Lennox Lewis versus Mike Tyson

Sorry I thought you were referring to a Lewis - Spinks fight. I thought I'd fallen asleep for a couple of years!

My bad

 

Very, very good post! :good

You've got me wavering and I'm not one to change my opinions too easy, but one last stab at supporting Mike on this one though...

I agree Tyson did not lose power, I think he lost more than a 'sliver' of speed and also alot of the intensity and pressure he used to apply (whether this was down to physical or mental reasons doesnt really matter for my point). But I dont think Tyson carried physical power in the same way someone like Foreman did, it was his ability to throw brutal short combos, rapid bursts of powerful shots (rather than single bombs) which gave him the edge and post-prison Tyson had lost some of that ability. Did he still have some - sure - look at the Bruno fight and I dont think Tyson was 'shot' by the time he faced Holyfield by any stretch but he certainly wasnt the same fighter from the 80's.

As for Holyfield's strengths which you mention - I cant disagree. Nor can I disagree that Tyson's main weakness was in his head, but when I run this fight over I keep seeing a prime Tyson throwing those combo's against a brave Holyfield who cant answer them.

Close fight, but for me not as close as Lewis v Tyson. Although you nearly had me! Have to agree to disagree on this one I think.

 

Both in their primes one would have to take into consideration that both are still undeafeted. The psychological aspect affects Lewis more than Tyson here. Tyson is still regarded (and is somewhat) the unstoppable force in the division and Mike and his team stills believes that he is unbeatable. At this point Tyson still uses a lot of head movement and angles, which were obviously not the same in the 2002 version and he trains diligently for Lennox. In the actual fight Lewis pumps out the jab, right hand and uppercut and ties Tyson up when he gets inside (which would be often). At the end of the day I think that the fight would go the distance but with a lot of tying up by Lewis. With Mike pressuring and moving forward and Lennox tying up and landing some occasional uppercuts and right hands IMO it goes to SD for Tyson.

 

Lewis is the best of the "Big" heavy weights and Tyson is the best H2H of the "Small" or normal sized Heavy weights. (I think he beats the likes of Louis, Marciano, Dempsy, etc,etc and posibily Ali).
I beleve the the size alone is not an advantage but the abillity to use size is one of the bigest advantages in boxing.
Lewis would do his best to stay away from Tyson Using his jab every so often throwing his right hand behind it, and clenching when Tyson got in too close. This style was efective for Holmes for 3 and a half rounds and was the style Douglas used to defeet Tyson. If Lewis can do this for 12 rounds he could win a clear decision victory.
The Holmes/Douglas method is not fool-proof. Tyson stoped Holmes in th fourth round and knocked Douglas down in the eighth round before being stoped in the 10th.
I think rounds 1-4 will go to Lewis who will be effective with the Holmes/Douglas Method. From round 5-10 will be Tyson's best chance to get to Lewis. He will have a chance in rounds 1-4 but may find Lewis easier to get to mid fight. If Lewis is still standing in the 11th I think he stays away in the last two rounds, in a close fight this will cost him but if he has a lead it won't matter. I have two picks Lewis 7 rounds Tyson 5 rounds or Tyson by mid round stopage.

 

lewis beat the worst version of tyson ever to show up in a ring (and that includes the mcbride version). take lewis from the mid to late 90's and put him in versus tyson of the mid to late 80's and tyson wins. tyson of that time period closed distances very well was quicker and was a more skilled boxer than prime lewis (faster combos, punches from all angles). what did prime lewis do better than prime tyson? an edge in the jab department?

don't give me that tyson was a bully who would lose to every decent guy who stood up to him? a less multi demensional tyson simply lost to a juiced up holy and became somewhat weak minded in some later bouts. he didn't have those problems in his first run. plenty of decent heavies tried to fight back: old holmes, berbick, tucker, tillis (spotty record but he was solid but inconsistent) to name a few off the top of the head. Granted that Lewis is on a higher level than these guys, but Tyson too showed he was on a way higher level.

take prime lewis and put him in with tyson after 89 to about 1997 or so and Lewis gets the edge the later it gets because tyson lost a lot of his varied arsenal and his will to win.

 

Same result would have happened no matter when they would have fought, LL was to tall 6-5-5-10,, to strong, to big, and too disciplined, if they would have fought in 92, 95, 98, or 2000, Lewis would have still taxed his ass..

 

Excellent post.

As a hardcore Tyson fan, I must admit to saying there was just something in Holyfield Tyson didn't like. I don't know what is was exactly, but it was there. Perhaps it is exactly as you outlined above.
I think Tyson saw in Holy a guy who he knew absolutely, positively would not back down at all. Ever. You had to go through fire to beat him.
So many times Holyfield came roaring back from the brink of destruction to fight on, a rare quality. He was one of those guys who one just could never rule out for a win. How many times did Bowe have him all but down, only for Holyfield to come right back and fight on even terms? Bert Cooper had Evander dead and buried and still lost.
I think Evander as you say, was Tyson Kryptonite. They say there is always someone you cannot beat and for Tyson Holyfield was probably that man.

As to the thread itself...I didn't vote as bias would make me vote for Tyson. It would be a hard, tough fight. I don't see an early KO for either man.
Lewis had a great blend of size, intelligence and power - always a formidable combination. I think the fight hinges on how Lewis decides to fight, and how well he can cope with Tyson's combinations and explosiveness.

One thing that needs to be said is that Tyson would have Rooney in his corner and in an ideal world, Jimmy Jacobs will still be alive and well. When Jacobs died and Rooney left things started to go all wrong for Mike. As they say, behind every great fighter there is a great trainer. Obviously Rooney wasn't a great trainer, but he and Tyson had a certain magic together.

 

Once again, good points.

Would someone like Rocky Marciano have been great without Charley Goldman in his corner? Probably not.
Some like an Ali or Louis may have been great regardless, but most needed the right man in the corner.

 

Prime Tyson KOs Lewis [prime]