How could Tyson's post exile comeback have been as successful as Ali's?

He'd have to avoid Lewis and Holyfield theres a reason Tyson didn't fancy fighting Lewis in 1996 and instead chose what he thought was a washed up version of Holyfield.

But apart from the big 2 Tyson should be a favourite against mostly anyone else, I'm not sure why his team never tried to make the Moorer fight. Tyson could've picked up another belt and that's a very winnable fight for him.

 

Retiring after fighting Bruno. Maybe winning the 1st Holyfield fight.

But I'm going back to the point I made in the "what if Frazier retired after the FOTC" thread. Tysons career is already very short as it is not in term of time but in terms of fights. Cutting off an era where he took losses is very much a double edged sword here.

 

the fight with Moorer was contracted for April 15, 1997, even before the fight with Holy. It was just not expected that he wouldn't win x holy.

 

Tyson simply lacked the versatility & resilience to replicate what Ali did during his "2nd career" - though TBF, there's probably only a handful of fighters throughout history that could claim otherwise. Ali's 2nd career probably did more to solidify his legacy as one of the absolute best ever than his initial run did.

 

88 Tyson has at least a 50% chance of blowing out any version of Holyfield or Lewis in the first round, that's just what Tyson was, considering how concerned Steward was about Lewis getting caught by the version of Tyson from that fight, 88 Tyson would certainly get it done

 

Tyson would have to have the same attitude he had when he was younger. Being a short, pressure fighter, boxing and fighting would have to be the center of his life for him to be successful. MT said after prison that he did not want to box and that was obvious from his conditioning/training to his in ring performance. Physically he was fine (even at 58 he is still quick for short bursts), in his late 20s, he could have been as good or better than ever if he had the desire. A short, pressure fighter without the desire to get into condition is not going to be the same as he was when he was a short, pressure fighter who was in great condition and whose main goal in life was to be the best boxer.

 

The short answer is it couldn't.

 

Exactly right, Mike lacked the character and mental discipline to make an impact like Ali did in the second half of his career.

 

I’m not sure what Mike could have done much differently.

For one, Ali was just a greater fighter to begin with. Tyson was in prison for 3 years and not able to properly train in boxing. He could stay in shape but I don’t think Indiana had a boxing program like some other prisons did. Hard to keep sharp and with the timing and all.

Unlike the taller and rangier Ali, Tyson was also a 5’10 HW with a 71’ reach, not exactly a style suited for longevity. This is what Manny Steward said in a 91’ SI Article

https://www.boxingforum24.com/threa...e-tyson-thoughts-of-tyson-at-the-time.247582/

Furthermore, he would have had to deal with Lewis and Holyfield. Holyfield had his number, and I wouldn’t favor Tyson over Lewis when Lewis was the mandatory in 96’. Maybe Tyson would pull it off, but I think Lennox would win.

Maybe the best chance for Mike to be on top of the sport if it Moorer got past Foreman in November 94’. Moorer gets past WBA mandatory Tony Tucker, I don’t know whom the IBF mandatory was. I know it was Alex Schultz after the Foreman fight.

Moorer wins those 2 fights in 95’ and then faces Tyson in 96’. Tyson would be the linear/recognized champ, but would still eventually have to deal with LL & EH

 

Possibly. Its not out of the question that Lewis wins. However, Tyson's body punching was extremely good and consistent when he was young. And he could keep it up for round after round. I wonder how Lewis would deal with repeated body punches. He might drop his hands, leaving him open upstairs. I would not count a LL win but i think its a lot harder to wear out young Tyson. For one, he would move a lot more on his feet and it would be harder to get a hold of him without leaving yourself open.

 

In hindsight, Bowe should been next after Bruno. If he beats Bowe clearly before Golota gets to him he'd be seen as back to his best. Then avoid Holy and Lewis and instead take on Seldon, Moorer, Akinwande, Golota etc and then retire.

There would be the question of why never faced Lewis and how it would have gone, but that could be answered with that he beat the best of that generation, Bowe, and that he'd KO Lewis, like far lesser fighters did.

Holy would probably never have entered into the conversation.

 

It's an open affair for sure. We'll have to agree to disagree on who would be favored but it's a great match. The Lewis power would be the difference for me and once he stunned him like a few others did he wouldn't be wasting any time.

 

In no world does Tyson have "at least a 50% chance of blowing out any version of Holyfield or Lewis in the first round".

Jesus H Keyrist.

 

I think the posters name is a bit of a giveaway about their objectivity in regards to MT.

 

I reckon you might be right Griffo hahaha