Mike Tyson's career path had he not been convicted of sexual assault?

Regardless of his innocence or guilt had Don King not hired his tax lawyer to handle Mike's **** trial, Tyson might have avoided conviction and any jail time. So what happens from 1992 onward?

Does he fight Holyfield a few years earlier? A match-up with Riddick Bowe, perhaps a fight with George Foreman? Tommy Morrison?

 

Hard to say.

Tyson had already started to slip, but he was obviously better than the post prison version.

I will hazard a guess that it enhances his legacy, and he possibly briefly regains the lineal title at some point.

 

I’ve been thinking about this for years.

What would his resume have looked like?

The Evander fight was there wasn’t it.

Mike had pulled out of their scheduled late 1991 fight with an injury. So without the conviction, you’d have to believe that they’d have fought sometime in 1992/1993.

I don’t know how that would have played out, but we’d have had a rematch.

If Mike had been successful, you’d have to believe that the money men would have pursued fights with the likes of Bowe.

His resume could have looked very different.

Lewis wasn’t the fighter he’d eventually become back in the early 90’s.

I honestly think he could have beaten Lewis in the early 90’s.

Bowe too.

I just can’t call the Evander fight.

I think I’d have given the slight edge to Evander though.

 

Moorer arguably makes things interesting.

If Tyson is around when he holds the title, then Tyson is likely the biggest possible payday for Moorer.

That could be a soft way back to lineal status for Tyson.

 

Moorer was so deep in shark infested waters one serious defence was all he was getting.

 

All possible. With the exception of Bowe he and Mike where very good friends.

 

There’s lots of things which could have happened. But I think that a lot of it would have hinged on the outcome of the Evander fight/fights.

That fight would definitely have happened first if not for the conviction. Definitely. So that would have come before any potential fights against Bowe, Lennox or Moorer, as it would have been 1992.

If he’d have lost to Evander, it would been a rebuilding job.

If he’d have beaten Evander, the fights with Bowe etc, could have been there afterwards.

 

Unless he fought old man Foreman of course.

Theoretically at least.

 

Don’t you think they’d ever have fought?

Even if it was for huge money for undisputed etc?

I know that Bowe really looked up to him being from Brownsville.

 

I don't know. It's just Tyson's word I suppose. All he said was you don't put your hands on your friends and he'd never fight Bowe.

 

Yeah, But I said one serious defence.

 

Really hard to say.

 

Mike Tyson would not have gone anywhere near Foreman and the Bowe that beat Evander would have been a handful for Mike at that time. Tyson would have killed Morrison.

 

I think he loses to Holyfield in 1992 in their rescheduled fight but it’s more of a back and forth classic compared to their actual eventual meeting. I can even see Holyfield climbing off the floor to stop an exhausted Tyson late on.

Would Holyfield then go on to lose a controversial split decision to Michael Moorer as Tyson’s conquerer? I’m not sure, but if he did I can see Don King manipulating a big Moorer v Tyson match and Holyfield having to beat Mike again, possibly leading to a trilogy.

 

All roads lead to Holyfield for Tyson back then. Unless the Holy fight keeps getting put off until EH loses to Bowe, and Tyson meets Big Daddy instead.