BEST JAB Buster Douglas: Lennox Lewis had a good jab but I’d have to say Tyson and Buster Douglas. Tyson was shorter but he had a real quick jab, his hands were fast, and Douglas had a fast jab but it was strong and stiff. I’d go with Buster Douglas – he had a good snappy jab. BEST DEFENSE Jimmy Young: He was slippery man (laughs). He could get out of the way of punches; he was real slick. BEST HANDSPEED Mike Tyson: Buster was pretty quick. Tyson had real quick hands. BEST FOOTWORK Lennox Lewis: He was light on his feet; he could move, different angles and I had a hard time catching up with him. SMARTEST Lewis: He was very smart. He didn’t fall for a lot of the tricks I was trying to set him up with. I guess he knew them too (laughs.) STRONGEST Tyson: Orlin Norris and Tyson. They were shorter guys, they’d plant their feet and wouldn’t move. I’d say Mike, he was very strong. BEST CHIN Tyson: I hit him with a good left uppercut that he stood up to. Lennox Lewis took some good shots. BEST PUNCHER Lewis: Oliver [McCall] was a helluva puncher and Lennox was a helluva puncher. Lennox dropped me twice, so I’d have to say him. BEST BOXING SKILLS Douglas: Tyson, Douglas and Lennox had good skills. Douglas was very sound technically; you saw how he fought Tyson. We fought before him and Tyson and he saw how I did and followed [the game plan]. BEST OVERALL Lewis: Douglas, Tyson and Lennox. They were the best fights I had; they were title fights. Tyson was short, strong, real quick and he could take a punch. Douglas was as tall as me, good strong jab, good defense. Lennox came out from the amateurs, he was real strong, he had reach and it was a different kind of style. He could move good and he had a strong punch. I would say Lennox, he achieved so much, a very good fighter.
Very interesting take. The most surprising part was him complimenting Tyson for his jab. Tyson did have a good jab when he actually decided to use it. Such a shame he stopped doing that after he was no longer with Rooney.
Good and honest appraisal by him. Enjoyed that. Nice when they compliment the people that beat them. Usually they say the most powerful person is some guy they beat but took a few flush shots off.
Really good and fair list by Tucker. He was a good fighter. I do wonder if he could have achieved more. Looking at his resume, his best wins were over Douglas and McCall. How would he have matched up against Holyfield and Bowe on their way up? Or against Witherspoon, Mercer, Morrison, Dokes, Ruddock, Damiani etc. The late 80's and early 90's was an extremely deep era and i am not sure why Tucker didn't fight more top guys. I wonder if he had picked up a few wins against some of the mentioned names, he would be regarded a lot higher. Still respect to him for taking prime Tyson the distance.
Interesting comments on Douglas. His dad was a boxer so it makes sense he was so technically sound. If he showed up like he did against Tyson that night then who knows what he would have achieved.
In my opinion, very honest answers. Tucker was good, but inconsistent. He lost to Orlin Norris, despite what the scorecards say. Yet, he put up a good showing against a prime Tyson, and gave Lewis something to think about when they fought, too.
