Late to the party but...LOL.
Tyson was not the greatest heavyweight of all time, nor does the "If but for..." really count for anything.
You know what Tyson was? Baylor football. In more ways than one, but lets talk performance only. So when Art Briles' Baylor teams played someone even a little bit inferior to them, they were putting up 72-20 scores, and looked unstoppable. But they were stoppable, and someone always beat them. That's Tyson.
Listen...Tyson was a good fighter. He's underrated in many ways...he had solid defense, and excellent footwork, fast hands, and good power. However, he never beat a good heavyweight, let alone a very good heavyweight. The best heavyweight he ever beat was an aging Larry Holmes, which looked pathetic at the time, but Holmes fought on as a serviceable (not elite) heavyweight for years after that. He beat a highly regarded Ray Mercer, and went the distance with Holyfield, and beat all the scrub fringe heavies he faced. So especially with how easy Tyson won, that was a perfectly decent win.
After that...? Tyson literally lost to or missed all the decent heavyweights of his era. And he never avenged a loss. And none of the losses were very competitive. Again...Baylor football scheduling.
And don't think that was just by chance...the same braintrust that managed Tyson's career famously did the same thing with Floyd Patterson.
Tyson is a fringe top-10 heavyweight even going by "at his best." And I'm sorry, I don't buy all the "drama" excuses...a tiny percentage of fighters weren't plagued by demons...it comes with the territory. Even the supposed "good guys" Sugar Ray Leonard was addicted to cocaine, De La Hoya addicted to drugs and alcohol and sex...google "De La Hoya + fishnets"...or better off, don't. And managerial problems? Come on...it's par for the course.
It's not like Tyson wasn't picking up bad Ls until the end of his career, like SRR or Joe Louis. The guy was knocked out by Buster Douglas in his prime. You don't think other greats had fights out of focus, or with female drama, or with substandard management? They all did. No other great gets excused like that...just written off that only what happens before their first loss counts.
He was an exciting fighter, he won explosively a lot of the time, and had underrated boxing skills. There's nothing wrong with being a HUGE fan of his style and aura. There's a lot to love there. But absolutely zero credible boxing observers place him anywhere near the top of all time heavyweights, or put him in the "potential all time greats" category that a guy like Salvador Sanchez goes in from being killed young.
In summation...his career is what it was. He doesn't get any special excuses...he's a guy that demolished C-grade fighters, and lost convincingly to A and B grade fighters. Other than a period of inactivity, he didn't face any special or unique challenges worthy of grading on a curve. He was what he was. Which was a good, not great, heavyweight.
And LOL at putting Jeff Lacy and Zab Judah in the same conversation as Tyson.
GGG isn't really a similar fighter, but does have Tyson-like characteristics in terms of pressure, advanced footwork, and mentality. He's got a better jab, maybe a better chin, works the body better, and has a B-plan and C-plan. Tyson had faster hands, and I think better defense at his best. Similar power.
