Teddy Atlas says he feels that Tyson Fury has NOT proven himself as a top 5 heavyweight of all time with the wins he’s accumulated during his 14-year professional career.
Like many fans, Atlas sees Fury as not having done enough during his career to show that he belongs among this group of heavyweight greats:
- Jack Johnson
- Joe Louis
- Mike Tyson
- Muhammad Ali
- Larry Holmes
- Joe Frazier
Atlas says if Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) were to stick around a little longer to beat Oleksandr Usyk to become the undisputed heavyweight, he would consider adding him to the top 5 heavyweight greats, but given that he’s chosen to hang up his gloves without taking that fight, he doesn’t make the cut.
Fury has already revealed that he’s going to be fighting UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou next in an exhibition match. Atlas believes Fury could make $100 million for that fight, as the MMA fans will be all over the fight, and the boxing people will get excited about it as well.
Atlas gives Ngannou no shot of beating Fury because he doesn’t possess the experience to beat a fighter of his class in a boxing match.
“I don’t think you can put him in the top five of all time. Make him the best British heavyweight, no problem,” said Teddy Atlas on his Podcast when asked if Tyson Fury deserves to be rated as the #1 heavyweight of all time after his victory over Dillian Whyte last Saturday night.
“Yeah, Lennox Lewis was terrific, but he obviously wasn’t undefeated. I think Fury would succeed that [as the best British heavyweight of all time, but NOT a top-five all-time great].
“Fury is undefeated but let him go beat Usyk, and then I can start thinking about him, not as the greatest of all time, but then I can start thinking about letting him in the top five maybe.
“When you’re talking about the greatest of all time, you’re talking about Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Jack Johnson, come on. Then you get to Larry Holmes, there are so many of them. Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson, my goodness. Mike Tyson, out of his prime obviously.
“So, when you’re talking about that, there’s longevity involved there. I know you can only fight guys in your era, but Fury was around during a pretty good era to be a heavyweight. If you’re going to be a heavyweight, he was around during a pretty good era to be a heavyweight.
“There were eras where the heavyweights were a little tougher, and some of these guys that I mentioned, they were not only around during those eras, but they ventured into other eras. They were around that long. They ventured into other decades of other fighters.
“But to make him the best of all time, I’d say, no,” said Atlas about him not rating Fury as the best or even in the top five of all time. “I think we’re being overexuberant and intoxicated by the moment,” said Atlas.
