Mike Tyson is fighting Jake Paul for some reason.
Mike Tyson is not the greatest heavyweight of all-time. He is not a top-10 heavyweight of all time. He probably sits somewhere in the late teens or early 20s.
He just has the greatest highlight reel of all-time. And, granted, he does have an absolutely sick highlight reel. Because I want to include the video, I will note that my favourite combination of Tyson’s was his patented right rip, right uppercut.
If you think about it, Mike Tyson is boxing’s version of the “Charlie bit my finger” video.
A viral sensation that was ultimately all icing no cake.
In fact, that analogy works on two levels given his love of biting people.
Why isn’t he the greatest heavyweight of all time?
How long have you got.
Tyson famously started his career with a streak of 19 straight knockouts, 12 of which came in the first round. However, to give you an idea of the level of competition in that 19-fight win streak, only 2 of his 19 opponents have Wikipedia entries.
You can skip basically the next 9 fights, all mostly against cans until we get to Trevor Berbick to become the youngest heavyweight champion of all time. He summarily destroyed Berbick, who looked beaten before the fight even started.
He had more good wins against Tony Tucker and Tyrell Biggs, before putting a beating on a 38-year-old Larry Holmes. The story goes that before the Holmes fight Tyson told the actual greatest heavyweight who has ever lived, Muhammad Ali, that he would get revenge for the beating that Holmes put on Ali years earlier.
Now we can get to Tyson’s coronation: Michael Spinks. He demolished Spinks in 91 seconds for the unofficial crown of the best heavyweight on the planet.
Tyson did all of this before his 22nd birthday, beating Spinks almost 4 years to the day after he started his professional career.
However, as is well-known, Tyson’s life and career started to fall apart after the Spinks fight. Tyson got rid of his long-time trainers (post the death of Cus D’Amato) and at least in part abandoned his trademark peek-a-boo style that made him so dangerous. He also signed with the truly evil Don King, who took a man who was profoundly damaged by the death of his trainer and father figure Cus D’Amato and damaged him further.
After that Tyson still had decent wins against consequential heavyweights like Frank Bruno and he retained that aura of invincibility, but it was clear outside factors were impacting his dedication to training and his dominating style was starting to wear him down.
That’s the start of a trend for Tyson’s career. As soon as there was any sign of pushback from an opponent, Tyson wilted. He was a bully who could be beaten if he was stood up to.
Against Douglas was one of the only times in his career where Tyson showed any semblance of heart.
After Douglas, Tyson beat Razor Ruddock twice before going to prison for three years for raping an 18-year-old girl. It’s not exactly equivalent to Ali losing some of his prime because of his strong stance against the Vietnam War, is it?
After that, Tyson was cooked.
His name and aura got him fights against Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis but he lost those embarrassingly. The second fight against Holyfield was particularly disastrous given that it ended with Tyson, clearly losing the fight, biting Holyfield’s ear off.
Tyson’s career ultimately ended in ignominy many years later, quitting on his stool against Kevin McBride. By that point Tyson acknowledged that he was only fighting because he had been robbed blind by King and other members of his circle.
He was broke and broken.
What does all of that make Mike Tyson?
Outside the ring it makes him a complicated, flawed, violent, but also tragic figure.
Inside the ring he was greatest frontrunner in boxing history. When it was going his way, Tyson was truly unstoppable. The very first fight where Tyson’s opponent didn’t consider himself beaten before the first bell, Tyson lost.
What does it mean for the Jake Paul fight?
Tyson hasn’t been an elite heavyweight since 1988 and only had a 4-year prime. He couldn’t reinvent himself like Ali or Holmes were able to do. As his athleticism diminished, so did Tyson as a fighter.