Mike Tyson revealed the list of the first five fighters in boxing, and there are a couple of surprises that do not fit in what the fans see as the elite of the sport.
One of the names on former heavyweight champion Tyson’s list is former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence, who is not 16 months old since losing to Terence Crawford by knockout in the ninth round.
Spence is 34 years old and has had several extended periods of inactivity since 2019 that have kept him out of the ring for over a year. Tyson believes that Spence can become world champion again.
Mike Tyson’s Top Five Fighters
- David Benavidez
- Gervonta Davis
- Shakur Stevenson
- Terence Crawford
- Errol Spence
“Benavidez, Tank, Shakur when he has the type of guy that Tank was fighting. Of course, Bud Crawford, and listen, I like Spence too,” Mike Tyson told Pound For Pound. channel when asked about his top five action fighters in boxing.
“I think Spence can come back and even get his title back. I think Spence is an underrated fighter.”
In addition to Spence being an odd bird on Tyson’s list, Shakur Stevenson’s choice of top fighter is also an odd one. Shakur is not popular and has been booed out of his last two fights by fans displeased with his hit-and-not-get-hit fighting style. His closeness against Edwin De Los Santos a year ago on November 16 indicates that it will not be the same lightweight fight that it was at 130 and 126.
Boxing fans on social media believe that Mike Tyson’s top five list could be a sign that he doesn’t follow the sport closely enough to understand who the good fighters are.
The 37-year-old Crawford is a good fighter, but he’s pretty done, and he’s just waiting to see if Canelo Alvarez will give him a title shot at 168 before he retires. Crawford hasn’t fought enough since 2020, he only competes once a year, and he didn’t look good in his last fight at 154.
Crawford’s fight against Israil Madrimov on August 3 showed that he is not going to beat the best fighters in the division: Bakhram Murtazaliev, Sebastian Fundora, Vergil Ortiz Jr., or Serhii Bohachuk. Given his inactivity and recent performance, you can’t consider Crawford a top-tier fighter.
David Benavidez looked poor in his debut at 175 against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15, showing that he is not the same man now that he is no longer fighting smaller fighters at 168. Benavidez had a reputation for being a bully weight His fight against Gvozdyk at light heavyweight limited that view in fans’ minds.
