Prime Oleksander Usyk vs Prime Mike Tyson?

There's not many I pick against Tyson of then, same applies here.
Tyson would never give him a chance to settle.

 

I'm not sure if Tyson would beat Usyk easily, Usyk certainly wouldn't crap his pants like Spinks and get knocked out in the first round...

 

At the time of the Olympic Trials that Mike Tyson fought in the Olympics were a very big deal and the exposure Tyson would have received would have been enormous.
Tyson wreaked anyone put in front of him and not only wreaked them but literally destroyed them beyond any doubt.
There is not a single heavyweight today that would be a match for Tyson and that is just a fact.
Tyson in his prime was way faster then Usyk and it is not even close. Pair that with 1 punch power and it is simply a mismatch.
Lets not forget that Usyk got dropped by a body shot by Dubois.
Larry Holmes went the distance with Holyfield in a very competitive fight. Went the distance with MCcall in a competitive fight. Beat Ray Mercer.
Holmes did all of this YEARS after getting steam rolled by Tyson.

 

You are so right. Something tells me that Tysons in-prime style could cause problems for Usyk. Foreman would be no match for Usyk.

 

Why?

 

Foreman would stop Usyk and much easier then you think.

 

Because now he is this all-time great heavyweight based on basically 2 opponents. One against a pretty good boxer in Joshua and against Fury whose claim to fame is he outpointed an ancient heavyweight champion and then bested one of the most unskilled heavyweights to hold a world title.

 

Easy work for prime Tyson and Foreman

I just don't think Usyk would be able to handle the amount of adaptation required to be competitive against those two beasts, he hasn't ever been in the ring with anyone near their level, he's a very far cry from Ali and can't bang like Lyle, he could try to run from Foreman but Foreman cutting the ring is a matter of when not if and then Foreman is going to land body shots, with prime Tyson there is a decent chance of a first round KO

 

I’d favor Tyson but with the caveat that Usyk would have been the best opponent that Mike faced from 1985 to 1991

 

As I recall Tyson lost to Henry Tillman. Two times I believe. This prevented Tyson making it to the Olympics. But there was enough investment in Mike for this not to matter anyway. The Catskills team employed the best matchmakers, promoters and sparring partners to launch Mike, who was still unknown, as a very privileged professional project becoming one of the first heavyweights to get his entire career recorded and televised internationally.

so not winning the Olympics had not held him back at all.

 

I would actually put a significant amount of money on Tyson 87-91

I think some are starting to get a bit silly now. Why can't we can't just appreciate what happened?

 

Again did you see those fights? Because Tyson should have been declared the winner end of story.
Back then an Olympic medal especially a gold medal meant EXPOSURE to millions of people around the entire world. At 0 cost to the boxer or his promotional team.
And believe it or not but in 1984 everybody was watching the Olympics.
Mike Tyson received FIVE HUNDRED dollars for his pro debut. At that time the rate was a $100 dollars per round for pro boxers starting off.
Ray Leonard in 1977 received FORTY THOUSAND dollars for his pro debut. And that Olympic gold medal had a massive impact on that.
Mike Tyson CRUSHED the competition to the point people started tuning in to see if a pro boxer could even last ONE round with Tyson.
Don't care who your match maker is you have to deliver as a pro boxer to capture the publics attention and Tyson did that and some more- he was knocking out pro boxers with one shot and knocking them out cold.
In 61 pro bouts Berbick has been stopped only twice and Tyson was one of those boxers that did it and UNDER three rounds. Say what you want but Berbick was extremely durable with a soild chin.
Pinklon Thomas had a soild chin and had faced pretty big punchers prior to Tyson and had never been stopped until Tyson massacred him in 6 rounds.
All this Tyson had this special treatment is a garbage excuse- he captured the imagination of the public by absolutely devastating his opponents in a brutal manner. That is why people took notice of him.

 

Well Spinks certainly set the bar low there...
I think Tyson beats Usyk, but I agree Usyk will give him a serious fight and will go down on his shield. He is not going to be intimidated by Mike's cheap bully tactics.

 

Yeah - Fans tend to go from being a bit chipper to getting really carried away while the object of their adulation is being bathed in victorious glory.

Interestingly, there's been no response from @Niels Probst to the simple question of Why [Foreman would be no match for Usyk]?

 

I agree... a bit. I think Usyk might be more consistent than some opponents but I'd pick more than a few to beat Usyk on paper.

Usyk is 4-0 in world title fights so let's give him some time on that porcelain throne. He's only had 6 fights at heavyweight against guys who weren't that mobile. Fury might be the only heavyweight he fought with elusive skills, a trait that was abundant on the 80's and 90's heavyweight scene.

Fury befuddled Usyk for 5 sweeping rounds and, in my opinion, let him off the hook in Round 6(?) without a proper follow up. Kudos to Usyk for turning the fight around and stamping out a win.