Mike Tyson vs Jack Johnson

Hopefully one WOULDN’T take a LAXATIVE before falling asleep !!

 

‘And you wouldn’t have to take a laxative before fighting Mike Tyson because you’d automatically **** yourself.’ - “Jack Johnson” (verbatim quote… that I just made up)

 

Oldheads need to let go and lose the nostalgia goggles

 

I think more of Johnson than most people here do. I’m on record as saying on his best given night Mike Tyson could beat any heavyweight fighter ever born of a woman. I think a motivated, focused, in shape Johnson who went about his business and didn’t screw around (in the ring, not outside) could win the fight, given his defensive skills. I’m more confident that Tyson would get down to business than I am Johnson would. Best I can do for you.

 

Well this is the nostalgia venue here … just sayin’.

 

I don’t rate Johnson as highly head-to-head as most. He particularly never faced great combination punching. In the days of dozens of or even unlimited rounders, often in blazing heat, such a concept could not take root. Johnson never saw anything in his life like what Tyson could throw.

Now could he adapt, given time? Probably yes…but I’m talking time as in months, against lesser fighters, not in a single encounter off-hand. A Mike Tyson or a Joe Louis would be by absolute streets the best combination puncher Jack Johnson ever saw.

 

I'm confident Jack Johnson would knock Mike out. He'd take him into the late rounds and annihilate him. Don't forget that 15 rounds was nothing to Johnson. Mike never went that long. Johnson was a strong heavyweight. He could stand up to Tyson inside. He could tie him up, frustrate him. He could punch hard and handle adversity. And he had tremendous belief in himself. I've got Johnson in my all-time top 5 with Ali, Louis, Holmes and Lewis.

 

Tyson. Jack Johnson really wasn't a finisher and the best fighters he beat were mostly very small or old. Kaufman(the "nearly HW champion of the world") and Frank Moran were the best large opponents he beat besides old Jeffries. O Brien is a LHW and Ketchel and Burns are MWs, Langford is 5 ft 6. Johnson barely beat Langford very early in Langfords career then avoided the rematch like the plague for about 5 years. Lang and Fitzsimmons had power but they were more pure power punchers and Fitzsimmons was 45 years old.


To whatever extent Tyson is vulnerable in long distances I don't really doubt Tysons ability to put Johnson down and I heavily doubt Johnsons ability to take advantage of Tysons exhaustion if he were to survive an early Tyson onslaught. Tysons cardio limitations wouldn't be nearly as glaring in Johnsons era when hes fighting smaller less well conditoned people.

People give Johnson and others credit for fighting fights scheduled for 45 rounds. This is very misleading. Jack Johnson never went more than 26 rounds when he lost to Willard. I'm not sure any top HW ever went the distance in one of these 45 rounders. Johnson had 20 round decision wins mostly early in his career that was the furthest he ever went and won. 4 of Johnsons title fights were scheduled for 45 rounds to avoid going to decision that was a phantom distance that wasn't actually meant to be completed. And if it meant both guys would be exhausted and unable to take advantage of that distance. Many of his other title fights that actually went the distance were 6 and 10 rounders.

 

"I wouldn't need a sleeping tablet to **** myself if I had to fight Mike Tyson." - Greg Price

 

Jack Johnson was the #1 heavyweight in the world for a long time. He was dominant in a very important period. Tyson never beat the guys that Johnson did. Lots of commentators at the time had nothing but praise for him and they never said squat about Tyson. That tells you all you need to know. Johnson learned from the best boxers around and he had that old school grit. Tyson never fought Johnson. And that's all I have to say about Jack Johnson.

 

I was gonna go with a variation of this to point out a key aspect of the matchup but then instead went with ... whatever I went with