Could Prime Wlad beat Prime Mike Tyson with his clinching tactics?

You do know Bonecrusher Smith lost right?

Sure Wlad's clinching may very well see him frustrate Tyson and take away much of his offense but you don't win fights by just clinching to survive like Smith did. You actually have to try and win as well and where Wlad may come undone against Tyson is his inability to counter.

Wlad's jab and grab style relies on getting off first, if he can catch Tyson coming in then he can clinch and prevent any Tyson counter and he can wins rounds this way to get a decision. Problem is Tyson in his prime was very adept at slipping the jab, Bruno's, Holmes', Tucker's, Thomas's all fine or even great jabs all slipped with ease by Tyson. If Tyson can get in range and get off first with his speed and head movement then Wlad will be left with nothing but the clinch and no way to win rounds because he can't counter.

Even if Wlad can keep Tyson on the end of his jab like no other fighter ever did then he still has the risk of getting KO'ed. One good punch maybe all he needs to stop Wlad. Holyfield clinched a lot as a part of his strategy to beat Tyson but even he couldn't avoid taking the odd bomb from Tyson even with his clinching tactics. Can Wlad really go 12 rounds with a guy who will very likely get inside a lot, will likely have a referee favouring Tyson as Tyson is the bigger draw and will be on King's payroll rather than K2's and who is faster than anyone Wlad as ever fought including Sanders.

I don't think it's a great style match up for Wlad, Tyson has a lot of skills and attributes that pose problems for his style. If Tyson wasn't so quick or if he wasn't so good at slipping the jab, or if Wlad had anything resembling a decent uppercut to keep Tyson from coming in then I'd give Wlad a better chance. Unless Wlad has a very accommodating referee like in the Povetkin fight I can't see him lasting the full 12 rounds with peak Tyson.

 

I agree but people are negating Wlads advantages as well.

Size, strength, power and his own speed for such a big guy. Tyson never beat a very good big guy impressively and yes Smith did lose but he totally nullified Tyson at times with just the clinch alone.

Tyson isn't a good inside fighter like a Holyfield or even a Bowe, I don't disagree that Tyson wouldn't win but I favour Wlads to nullify and then stop Tyson late, but if Tyson was to win it wouldn't surprise me.

 

Mordechai has a point, unlike you with your clown faces.

Biggs / Tyson, round 1.

Biggs shoeshined Tyson with his jab and Tyson had a hard time getting in to deliver his bombs. Those that he did deliver, were fairly harmless. Biggs tied him up just fine, inside. Wlad has a much harder jab than Biggs, and he's an additional 20lb larger, and better conditioned. Tyson was only 215 lb back then, lest we forget. Biggs is also a less correct boxer than Wlad, with the way he keeps his gloves down ... simply asking to get clobbered.

It's clear that Tyson doesn't enjoy Biggs' jab.

Now, I don't know whether one could rely on only a jab to win against Tyson - in fact, almost surely not - but that's only one of an arsenal of punches Wlad has at his disposal.

Not an "easy" fight for Tyson by any means.

 

Tyson doesn't fight in the clinch, he never has. Look at his fights he resets and starts again that's how Holyfield was able to slap him around so easily.

 

He did in the 80's and was good at it. 80's and 90's Tyson were two different fighters.

Smith was driven up against the ropes and pinned there for large parts of the fight. When Tyson gets Wlad against the ropes its all over.

 

Agree with this. Frans Botha tied him up in the clinch and frustrated him to such an extent that he lost his cool and tried to break Botha's arm.

The question is whether or not Tyson manages to get off before the clinch or not. I think he could but then he's got to land big early in the fight, or Wlad will tire him out, that's what he does.

 

tyson walks straight through wlad, ending it faster than you can say corrie sanders.

 

Whats the difference between Biggs and Wlad? Biggs moved more in that round than Wlad moves in 6 rounds.

It was Biggs running all around the ring that saved him from an early knockout loss, not a jab. Mike eventually broke him down and destroyed him.
Wlad doesn't move around the ring and can't box going back wards. He'd put 100% of his efforts into panic clinch mode. He simply wouldn't know what to do.

 

Is this 2000 washed up Mike Tyson vs prime WK? The worst Tyson vs the best Wlad?

Is that the best argument you can come up with?

 

100%.

Also Tyson run in the late 80's was rather poor in terms of quality of opposition and there wasn't anyone around with the size and athleticism that Wlad has to gauge how a fight would go.

When he came back after prison he was only in his late 20's and his record up to retirement was that of a journeyman
9-5-0-2. And this was in a much better era.

 

He was only 33/34.

 

kinda explains why he thinks wlad beats ali, louis and marciano.

thats Parkinsons ali, penniless drunk joe and post plane crash marciano

 

The 80's Tyson was allowed to be the 80's Tyson because his opposition where all 6'2 and 224lbs.

Different in the late 90's for a reason, Tyson was still young then no excuses.

 

to be fair, tyson out of prison was a different being. he was going through the motions.

 

Look, I agree with this. Post prison Tyson was diminished. Physically he was there - maybe even stronger - but the little things like the bob and weave that made him great, he wasn't doing anymore. He was less explosive, and more of a headhunter. Frans Botha was beating him fair and square till the KO.