For arguments sake we can talk about the Lennox that beat Tyson and a Prime Lewis [which that arguably wasnt. If we have to factor Tysons age then lets factor in Lewis`s age at 36 and one year older than Tyson]. Tyson did not do much more against Tony Tucker a fighter the exact size and style as Lewis back in the 80`s to become Undisputed champion. Yes Tyson had more speed and fluidity back then but Tyson struggled in terms of facing a tall Tucker who could catch him with an uppercut and was getting nullified in clinches. Lewis is a superior fighter to Tucker and in fact they fought in 93 where lewis knocked him down twice for a 12rd decision win. Would Tyson really have been more effective against the Lewis the 35yr old Tyson faced Lewis or a prime Lewis? Lets compare the 2 fights, This content is protected
https://www.boxingforum24.com/threa...son-in-hes-prime.615673/page-11#post-19448876 Lewis was as easy to hit as AJ, Lewis was also easier to hit with the jab than Tyson was.
Lewis weathers the early storm fairly easily after that it's a case of one good right hand from Lewis and Tyson would start to crumble mentally and as for the inevitable comments about Lewis' chin the fact of the matter is he only got stopped by fighters who he had underestimated, he would be fully prepared both physically and mentally for a prime Mike Tyson.
Lewis has to fight cautious vs a prime mike as even against an old mike he was not that agressive. Steward had to yell at him telling him "this man is not that dangerous" 12 round decision. Either way. Probably depending on who can outjab who. Lots of clinching. Probably not that great of a fight.
Wrong evaluation. Lewis has a better right hand, and a better left hook and fought better offensive than Tucker, especially when needed too. Tucker often was too cautious imho. But Tucker is superior to Lewis in durability and chin, as well as on his feet. Extremely good mobile moving fighter for a man that size, lateral as well as on the back foot. Lewis movement got better in his 30s, but never reached the level of a Tony Tucker. Of course Tucker was 15-20lb lighter than Lewis, didn´t have too carry that on his feet. Watching the Lewis - Tyson fight, I was surprised how long Tyson managed to stay in the fight. Of course it´s a question of how good Lewis still was at 36, but someone can easily imagine a young Tyson going the distance with Lewis. So the more relevant question is, will Lewis stay in the fight when beeing hurt? I think he gets mocked too much about his chin because of two times beeing cought by good right hands. Lets say his chin was that bad, Tyson is the favourite. Otherwise, its very even.
The quicker Tyson attacks the quicker he gets ko'd by Lewis uppercuts in the manner the first round started.
Not a good comparison, since Tyson started his professional career 4 years before Lennox started his. Also, Tyson already had over 40 fights by the time he was 25 and afterwards went through a 4 year layoff while in prison. Lennox on the other hand barely had 13 fights when he was 25. Lewis didn't have over 40 fights until he was 36 years old, so in a way despite both Tyson and Lewis being close in age you could say Tyson preceded Lennox by a generation as a pro boxer.
This. I remember Steward losing it, since Lewis was letting a shot Tyson be competitive. He pretty much demanded Lewis that turn it up and dispose of Tyson and Lennox did, which was a sign of how good a coach Steward was.
I posted it other places to prove Tyson would have caught AJ the same way Povetkin did, you could clearly see they are the same combo`s here, and I feel a prime Tyson could have hit Lewis with the same shots because he is a similar size and style to AJ except his guard wasn`t as high and he clinched more, plus the vid shows the gap between a prime Tyson and the bigger heavies that came later, the guy was something special.