Danny Williams and Kevin McBride proved to be too much. Mike Tyson may be an all-time great puncher; forever feared and sometimes respected, but greatness will forever be out of his reach.