Originally Posted by Exhibitman
I definitely think Tyson is an overhyped figure, and the specific generational placement of the newbies rushing into the hobby, especially for investment in this wave of whatever it is, buys into the narrative because they remember that baddest man on the planet stuff. The card sales would have us think he is second only to Ali, but all the sales in the world doesn't mean he is an ATG. I think he's #3 in his generation behind the guys who beat him, Holyfield and Lewis. The rest of his record are tomato cans, has-beens and never-wases. Granted, he messed up his prime years with jail, but then Ali was exiled for three of his prime years too and Louis lost prime years to WWII, so no excuses there. Also, if Cus D'Amato had lived, maybe the story is different, but he didn't and it isn't. Louis, Johnson, Dempsey, Marciano, Frazier, Ali, they all would have beaten him, prime to prime. I also happen to think both Klitschkos under Emanuel Steward's training would have beaten him--styles were all wrong for that matchup. If I could pick a match I'd most like to see with Tyson it is Ali, just for the trash talking; can you imagine what Ali would have done with Tyson's voice and personal narrative? It would have been priceless.
The interesting thing, from my perspective, about the whole market situation is whether the price hikes will draw out really nasty stuff. It has been years since some of the tougher cards in the field have come to market. Normally, someone has to die or get divorced for it to happen. That's the difference with baseball cards and boxing cards: in boxing the known pop of so many issues or of specific cards in those issues is in single digits that they stand apart from the market. Tyson's RCs are pricey but easy; try an N386 Sullivan. Now, if anyone wants to trade my Tyson RC for an N386 Sullivan, drop me a line.
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