Is Tyson Fury one of the greatest heavyweights of all time?

[MPH]

A Very bold statement by Eddie Hearn…

 

 

 

[fuchsntf]

19 minutes ago, MPH said:

A Very bold statement by Eddie Hearn…

 

 

 

coming from an Era Sonny Liston,Cassius Clay,Joe Frazier,Henry Cooper,George Forman

AND so many other Heavy weights of those long drawn eras,crossing over Each other…

some wh made names over long periods,great names themselves,

then fell either to Liston,later to Joe Frazier & Mohammed Ali,even shortly after those periods.

many names that would fill so many pages, today we speak of top 3-5 boxers,then it was top 20..

Ali for one took most of them on,a couple of them 2-3 times. !!   Truely truely great nights…

 

simply No…!!! But I am very biased to that 50s,60s, and upto middle 70s

[MPH]

1 hour ago, fuchsntf said:

coming from an Era Sonny Liston,Cassius Clay,Joe Frazier,Henry Cooper,George Forman

AND so many other Heavy weights of those long drawn eras,crossing over Each other…

some wh made names over long periods,great names themselves,

then fell either to Liston,later to Joe Frazier & Mohammed Ali,even shortly after those periods.

many names that would fill so many pages, today we speak of top 3-5 boxers,then it was top 20..

Ali for one took most of them on,a couple of them 2-3 times. !!   Truely truely great nights…

 

simply No…!!! But I am very biased to that 50s,60s, and upto middle 70s

 The difficult problem, for me, is that Fury doesn’t have the quality of opponent available to be described a true great. I mean.. defeating  Joshua should not qualify you to be  one of the greatest heavyweight of all time. If he best Usyk maybe he’ll be the greatest heavyweight of his generation but of all time? Not for me. 

[leicsmac]

I think if he (somehow) unifies the four different belts and remains undefeated he'll be one of the best of the last few decades, but then the idea that you gain prestige from the quality of your opposition is a salient one too and for that a few names in the 60s and 70s stand out more.

 

That being said, beware rose tinted spectacles - they might not have been that good, we might just be looking at them through nostalgia.

[Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot]

Depends what you mean by one of the best. Top 3,5, 10? He's overcome a lot in his personal life and never lost a fight, took on the biggest puncher in the world when he was still completely out of shape, got up from the most shuddering shot in years and didn't lose. You can only beat what's in front of you and there isn't really a lot else he can do. I'd put him in the top 10 without question after that it's nitpicking and all gets a bit boring looking at so many different aspects of boxing that people have wildly different views about. 

[fuchsntf]

5 hours ago, MPH said:

 The difficult problem, for me, is that Fury doesn’t have the quality of opponent available to be described a true great. I mean.. defeating  Joshua should not qualify you to be  one of the greatest heavyweight of all time. If he best Usyk maybe he’ll be the greatest heavyweight of his generation but of all time? Not for me. 

The major point for me..The Heavyweights from the past, fought a lot more often..

Bernie Reynolds, Ezzart Charles,Joe Louis,Rocky Marciano ( only undefeated heavyweight) M.Ali, were more in the ring,

than Fury has had hot baths.

Ali went through fighting top10-15 boxers,plus anyone trying to make a name. These guys would have had Fury on toast, lunch,and roast dinners. Harry Holmes would have jabbed him into oblivion..and back.

lenny Lewis after Tyson the last Hweights of any distinction..

 

Someone mentioned Nostalgia…That would come out of retirement,and wipe the floor with any of todays boxer ,Klitchko’s

did keep the HW section alive,but I believe they would have been whipped both ,from  the past greats,and Fury..

[RonnieTodger]

Yes he is, but he should become a British boxing legend.

 

His comeback was incredible but he’s somehow made me want him to retire. Bored of his nonsense already. 

[Lako42]

No he's a **** 

[Raj]

Of his era yes he is the best.

Of all time no way.

 

The likes of Marciano, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman,  Smokin Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson would have far too much nouse and ring craft to take him on.

 

I dont even think Wilder and AJ would be in the frame during the halcyon days of Heavyweight boxing of Ali etc.

 

The only thing they have improved on is the physique- they are power houses.

 

AJ is SO slow he would make Foreman look like Ali!

[Finnegan]

He talks a good game but he's still dining out on beating a 40 year old Wlad which is something the "body building dosser" has also done. 

 

Wilder was exposed for being a generic overhyped Yank and Fury kept going back because he knew he could take him. 

 

Won't fight AJ in his prime, won't fight Usyk in his prime, would rather mess around in exhibitions with UFC stars. 

 

For me he's the Gavin Henson or Ricardo Quaresma of boxing. Loads of talent, just doesn't have the personality of an elite athlete to truly back it up. 

[STEVIE B]

He’s the best of this era. However, the current crop of HW aren’t that good, are too inactive & most are waiting for their Saudi millions. Fury being one of them. 
It’s too early to say if he’s one of the greatest, he probably only has a couple of fights left, so l can’t see how we’ll ever know. 

He beat Klitschko in a borefest, beat a very limited, but brave Wilder twice (3 really, was never a draw). That’s a very thin legacy so far, in my mind. 

 

[Mapperleyfox]

Maybe in the top 20, nowhere near the top 10. He won't even fight the other top heavyweights in the division apart from Wilder, who can punch but can't box for toffee.

Most of the top 70s and 80s heavyweights would beat him and he's not in the class of Lennox Lewis for example, who was one of the best of all time.

[Greg2607]

the problem with modern heavyweight boxing, is that there is too much money involved.  They would all fight each other more often if they were only getting £100,000 for a fight rather than £50m.   a £50m fight needs hyping up more, to get more commercial deals in place to underwrite the prize money and there is too much to lose, by losing the fight. 

 

I suspect that the legends of the past were having to fight, to keep putting food on the table and to provide for themselves in retirement. 

 

I also think it's hard to compare fighters over different eras. Muhammed Ali was 6ft 3 and 16 stone....  Mike Tyson was 5ft 10 and 15 stone.....   Tyson fury is 6ft 9 and 19 stone.....  he'd be a giant against those two.... who's to say they would get close enough, regularly enough to take him out.... 

 

I think Fury is the most skillful boxer of his generation, he can win in multiple different ways, but his legacy would be cemented by beating Fury and Usyk. Both of which I think he would. 

 

 

[adejo92]

It's hard to ever know for sure because you can only judge him against his opposition. 

 

Was there a better group of boxers in previous generations? perhaps so.

 

One thing for certain is that he's by far the best boxer currently, and over the last few years, and Anthony Joshua would get embarrassed hence why him and his team have managed to avoid the fight for so long.

[MPH]

2 hours ago, Raj said:

Of his era yes he is the best.

Of all time no way.

 

The likes of Marciano, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman,  Smokin Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson would have far too much nouse and ring craft to take him on.

 

I dont even think Wilder and AJ would be in the frame during the halcyon days of Heavyweight boxing of Ali etc.

 

The only thing they have improved on is the physique- they are power houses.

 

AJ is SO slow he would make Foreman look like Ali!

 

just to play devils advocate here, most of those you mention have tasted defeat several times, Fury hasn’t…

 

 

and besides if you are going to add Mike Tyson to that list then Surely you have to add Lennox Lewis too, who in my opinion, was a far better fighter…

[Guest Mee-9]

He's the best in the world no doubt. 

 

His skill and brain for boxing is second to none. But all the squabbling with getting the top fights arranged will cost him his legacy. 

[Finnegan]

23 minutes ago, MPH said:

most of those you mention have tasted defeat several times, Fury hasn’t

 

Neither have I, am I in the discussion for greatest boxer of all time? 

 

This is everything that's wrong with boxing in 2023 right there. Everyone giving way too much of a fvck about one L on the record so nobody taking risks. 

 

The fans are just as much to blame. Everyone over reacting to a single loss like it's killed a boxer's whole career. Guys that retire with unbeaten records should be rare freaks of nature not just someone that refused to take risks. 

[Raj]

1 hour ago, MPH said:

 

just to play devils advocate here, most of those you mention have tasted defeat several times, Fury hasn’t…

 

 

and besides if you are going to add Mike Tyson to that list then Surely you have to add Lennox Lewis too, who in my opinion, was a far better fighter…

 

Sugar Ray Leonard lost- Hes one of the ALL division Greatest.

 

Its like Saying Steven Gerrard wasnt as good as Dyer just cos he didn't get a Premier league winners medal!!

 

Lennox may also be somewhere in the Best ever category, no one in the last 30 years can come near Tyson at his age for how devastating he was at his prime.

[MPH]

1 hour ago, Finnegan said:

 

Neither have I, am I in the discussion for greatest boxer of all time? 

 

This is everything that's wrong with boxing in 2023 right there. Everyone giving way too much of a fvck about one L on the record so nobody taking risks. 

 

The fans are just as much to blame. Everyone over reacting to a single loss like it's killed a boxer's whole career. Guys that retire with unbeaten records should be rare freaks of nature not just someone that refused to take risks. 

 

Are you boxing the top heavyweights around you?

 

 

You’re such a melt sometimes

[Finnegan]

Just now, MPH said:

Are you boxing the top heavyweights around you

 

This is fvcking hilarious given you're trying to defend Tyson Fury

 

[purpleronnie]

Audly Harrison

 

/thread

[MPH]

35 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

This is fvcking hilarious given you're trying to defend Tyson Fury

 

 

Did you miss the part where I said I was playing devils advocate? (I mean, you had to delete that part to try and make your point )And also the part I said I don’t think he’s one of the greatest ever? Stop embarrassing yourself! 

Edited 27 July 2023 by MPH

[indierich06]

He's got more talent than a lot of the current crop, but for some reason he's ducked big fights consistently - Anthony Joshua has at least fought top ten fighters mostly (not that I think he's the best of this current era). Hearn is right when he talks about Fury's only meaningful wins coming against Klitschko and Wilder - and even then you can debate how impressive those wins actually were.

 

Fury has the chance to go for undisputed and settle things once and for all, and instead he'd rather fight some UFC bum - if he retires without fighting Usyk & Joshua, well that tells you all you need to know.

 

 

[indierich06]

2 hours ago, MPH said:

 

just to play devils advocate here, most of those you mention have tasted defeat several times, Fury hasn’t…

 

 

and besides if you are going to add Mike Tyson to that list then Surely you have to add Lennox Lewis too, who in my opinion, was a far better fighter…

The most impressive bobbing and weaving Fury does is when a difficult fight comes his way.

[Finnegan]

5 minutes ago, MPH said:

Stop embarrassing yourself

 

Oh unbunch your knickers, you know that was funny