Mike Tyson v Tim Witherspoon.

There’s nothing special about Witherspoon’s style. Just another 20% body fat 80s heavyweight who could box a little and checks in a bag of excuses at the airport.

I almost forgot one. Golota pounded Witherspoon and Tyson broke his face and neck.

 

Holmes stopped Bonecrusher. Tyson didn’t.

Again, what’s your point?

That a 41-year-old Witherspoon lost a decision to Golota is about as pertinent to this conversation as insinuating that Audley Harrison defeats Tyson because he beat the Danny Williams who pounded Tyson into submission. Of course Tyson was a couple of years younger than the Witherspoon who fought Golota, lol.

Buster Douglas’ body fat percentage didn’t seem to stop him beating Tyson like a rented mule.

As for Witherspoon with excuses, tell me which of these fights you don’t have an excuse for Tyson for: Buster Douglas, Holyfield I and II, Lennox Lewis.

I know you worship Tyson but c’mon man.

 

Incorrect

 

You keep bringing up Douglas, but none of us think Douglas was actually better than Tyson except emotive, agenda driven fools.

I'm saying Witherspoon was around the same tier as a bunch of guys who Tyson beat the crap out of. The evidence? The guys who Tyson beat the crap out of went about even in fights with Witherspoon.

 

This seems like a valid point. Witherspoon's stock went way down losing to Smith the way he did. So a defense against him probably didn't seem too lucrative to the powers-that-be at that point.

But I don't see Tim making it past Mike at that point anyway.

 

I love how Tyson fans don't even factor in the Douglas fight because they think Tyson's shape was awful, but in the next breath one of them will use one of the inconsistent Witherspoon's worst outings to dial in his quality.

As you say, a Witherspoon in good shape easily beat Smith.

 

And Tucker had an injured hand going into the fight. This rarely gets mentioned.

 

He cracked his hand during the fight.

Regardless , guys like Hamed and Mayweather were fighting half of their careers with hand injuries and winning.

 

This would have been terrific.

Crazy thing is, though, if you could peek into the alternate timeline where it does happen, either of two facts are certain depending on the result:

• Tyson wins - his legion of haters still find a way to discredit it and call Spoon a bum, disparaging his losses to Holmes and Thomas, as well as getting blitzed by Bonecrusher if we're talking after '86.
• Witherspoon wins - fans of Tyson find any excuse they can, blaming the split from Rooney if applicable, or grieving Cus if before that.

There is almost no such thing as reliable objectivity in Tyson discourse.

 

No, he had the injury going into the fight. The commentators mention it.

 

Tucker said he cracked his hand in one of the early rounds. He used the hand normally until then. Maybe he got an NSAID and tranquilizer shot in the dressing room.

 

The Tyson of 86 to 88 beats Witherspoon easily.

I would still pick Tyson to win after 88 but Witherspoon would at least have a shot.

 

As I said, the commentators mention it going into the fight. Maybe it had healed somewhat and flared up again when he hit Tyson, I don't know, but it was something known pre fight.

 

No surprises in the outcome of that fight.

 

I love both fighters and feel an in shape and motivated Witherspoon gives Tyson a good fight until around the 8-10th rounds and finally loses... Tim's overhand right is not as effective against Tyson as it was against some of his taller opponents.. but his jab and left hooks are decent.... Hand speed is the undoing of Tim as Tyson has plenty of it and is just faster than Tim at any point..If Tim rides out the first round or two... he gives Tyson some problems but finally succumbs