Bugner was big.

It's true though....heavyweights are on a different level today.....must be something in the water.

There should be a small heavyweight category above cruiserweight.

Cooper may well have gone on to have been this country's best ever cruiserweight had the division of been around back in the day.

Anyone who could deck Ali would have put most 14 stone guys on their ass.

Bugner had terrific skills but seemed to lack aggression. Should have been more successful than was however he fought some great opponents and even beat some of them.

Edited by Tom-the-eagle (23 Sep 2018 7.51pm)

Sorry Hrolf...lets us disagree on this sporty topic my friend.

I don't think AJ would have won a world title in his 16th fight and beaten Klitschko in his 20th if he were some kind of Bruno clone. (Kudos to Bruno by the way)

Tyson was fighting nobodies and didn't fight for the WBC title until his 28th fight.

Joshua is the real deal....and to be fair that's what Tyson thinks himself.

He did remarkable things in a short amateur career and has already been a huge success as a professional.

He deserves praise not criticism.....let's not forget that Tyson.....while being a great and one of the best fan friendly fighters to watch.....was taken the distance by journey men in his time.

Edited by Stirlingsays (23 Sep 2018 7.34pm)

Absolutely !

Boxing has evolved so much in the last 30 odd years. Todays boxers are alot more intricate and clever, it's alot more to do with technical side, scoring points and good defence.

Tyson was one of a kind, a slugger from a different era in the 80's heavyweight division where most of those opponents were just punchers and not skilful boxers, hence, he banged them all out and mopped up all the belts.

Whether he would do the same in this era is debatable, unless he took his opponent out early he would run out of ideas, run out of steam and he didn't have a great chin either. Just as flawed as he was brilliant, which was cruelly exposed in his latter career

He won the title at 20. He just had a lot of fights.
What you have to understand is that after beating Berbick, Spinks, Holmes and the rest, he stopped training properly, started partying and lost his desire to fight.
The losses against Holyfield and Douglas were a result of that and he beat our great hope Bruno after going on a bender.
Watching AJ struggle to cope with Povetkin's overhand rights and uppercuts made me smile. The young Tyson would have destroyed him.

I know nothing about Boxing? Whatever you say.

Holmes was way past his best as well....and what was it, called in on a month's training...in fact Tyson's young years were just spent fighting in a weak era.

AJ hasn't had anything like the same number of knock over jobs Tyson had.

As soon as the standard improved he lost to every high class fighter.

There's no guarantee that the younger version wouldn't have.

But like I said.....it's all just conjecture.

What I would say is that the young Tyson is up there....Like Ali he lost his peak years to prison.

Edited by Stirlingsays (23 Sep 2018 11.20pm)