An ex-UFC fighter has ripped into the iconic Iron Mike Tyson by insisting the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world has never actually beaten anyone good, insisting he isn’t a great boxer.
Matt ‘The Immortal’ Brown said that whilst he respects the 58-year-old for his accomplishments in the sport, he isn’t his favorite fighter and struggled to beat the other greats of his time such as Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Buster Douglas; as well as failing to take on Riddick Bowe.
“Not actually,” Brown told the JAXXON Podcast when asked if Tyson was his favorite. “I swear to God. I like Evander Holyfield way more. He was always a great fighter.
“Don’t get me wrong man Tyson had an image. And Tyson‘s got the aura. He’s got all that sh** going on for him. But he ain’t that great of a boxer
“See that’s all mythical bulls**t Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against Mike Tyson. I love the dude. I love watching him. I love his aura. I love to watch him train. All that s**t.
“I mean when you look at, like, the record, there were so many guys even in that era far, far better than him. Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis. He didn’t beat the good guys.”
How good was Mike Tyson before prison?
Iron Mike racked up a 50-6-2 record before his first retirement from professional boxing back in 2005, but five of his losses came after his stint behind prison for rape from 1992-1995; interrupting his career after he had become the youngest ever champion.
Prior to the sentence, he racked up a 41-1-0 win with the only defeat coming via a shock loss to Douglas in 1990 when he lost the WBA, WBC and IBF belts in Japan after being knocked out in the 10th round.
In those 41 fights, he knocked out 36 opponents and beat all of the other five who managed to go the distance via unanimous decision. His rise was so rapid he is widely considered one of the best boxers of all-time.