When Lewis and Tyson finally fought in 2002 what was the general consensus around this fight from boxing fans? Did many think Tyson would beat Lennox? I know Tyson was 7/4 with many bookmakers (to my surprise) which would suggest that it was viewed as some what of a toss up. How did you think it would go?
I def didn’t feel like Tyson was walking into an execution or anything tho. Gatti vs mayweather might be similar?
In truth, even at his absolute peak Tyson always had trouble with big tall fighters with a decent jab. Lewis was bigger, better and more powerful than any of those fighters who troubled Tyson earlier in his career. IMO Lewis would have beaten any version of Tyson, he would have frustrated him at the end of his jab round after round and won a wide unanimous verdict over Mike. Don’t make the mistake of comparing Tyson v Holmes or point out Rachman v Lewis they have no bearing on this fight whatsoever. Tyson wouldn’t have been facing a shot fighter like Larry and Lewis wouldn’t have entered the ring half baked as he did v Hasim. It’s an unpopular view but Lewis just had too much of everything for Tyson, Size, Speed, Reach, Power, Footwork, Composure, Ringcraft, Patience etc and he’d have used them all to outmatch Mike.
Tyson was a shell of his former self after prison and was flat out shot after suspensions from Holyfield fights… As a Tyson fan, I knew he had no chance of winning…His passion for the game ended in an Indiana courtroom over 10 years prior…
Many of the people picking Tyson were just going with wishful thinking and picking with their heart. Hoping that Tyson could just land something big early on and repeat what Rahman and McCall had done. I think most knew deep down that Tyson’s chances were very slim. Tyson by this time had become a circus show. He did have a pretty decent 2000, but it was against much lesser opposition, and he was more known at this time for his antics. He had looked like **** against Brian Nielsen. Lewis had aged very well and would have been a tough matchup for any HW ever, even a peak Tyson, let alone this shell of Mike. Lewis should have been a heavier betting favorite.
Tyson was shot, everyone knew it. Most people in the know thought Lewis would pummel him. That being said power is the last thing to go and the Rahman KO in South Africa was still fresh in people's minds so the chance of an upset wasn't out of the question.
Yep pretty much this. Betting odds don't always reflect the actual reality of the true odds. Tyson being a popular fighter drew a lot of bets from his fans who projected who they wanted to win rather than who they thought would win. Hence why the odds were far closer than they should of been.
This same logic apply to Tyson all time ranking as well. Lewis should have been at least a 10 to 1 favorite going into that fight. Likewise it's downright silly that anyone would put Tyson is their top 3. Hell he is the third best fighter of his own era behind Lewis and Holyfield so how could Tyson possibly be top 3 of all time, lol. Of course people start talking about what Tyson should of been of or what he could of been. Who cares, sane folks rank you on what you actually was. It's not our fault that Tyson was in many ways the Broner of his era. Tyson didn't put in the work like guys such as Lewis and Holyfield. Instead Tyson spent his time partying and doing drugs, not our fault at all. Could Tyson of gone down as the greatest of all time if he had a good head on his shoulders? Probably so. So what you could say that about a lot of different people in a lot of different endeavors.
Lewis was a heavy favourite in my books. Despite Lewis being older, he was clearly more disciplined and aged like a fine wine in the sport. Unfortunately Tyson burnt the candle from both ends, and aged like a stale bottle of frosty jacks. Honestly, I don't think his style would have gone in his favour anyway, should he have kept a clean living.
Not a good comparison…If you lived through the early era, I’m not sure you would make this comparison… Agree on about only counting what was as opposed to what could’ve been…
Lewis showed a real mean streak that night. I'm sure he could have taken Tyson out much quicker but wanted to provide the 'final nail in the career coffin' performance. Make no mistake though, Tyson took that beating like a true warrior.