Frank Warren doesn’t believe Mike Tyson is in the running when it comes to picking the greatest heavyweights of all time.
In his prime, though, there is no disputing he was one of the most ferocious knockout artists boxing has ever seen.
Now 55, and long retired, Tyson is still one of the most popular boxers today and his comeback for an exhibition against Roy Jones Jr in 2020 was well received.
However, when the question arises as to his overall greatness, there is plenty of debate to be had.
Warren, who promotes WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, told talkSPORT.com last year ahead of his hugely anticipated return: “Mike Tyson, when he was young and first got into boxing, he was exciting.
“A bit like [current British heavyweight] Daniel Dubois in some ways, he sort of captured the public’s imagination in devastating style.
“He won a world title and everybody was talking about him. For me, he was one of the most exciting young heavyweights.
“However, he doesn’t get in my top ten because he just did not last the course.
“He was sodding around, drugging it and boozing, went to prison. He just didn’t do it for me.”
Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion at age 20 in 1986 and unified all of the relevant titles two years later.
It all came crashing down when he lost to Buster Douglas in 1990 and from that point he was never quite the same.
“A lot of the fights that he had, he beat the guys before they got in the ring,” Warren explained. “He intimidated them.
“He was a street guy, most guys in boxing come from the streets, and he had the beating of them.
“But he could never intimidate Evander Holyfield and he didn’t intimidate Buster Douglas.
“When I put him in with Danny Williams [in 2004] in the latter stages of his career, I said to Danny, ‘just tuck up for a couple of rounds. He’ll be like vintage Mike Tyson for a round or two rounds, then you’ll do a job on him.’ That is what he did.
“As a young man he was very, very exciting and you’ve always got those fights that you think about.
“At his best, would he have beaten Muhammad Ali at Ali’s best? They would always have been great fights.
“But I don’t think he would’ve beaten Sonny Liston, I don’t think he’d have beaten [prime] Larry Holmes, I don’t think he’d have beaten Ali, I don’t think he’d have beaten Joe Frazier and I certainly don’t think he’d have beaten George Foreman.”
Anthony Joshua has been told to find an American coach to help him for the Oleksandr Usyk rematch by Wladimir Klitschko’s manager.
Bernd Bonte oversaw Klitschko’s domination of the heavyweight division, which culminated with a spectacular showdown with Joshua at Wembley in 2017.
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Times have become decidedly tougher for Joshua since that famous night, with losses to Andy Ruiz Jr and Usyk besmirching his previously unblemished record.
Yet where it was simply failing to recover from a huge shot which rendered him senseless in the Ruiz fight, Joshua was comprehensively outboxed and then nearly stopped by Usyk when they met in September.
The Brit triggered a rematch clause in an attempt to get the belts back instantly, yet there are those who feel as though he needs to split with head trainer Rob McCracken and he even courted American trainers earlier this year.
Bonte helped Klitschko link up with Emanuel Steward in Detroit after his loss to Corrie Sanders and the Ukrainian’s manager believes Joshua can enjoy similar levels of success himself.
He told Vegas Insider: “I recommended Emanuel Steward to Wladimir because Wladimir really didn’t feel very good after that loss to Corrie Sanders and he tested some different coaches as you’ll remember. And when I called Emanuel and set up a meeting between him and Wladimir the rest is history as we both know.
“With Emanuel’s support and his different tactics and his very close relationship, Wladimir came back stronger than he had ever been before and after that he was undefeated for almost ten years. AJ can do the same.
“Yes, absolutely there are similarities between Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua.
“The psychology is very decisive here for AJ in the rematch, I mean, I think he’s a guy like Wladimir. He has to feel good before a fight, he needs a psychological high, not question marks in his head, and then he can win the fight.
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“AJ’s tactics have been rightfully called into question but let’s not forget, especially looking at Wladimir’s losing performance against Corrie Sanders, that he’s not the first fighter that had a complete off night and he won’t be the last, but without question he can come back stronger.
“Anthony Joshua also has to feel good in the ring. I only know that psychology is the most decisive thing for AJ in the rematch and he has to solve that question, as well as the coaching question.”
The fight with Usyk was largely dictated on the Ukrainian’s terms, with Joshua mostly static and throwing pot-shots in the hope of catching the smaller, elusive southpaw.
Yet given his extensive amateur background, Bonte feels as though Joshua must revert to his box-fighting days to change the narrative of the fight and place himself in the pantheon of great heavyweight champions from previous years.
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“I think AJ is a great guy for boxing – as well as his whole team – but the decision to change trainers is one that they have to make. I can only tell you that I rate Rob McCracken very highly, but if AJ wants to have an additional coach or some advisers from outside, I don’t know. It is a decision that he has to make.
“It’s extremely important that he has complete trust in his coach and that they as a close team, choose the right strategy, and end the fight on a psychological high, that’s the most important thing in this case.
“If he makes the right decisions in his camp, I am very, very positive that AJ can become the next member of that elite group of three-time heavyweight champions and be like: Ali, Lennox, Vitali, Evander. I think he needs to make the right changes and he’ll be back on track.”