Prime Mike Tyson vs prime Lennox Lewis ?

Great fight between two great champions.


I have to think about this one

 

I thought about it.

Lewis via late Ko. Will systemtiatically break down Tyson.

Won't be pretty.

 

About 7 or 8 times out of 10, I'd say Lewis. If he can withstand the early barrage and not get hit flush early I think Lewis probably wins via UD or late (T)KO

 

lewis would take this. they use to be friends and spar together when both were amateurs. lewis trainer would take him down to new york and spar and train with tyson and d'mato. d'mato even saw in the future that those two would fight for the title one day. it was said that in the first few sparring sessions tyson would beat lewis to a pulp and completely dominated him and lewis' trainer would ask lewis if he wanted to stop the sessions and lewis said no he would figure him out. and in the next sparring sessions lewis figured him out and kept him on the outside with his jab and tyson was the one that was bloody.

 

Different times. People get better. You can't always use what they were like when they were young/inexperienced compared to what they were as Pros.

Tyson didn't look as good as an amateur as he did as a Pro. And even as a Pro, if you watch his first fight until he won the title, the progression from a technical stand-point is incredible. And from Berbick to Spinks, you could even see an improvement in confidence and relaxation in his fights. Some say being a Champion does that.


Look at what happens to Amateurs who fight and beat certain guys and then go on to get lose/destroyed when they are Pros.

I read Tyson was kept down in the HW division in the amateurs because of Biggs was a Super-HW (and may have not been quite ready)...but when they met as Pros, who won?

The height/reach difference alone was going to take a lot more time for someone like Tyson to learn, get experience, and perfect than someone like Lewis who has those advantages. When you look at them as younger teens, amateurs, they are more likely to go off raw talent than perfected technical talent. "Timing" for example, takes a lot of time to perfect. Just look at how Tyson learned how to "time" punches as a pro. How he was able to land solid/hard well placed Jabs on taller men as a pro...like Green and Tucker.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yQb5nx5-w8[/ame]




Tyson lost to Henry Tillman as an amateur (although some debate these fights) yet he destroyed him as a Pro.

What the sparring sessions can help tell you is the mentality of the two (at least at one time)...but even that can be guided in a new direction based on training which increases confidence and even heart.

So...not always quite a good example although is I admit is still good to use. Holyfield was the same way with Tyson. He was confident he could beat Tyson off of this sparring session.

By the way, the interview where Tyson talks about the sparring session is probably still on youtube. Been a while but I think Tyson said he knocked Lewis out of the ring and when Lewis got back in, Lewis looked like he want to kill him.

I think it would be a good fight. Tough fight. One of the fights that throws a wrench in favoring Lewis is his fight with Mercer.


What I like about Lewis, if I'm not going to make this any longer, is that he could actually "FIGHT." When pressed, he could stand his ground and tough it out. And even tough I wouldn't say he was like Bowe on the inside, that Uppercut on the inside...****.

 

Don't know who would win, but Lewis would definately have more ways of winning. Lewis could fight (Golota, Ruddock, Vitali) or he could box (Tua).

So the changes of Tyson winning a decision are fairly low.

So Tyson needs a knock out, and he needs it in the first 3 rounds.

The only question is can he get it.

Personally I don't think he could because Lewis/Manny would be looking for that to happen and would plan accordingly. Like when they actually fought, Lewis would try Tyson up, frustrate him, and even manhandle him. Tyson would likely get more frustrated being manhandled, something he's not use to, against Lewis then he was against Holyfield.

So the longer the fight goes, the more it favours Lewis.

 

If they fight 10 times, there would at least be 2 or 3 Tyson knockouts... I would take Lewis in the majority though.

 

Cus was over rated as ****,

Manny Steward have trained the last two super champion of boxing's elite premier division. What the **** have Cus ever do?
Create Tyson's 20 day 'prime'?

Build a house and fill it with young males?

 

Tyson at his best would knock Lennox out cold, I'd bet my life on it.

 

He produced three world champions, two of them ATG.

 

I go with Mike. Lewis's chin has more question marks and he's generally overrated on this forum. As evidence, I contrast the lacklustre prime Lewis display against the flat footed Bruno in 93 verses the by then sub prime Mike in the second outing against the same fighter in 95. He got rid of Bruno 4 rounds quicker and was SUB PRIME. I can only assume the 1988 PRIME version of Tyson that took out Holmes would detonate on Lewis's chin. Tyson TKO6. :yep

 

Tyson by KO. Too fast, strong, and tough. Tyson's
jab was effective and his chin would be able to handle
as many shots from Lewis as neccessary. Mikes
Defense was too tght in the 80s. Lewis ain't
Surviving a left hook from hell.

 

Lewis at his very best would have treated Tyson as the biggest threat of his life. He woulda kept the 5'10 baby Mike behind that lethal God Jab all night. Round after round Tyson would be eating that Lewis jab, each time he get in close, Lennox would have used that gigantic 6'5-6'6 245-249 frame to crush Mike's 5'10 215 Pound body. Lewis also punches harder then Mike.
Mike Tyson is a great fighter, top 5 H2H, but Lewis was just a half tier above.
There's no shame at all in not being able to beat Lennox prime for prime. No shame at all.

Mike Tyson will always be remembered as a great champion man, he tried his best against Lewis in 2002, I cried when I saw that post fight interview and how Mike said 'Thank you for the pay day Lennox, thank you I needed the money'

I will always remember the Mike of the 80's and not the Mike that thanked Lennox for the beat down because he was in deep money trouble.

 

Sure, because Prime Tyson's head movement was non existent right?

Lewis was all over the place in round one of the Tyson fight, he looked confused and disorganised as the shell of Tyson went through the motions.

From round two onwards Tyson stopped trying, and still soaked up endless jabs and right hands right up to round eight. That was the ghost of Mike Tyson.

Based on these facts combined with Lewis' marshmallow chin, it is obvious that prime Tyson would knock Lewis out cold.

 

its a pick'em fight, a case can be made for both men; im going with Tyson

as you can see from their actual fight, tyson can take many power shots from lewis before going down, a prime tyson would never of been hit with a fraction of the punches he was hit with in their fight. this, in my opinion is why i dont think tyson will be a KO victim.

lewis had no inside game, and mike was a expert inside and getting inside, and lewis, as you can see the problems mercer gave lewis when he opened up.

his chin, is not bad, but one clean punch from a average heavyweight on the button can KO lewis, and tyson had more than average power and had good timing and accuracy.

the only way lewis can win this in my opinion is if he jabs and grabs all night long.

in retrospect, you could say, tyson stuggled with every decent boxer who had skills like tillis etc and lewis would out box and/or stop tyson late, but i believe out of the two cases, tyson's is the stronger and more likley

Tyson TKO