Mike Tyson states AJ may have beaten him in his prime!

Joshua doesn't seem to have the uppercut Lewis did, either...that uppercut had practically everything to do with Mike's being stopped (and probably would have been the fight ruining punch had Mike fought Holmes in his prime).

I'm not sure a more long range fighter like Joshua would be able to get the better of the exchanges on the inside. Other tall fighters (good ones, too) tried to keep him off with the straight right and it usually didn't work that well, so it's conceivable AJ would have been caught by the classic right to the body uppercut to the head that Tyson perfected.

The only thing that mars my envisioning the above is remembering that Lewis fight, where Mike really did look like just another short heavyweight with short arms. Completely frustrated.

That said, it could be argued that while both men were around the same age, Lewis actually became a greater fighter in his later years...in fact I don't even call LL a great fighter through most of the early to mid 90s. That most certainly became true later.

 

Well Povetkin landed plenty of left hooks on Joshua without too much of a problem.
Fair enough Povetkin’s a bit taller than Tyson, but prime Tyson had extremely quick hands, and with his good head and upper body movement then he could get in range to unload.
I’d fancy prime Tyson to beat Joshua and both Wlad and Vitali despite their physical advantages, to me it would come down to speed.

 

Honest question (to everyone, not just Mark): Why exactly should Mike Tyson be sure that he would have beaten Anthony Joshua?

 

Bump.

 

Mike is very kind (at times too much so) to the fighters he has and hasn't fought. It's one of the few things (besides fighting) I like about him.

If Joshua got knocked out by Ruiz....Mike is no joke in the kayo department, short arms and body or not.

 

Well it's simple really.
If Mike manages to punch him on the chin,then he beats him.

 

I'll say what Tyson won't say. Tyson mid 80's thru early 90's would've destroyed Joshua,Wilder , and Fury . Not only because he was a much better fighter and far better skilled, he would've been a stylistic nightmare for all 3.

 

Much as I hate Tyson, I can't see Joshua getting past him. He will get hit, and I'm not confident in his ability to recover.

 

Thats the core of what classic fans overlook:

Tyson under Rooney was very defensively focused.

You can absolutely see the difference in Tyson fighting James Smith and the rest of the 80s gang. What could lead to so much holding and grabbing? It was not only Smiths fault. Tyson did not open up the way he did against Biggs or Tubbs, especially Spinks.
You cannot run into a James Smith like a Michael Spinks, when you just saw what happened to Witherspoon inside a round. And in fact, Mike got cought one time in round 12!

Do you honestly think Tyson could fight AJ or Wilder the way he chupped down Biggs ? One little mistake and one or two very heavy hands would bomb its way.

Against AJ this might be alot of grabfest, but I think AJ is too robotic to deal with Tysons quickness.
Wilder is hard too, because of enormous power from distance and better moving than AJ. Best plan would be to fire when Mike´s close and the windmill can reach him there, like Ortiz used to manage. If the fight is carried to a distance Wilder doesn´t like, he can be brawled.

Fury vs Tyson would be brutal. Tyson does not have to fear alot power here. Furys head is real quick, so this would be a body pounding par excellence. I don´t see Fury falling that easy, so he has a chance of winning later rounds. Fury might win a decision, but I´m not sure.

All three of them bring more to the table than Mike fought in his prime, aside from a Tucker/Thomas whiskers.

 

Tyson had a better chin and although he generally finished people with combinations he had great one punch power, Spinks and Botha found that out.
If Tyson managed to get inside Joshua’s reach I don’t think it would take much for him to take him out.
Joshua hasn’t fought anyone like a prime Tyson.

 

Put it this way.

If Tyson ever truly believed this, then he has almost certainly changed his mind!