David Haye has admitted that it is difficult to place boxing legend Mike Tyson in the top five heavyweight boxers of all time.
Tyson, 53, was widely revered for his devastating punching power and incredible speed when he was a menacing force during the 1980s.
But ‘Iron’ Mike, who remains the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title, struggled with problems outside the squared circle and began to decline.
Haye, 39, took to Twitter to reveal his personal picks for the top 10 heavyweight boxers of all time.
The ‘Hayemaker’ revealed that his choices didn’t include any “current active fighters” or any “fighters under 45.”
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Haye placed the legendary Muhammad Ali, who is often considered the best boxer of all time, top of the pile.
And boxing legends Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield finished third and fourth respectively.
Haye ranked Tyson sixth in his list after putting him behind fourth-placed George Foreman and fifth-placed Larry Holmes.
The British former boxer said it was hard to rank someone in the top five “if they have never had a fight which they was losing to come back to win.”
Haye told BBC Radio 5 Live: “How many fights has he had where he was behind on points, where he got put down, hurt, and came back?
“That’s the question. I haven’t seen him get through many problems, ever.
“There was never a fight that I remember where Tyson was having some problems and brought it back around — the moment he started to lose or it got tough, it went the other way.
“Many fighters have had tough fights where they’ve been on the brink of losing and found a way, I haven’t seen that with Tyson.
“I find it hard to say someone is in the top five of all time if they have never had a fight which they was losing to come back to win.
“You can’t be an on-top fighter and win all the fights you’ve won, and never really suffer punishment and pain and come back to win.”
