Lennox Lewis versus Mike Tyson

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Have to agree, the facts should not be ignored...

Lewis showed improvement under Steward, many fighters need the right people behind them to help them achieve their potential.

I do believe that Tyson would have remained a force for much longer with the right people behind him.

In the Prime H2H though I can still see Lewis winning the majority of the time, I think he had that belief that he would win whoever he was in against, so the pyschological edge that Tyson had would not have been there, he would have stayed behind the Jab for most of the fight, uppercut when Tyson comes in then tie him up, I think this would have frustrated Tyson, as much as I like Tyson as a fighter I believe he could become frustrated when facing someone with the right tatics.

Someone mentioned the Tyson-Spinks fight as an example of why Lewis would not win/or was overrated - If I remember rightly (and I am sure I will be corrected if I'm wrong ) Spinks looked like a 'rabbit caught in the headlights' when entering the ring, you could see in his face he did not believe he could win, even the commentators mentioned this.
Regardless of his ability/record coming into the fight - Spinks lost that fight before he even got into the ring - when you go into the fight just hoping to survive you will never cause your opponent problems - something I do not believe would have happened with Lewis.

As always - just my opionion.....

 

Prime Tyson crushes Lewis.

 

Tyson, aged 20-23 beats Lewis, absolutely no question about this in my mind.
He was simply much too quick and agile for Lewis.
Lewis in 2002, knew he was facing a shell of what was once "kid dynamite", and not only that, Tyson, more than anyone, knew it too.

Tyson didnt want to be there, and Lewis knew it was an easy nights work ahead of him, to rubber stamp his legacy.

That was where the fight was won, mentally before the first bell.

Tyson gave it a go for a round looking for massive ko punch, it didnt come, and he gave up.

Tyson knew he was only now trading off what a great fighter he once was, and wasnt a genuine threat to someone like Lewis, consistent and thorough in their preperations for many years.
Also, Tyson was now heavily into the colombian marching powder.

Now Tyson at 21-22 was the most feared heavyweight of all time, certainly since Liston, and believed he was the greatest of all time.
He'd have seen Lewis as little more than an obstacle that was in his path of destruction.

Lewis would certainly have been far more apprehensive about the occassion.

Under Rooney, Tyson enjoyed far higher quality training, and most significantly, sparring.

In 2002 he had TRex and Friday Ahunyana as sparring partners, how were they ever going to prepare him for Lewis.

Tyson was too quick, too agile,too powerful a puncher, and most importantly, too elusive for Lewis, and Tyson would stop him, and do it before the 5th IMO.

 

Tyson by KO, prime for prime.

 

Prime for prime Tyson ices Lewis cold in 2-3 rounds. Fast explosive starter, head movement, ridiculous speed and combination punching... things he didn't have in 2002. Lewis made his career from fighting past prime fighters and even then struggled with Holyfield. If beating a shell of Evander and Mike establishes a legacy and reputation of one of the best ever at the weight... well, god help boxing.

 

Tyson would also have tried to avoid punches and had his high peek-a-boo guard, which contrasts to the tactics for the 2002 debacle. I think the tactic there was to break Lewis' fist using his face. People forget or just dont know how good a boxer he was with Cus. He had excellent defense, was patient when he needed to be and was an excellent straight puncher. No one ever mentions his jab on here :?

 

Yup, people just see the later Tyson and think this is the man who people couldn't stop talking about making a very ordinary showing. Not the case, he was a true destructive force with excellent fundementals and the ability to light mofo's up with big, fast, accurate combo's. H2H one of the best ALL TIME, just not in an achievement sense due to personal problems.

 

Tyson takes it. Lewis at his best was a great, great fighter. He had a top 3 jab of all time, and top ten power to compliment that. He had good skills and knew how to clinch well against short fighters. But, his chin was not iron and he could be caught and stopped (McCall, Rahman) and he was nearly dropped by Briggs. Tyson was the greatest all around puncher in history in my opinion and it would only be a matter of time until he lands that big right hand. Lewis wouldn't hold and run like Tucker, and Smith to try to make the distance, he would fight. I see him getting nailed and stopped somewhere in the middle rounds.

Once Tyson had you hurt, you were in deep trouble. Lewis didn't have the recuperative abilities either of a Holmes, Ali so when he got tagged he wouldn't be able to evade Tyson.

 

:good

 

a 20 year old tyson who used to box more, worked the body religiously and had the fastest hands, feet, reflexes etc.. in the history of the division would probably have starched lewis.

 

Good logic man :good

If McCall and Rahman can KO hi then Tyson could.

But they both also COULDN'T do it in the rematches. A slew of superior fighters to the COULDN'T do it either. What about the guys that Tyson COULDN'T take out???? Shaky whiskers? Sorry man, those were both monster shots, and there is no shame in going down from them...it was his cockiness and defense, not his chin that was the problem there. You don't fight the punchers he fought without getting KO'd if you have a shaky chin.

 

Mitch Green, James Smith, James Tillis, Tony Tucker, Ruddock, DOUGLAS....what makes you think these HOFers can last a fight without getting knocked out but Lewis can't????

 

Prime Lewis beats Prime Tyson anyday of the week. Tho with Tyson, there was always a chance of a spectacular KO.

 

Why's that? I'm actually about the same age as both Lewis and Tyson and followed both their careers, and personally I'd pick Lewis. Tyson was marketed as superhuman and looked superhuman with the right opponent in the ring, but truth was, a skilled large powerful heavyweight like Lewis would alway have given him trouble. It's funny how size seems to matter in all the weight divisons, but is suspended in the heavyweight division where the discrepancy is greatest. And of course size alone doesn't mean much, but I don't think anyone every used their size advantage better than Lewis. In terms of a template, I thought the way Lewis fought Tyson when they actually met was the perfect style against him. He used upper cuts, the overhand right, the jab well, and leaned on him and manhandled him when they were in close. I personally don't think the combination of all this is something Tyson could ever have overcome, having said that Tyson certainly had a chance to simply get inside and KO Lewis, I just consider this a less likely outcome. ie about a 60-40 chance in favour of Lewis would be where I would rate this..possible 55-45%.

 

They both couldn't do it in rematches because Lewis adapted and both couldn't catch him anymore. You think a prime Tyson won't be able to catch Lewis with all the speed, footwork, power in both hands and iron chin that he had?, no way. He WILL catch Lewis and will do so MANY times. His jabs will back Tyson off no doubt but Tyson won't stand there and take them like he did, this is prime Tyson we're talking about, he'll use his head movement and charge in with extremely fast lefts and rights. One punch might not finish off Lewis but eventually he WILL get hurt as Tyson keeps trying to get in.