Should Tyson be inducted in the IBHOF? Where should he be ranked among heavys?

[sr71ko]

Should Tyson be inducted in the International Hall of Fame? Where is his place among the heavyweight greats? For both questions why or why not? Ever since Lennox Lewis was inducted.....I had to wonder will Tyson be next or will he be blackballed for some of his obnoxious behavior?

[greek1237]

Not sure, but I think he should be in the HOF. Mostly for his 1980's work. Nothing can take that way.

[hawk5ins]

Canastota is Not truly hung up on whether a fighter is WORTHY or not (enough prior discussions on who is in that shouldn't be and who isn't that SHOULD be explains where I am coming from here.) to be inducted.

It's my beleif that the IBHOF is all about ticket sales and attracting customers.

Given that, it is an absolute slam dunk that Tyson is going in in his first year of eligibility.

There will be no Micheal Irvin sort of punishment in making him wait. Canastota can't throw open thier doors fast enough for Mike.

100% Guaranteed.

Hawk

[Julian Jackson]

And well they should, Hawk. Mike Tyson absolutely deserves a first round induction into the IBHOF. Although his prime only lasted 4 years or so, he cleaned up the heavyweight division like nobody else, and was clearly the most dominant heavyweight (both inside the ring, and in popularity) in the last 30 years. I personally rank him above Lennox Lewis (based on prime vs. Prime) and strongly feel he is still very close to being one of the top 10 heavyweight fighters of all time. On any given day, I believe he is in the top 3-5.

[hawk5ins]

But With the IBHOF, "Merit" never seems to be the issue.

Thier induction practices belie this.

Hawk

[JLP 6]

Not much to go with as far as meat.
Eight title defenses with wins over old Holmes and and old small Spinks are about it.

However, for a brief moment in time however Mike embodied boxing as never seen before. Hand speed, power punching, pressure, defense, knowledge, meaness, Champion. He had the gifts and they were like a ray of sunlight.

For a brief moment Mike was the truth. He could stand on his best night and give the boys of forever a serious run.

Hall of fame.

Jason L. Parker, I approve this message.

[Michael Frank]

JLP, I'd say Tyson's greatness from 1985-1990 merits induction whether he has the stats (the "meat") or not (but his stats were perfect).

It wasn't his fault that the challengers were too old or not great, it happened to Marciano, Holmes, and others. But the Tyson of that period was untouchable, at least by his peers then, and IMO, deserves the Hall on the first ballot, unanimously. What would be the case against him?; the case for him is that he cleaned out the heavyweight division with the greatest of ease. A tough night for him then was going the distance and winning a lopsided decision.

Now, had he given Foreman a fight then, I liked George, but that's another thread.

[walshb]

Forgetting Tyson the person, which was pretty nasty, the simple facts are that during his reign he was the most globally known athlete on earth and he achieved a hell of a lot.
He was the first real heavy to unify the belts during his era and since he did, no one after had the same impact or major success.

He met and bet some fine heavies and had maybe 15 or so world title fights and 10-12 successful defences. This is pretty damn impressive if you consider that Rocky had less world title fights, as did Dempsey at heavy.

Also, at peak in a one to one fight, he has to rate pretty damn high on anyone's list

[mrbig1]

But With the IBHOF, "Merit" never seems to be the issue.

Thier induction practices belie this.

Hawk

I still don't understand the boxing HOF. What are the standards for the hall? Yes Mike Tyson belongs in the Hall. As far as being a top 3-5 heavyweight I don't think so. He has never showed me any heart. I've seen Ali and Holmes in hard fights get off the canvas to some how come back and win. I never saw Tyson do that. I saw Tyson fall apart vs Holyfield twice. People will say well Tyson was past his prime. So was Holyfield. If fact two fight earlier Evander was KOed by Bowe. I would say when things are going his way he was great, But when the going got tough he didn't.

[Elwill7847]

Should Tyson be inducted in the International Hall of Fame? Where is his place among the heavyweight greats? For both questions why or why not? Ever since Lennox Lewis was inducted.....I had to wonder will Tyson be next or will he be blackballed for some of his obnoxious behavior?

I believe he will go into the HOF in either 2010 or 2011. Since he last fought in June 2005, I'm not sure if he is eligible in 2010 or has to wait until 2011.

[sr71ko]

I agree that Tyson should be in the Hall of Fame. It is just disappointing about the circumstances as well as his performances against both Holyfield and Lennox Lewis. I know that Tyson was past his best, but those fights hurt his legacy and rankings with the top heavyweights of all time. Even though Tyson lost to Holyfield and Lewis, I feel that Tyson would do better against the all-time greats rather than both Holyfield and Lewis.