One more - Tyson circa Spinks vs Marciano circa Charles?

Question

No distance specified - this one ain't going the distance either.

Please - if you're planning on answering this question, please make sure the phrase "If Cus or Kevin Rooney were still around..." isn't part of your answer.

da1Prophet - as per usual, a brilliantly reasoned and articulate analysis - all you other guys, too - but I'm with 'smitty' on this one.
Everybody should take another look at his take on this. It is very well reasoned and eloquent in its own right. Actually, moreso.

I know I always rag on Tyson, but when I rap this question up, I'll tell you why I don't this time.

smitty - I'm with you on this.
I'm going with Tyson on this one.

Tyson would be too big, strong and most importantly - fast for the slow, clumsy Marciano.
The slow, clumsy and protected Marciano.

In my opinion Mike Tyson is the fastest, and definitely most explosive heavyweight that ever lived.
faster than Ali.
Tyson has 22 first round knockouts - the most in heayweight championship history - almost half his fights.
His speed would eliminate character as an issue in this fight.
Regardless whether Marciano is a top ten heavyweight and Tyson is not - Tyson's speed, power and explosiveness would eliminate any character and will to win as factors.

Answer 1

da prophet - We were wondering where you were?

Tyson - W 50 (KO's 43) TF 58 - W pct 86% - KO pct 74% - wins over "Bone Crusher" Smith, Biggs, C. WiIliams, Ruddock, Spinks, Bruno, Holmes, Thomas and Berbick - KO'ed by Holyfield{2}, Douglas and Lewis - #16 ranked puncher - #72 ranked fighter

Marciano - W 49 (KO's 43) TF 49 - W pct 86% - KO pct 88% - wins over Louis, Walcott{2}, Moore and Charles - #14 ranked puncher - #12 ranked fighter

I always thought that Marciano was overrated and a coward because he fought only (past- their- prime) good fighters. Tyson was a dirty fighter and in this fight Rocky loses his focus due to Tyson's tactics. The fighters stand toe-to-toe and Rocky has several very bad cuts. In the modern era, when a fighter is cut to the bone the fight is stopped.
The boxing world is shocked, Tyson by TKO in rd 11 even though he is also a bloody mess.

Answer 2

I think character wins out in this one. Marciano would not have feared Tyson. Marciano although limited physically, had a huge heart as shown in the first Walcott fight. After a give and take fight from the opening bell, I believe Marciano gets off the canvas early in the fight, and rallies late because the ref threatens to stop the fight due to a severe cut to Marciano's face. Marciano by TKO round 13. Character and heart are crucial!

Answer 3

OK, one more time...Mike Tyson would lose to essentially every top heavyweight in history. It wouldn't matter if Cus D'amato, Kevin Rooney or the Marquis of Queenbury were in his corner. Tyson was a cultural phenomenon and a powerful, though tactically limited, fighter. Late in his career when he stopped fighting second tier opposition, over-the-hill former champs, blown up cruiserweights and light heavyweights and guys who would take a standing 8 could from sheer terror he was revealed to be a very beatable fighter with a questionable chin. This was exposed originally by Buster Douglas, though the Tyson myopians will have you believe that he wasn't focused or whatever. His weak chin was later exploited by Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and a couple of second tier heavyweights in Danny Williams and Kevin McBride...

So if Tyson couldn't take the power of Lennox Lewis, Buster Douglas, Danny Williams and Kevin McBride I'm supposed to think he has a chance against Marciano? Marciano was one of the toughest dudes to ever set foot in a ring, could take a punch and more importantly could get up from a punch (like he did against Jersey Joe Walcott). Marciano was mentally tough as well and didn't have an ounce of "quit" in him--a huge edge over Tyson. How do you think Tyson would have reacted to having his nose split in two, like Marciano did against Ezzard Charles? Probably by quitting or freaking out (like he did against Holyfield)--Marciano knocked out Ezzard Charles despite the gruesome injury...

This one ain't going the distance because Tyson doesn't make it out of the middle rounds against Marciano. Tyson never tasted this kind of power during his career, and based on the way he reacted when guys with far less one punch KO power hit him, Marciano's undefeated record would never be seriously at risk. I'll end this with the same metric that I always use in answering the Tyson question of the day--we're talking about a guy in Tyson who wasn't even the best heavyweight of his era, and probably wouldn't even make the "honorable mention" roll of the 10 best heavyweights in history against a guy that would be right near the top of the list--certainly behind Ali and Louis, but not far behind them. Marciano in a rout....

Answer 4

I wanted to see light heavy weights' Michael Spinks and Matthew Saad Muhammad bang-bang.

Answer 5

Marciano, always Marciano.

Answer 6

lets just put it like this ,before don king got in his head (and pockets) and he still had Kevin Rooney. mike would have knocked everybody out except for the greatest of all time(Ali)