If Mike Tyson fought Lennox Lewis in 1991 ?

The sparring debate really doesn't count for anything. In 1991 Tyson was a battle-tested former heavyweight champion with lots of experience at the highest level.

Lewis was a budding prospect who had just beaten Mason for the British title. There was a considerable gap in experience between them at this stage.

 

Well, Tyson said it also.



No sparring footage exists as far as i know.

 

The accounts are conflicting.

 

Not really, Tyson himself admitted that Lewis fugeured him out and got the better of him after the first days. I think it was in the Lewis beyond the glory episode. Not too sure though.

 

Yep, they got better but Tyson never changed his style and Lewis knew how to beat him, so he has an advantage there.
Also in the first round of their fight Tyson managed to turn back the clock and you saw the uppercuts Lewis landed, right?

 

How exactly did Lewis figure him out?All I have heard is the standard vague story of how Tyson jumped on him in their first round and of Lewis later managing to hold his hold.
Also,since you brought it up what relevance do you think sparring sessions as young amateurs have bearings on how they would have done in the pros? We know all about and have footage of Henry Tillman beating Tyson twice in the Olympic trials.
Unless,Tyson was humiliated and had the absolute **** beaten out of him,I don't really see what bearing this has on their pro match ups.

 

Read what I wrote. That´s what I saw Lewis and Tyson talking about in, I think the Lewis beyond the glory - I think they also mentioned it in the Tyson one.
It has relevance. Tillman never was a great pro but Lewis was and he knew how Tyson fought and how it is when you are in the ring with him. That´s quite an advantage - also we know Tyson´s mentallity so from that Lewis might have a psychological advantage from that session also.

 

Before the downfall of Mike when he was riding high...the outcome could have possibly been different...Tyson could have fit into McCalls place with the same result but the best Leenox was after that loss and the Rahman loss....Lennox had to be in top form or the crack in his armor would show...Tyson fell apart before Douglas....but was never really the same...Lewis came back well from his devasting losses

 

You are not going into any particular specifics and reading too much into this episode.So I'll respectfully discount what you just typed.


I 'm trying to say that it is,with the benefit of hindsight ,this minor incident in Mike Tyson's career might have achieved its prominence.
It's as if you are introduced to a stranger at a party.You exchange some pleasantries and make your goodbyes.Years later you meet up with the same individual,hit it off and become long-term partners.The earlier short meeting can acquire a deeper significance all out of proportion to its true importance.

 

Translated: "I don´t like what you wrote so I discount it."

 

Yeah,I discount it. Whether you or I like it or not is another matter altogether.
I can't see the connection myself.I guess I have a failure of imagination here.

It's not like I didn't know what was going to happen when Lewis met Tyson.

"As George Foreman famously predicted after Tyson's loss to James Buster Douglas he's like "Humpty-Dumpty" and will "never be put back together again." Mike Tyson is a disturbed individual. His once great skills and reflexes have been eroded by age and years of incarceration. What quality opponent has he defeated in the last ten years? I believe Lewis would wipe the floor with him.
Arka De, United Kingdom Friday, 4 February, 2000,"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/624331.stm

 

Late 80s Tyson could maybe beat Lewis, but any version of post-Douglas Tyson would lose to a good Lewis, IMO.

 

tyson ko 1

 

Iron Mike was probably the closest we'll get to complete heavyweight, given his power, speed and vast training/experience. He would have cut off the ring,laughed-off Lummox Lewis's pitiable counters; every time the Lummox bent over and backed straight up Mike would stand him right up with that devastating left to the body/left hook to the head and you would have had a similar scene to when Pinklon Thomas hung around too long, getting his pompous Brittish a__ kicked. Heavyweights as pretty and unwilling to really fight as Lummox Lewis generally don't stay around long.......Hmm........I wonder who arranged all of that?????????

 

According to Lennox