(Prime) Mike Tyson vs. Lennox Lewis

I'd say Tyson would have to catch Lewis with a few clean shots and if this occurred it would likely be in the first 3 or 4 rounds. As John says this is when Lewis has to tie Tyson up, manhandle him and tire him out. If that happens Tyson woul'd get a methodical beating over the remainder of the fight. I think the game plan employed by Lewis and Stewart which was to use Lewis' size, reach and strength advantages along with the upercut and overhand rights would win him the fight. That said if they fought 5 times Tyson would likely win 1 or 2 of those fights as it's no easy night for either fighter.

 

Lennox Lewis by decision (in the 116-112 order). Tyson would not get hit as much and make the fight more competitve than their actual one.

 

I agree with this. The early Tyson ferocity might last a bit longer than it did in their actual meeting but I think Lewis' strategy would have always been to evade the initial bombing raid and then deliver his own drubbing of Tyson for the remainder.

 

This may be true, but, it is impossible to say with any certainty. The Tyson who did fight Lennox was a pitiful shell of himself. Horrible timing, no stamina, no strategy. That Mike Tyson just showed up to collect a paycheck and take his beating. Hell, he lost to hapless Danny Williams and Kevin McBride a few fights later. No way either of those fighters make it past the first round against prime Tyson.

A prime Mike Tyson (10-15 years earlier) was a different animal entirely. Lewis' tentative strategy would allow Mike to apply all facets of his game early in the fight. That could lead to a Tyrell Biggs type beating. And he proved against Tucker that although he may slow down a bit in later rounds, he still had the stamina to win. And if Lennox fought an (uncharacteristically) aggressive fight like he did against Ruddock, he might get decked even sooner. Tyson did not land a single meaningful punch when they finally met. No way he doesn't land prime vs prime. And Tyson certainly has the stronger whiskers if they trade blows.

My vote is Tyson KO 8.

If they fought 10 times, Lewis probably wins 2-3 decisions, loses 2-3 decisions, and gets stopped 4-6 times.

 

There are no certainties in speculation and the Tyson that Lewis actually fought may not have been near prime but to refer to him as a "pitiful shell" of his former self is overstating the case. I'd also suggest that the Biggs and Tucker comparisons are not particularly relevant since neither were as strong nor as hard-hitting as Lewis.

They also didn't carry the armory of Lewis. Biggs was barely more than a Novice Pro when he met Tyson and didn't Tucker break his hand on Tyson, at some point during their bout?

I don't think avoiding a firefight should be equated to being "tentative" either. The idea is that Lewis would be able thwart the Tyson attack, while doing some damage of his own - this becoming progressively more so the case, as the fight went on. The Lewis approach would not provide the same opportunities for Tyson to land with as much success; certainly not in the way Tyson had become used to, against lesser opposition.

 

Lewis even at his best fought sporadically and was lazy...not all that hard to hit either. Tyson was just too energetic, too fast, too powerful. Look how Tyson wrecked Holmes when he opened up. I just can't see Lennox avoiding that. Not from a prime Tyson anyway.

 

Could definitely happen but you don't think Tyson would get frustrated and worn down if Lennox stick-and-moved and held-and-pushed him round after round?

 

Lets establish "prime " Lewis first......

Is it the one that got finished by McCall with one single punch ?

Is it the one who fought a close fight with trail horse Mercer ?

Is it the one who fought 24 sleep walking rounds with a spent Holyfield ?

Is it the one who walzed in one of the most boring Heavyweight belt bouts the distance with the one trick pony Tua ?

Is it the one where he got finished again by one punch against Rahman ?

Is it the one who went life and death with VK whose only claim to fame was at that time quitting against Byrd ?

Out of all the fighters above he only Ko'ed one.....in a rematch, ok, he TKO'ed VK when he tore his face off.

But,but Golata, yeah, a stoned washed up Tyson needed only one more round to finish him.

Tyson's prime is easily established, from Berbick til the Truth he barely lost a round.

 

Lewis was never all that good at "sticking and moving", and the leaning wouldn't be an issue as Tyson could deliver devastating blows moving in and out. Again, look at the Holmes fight. The first right hand was delivered as Tyson leapt in from the outside and Lennox wouldn't be recovering from a punch like that.

Lewis, like Tyson did best when he was in control. The difference is that once someone stood up to him, he was a lot more vulnerable because his chin was a bigger issue.

Aggressive guys were always difficult for Lennox (or his Kronk buddies Hearns and Klitschko). Give him a guy that's just going to follow him around, afraid to change the tempo, afraid to force his own fight, and Lewis looks great. But even C/B level fighter like Briggs and fat Mercer had success because they were fearless, ready to take one to give one, and fought to win.

I don't understand the incentive that makes people pick Lewis in this match-up. Sure, he could win, if he fought the perfect fight. But Tyson wouldn't need to fight a perfect fight to win. All he'd need is one, clean hit.

And to me it's much more likely that Tyson would land a big one or two, than Lewis controlling the entire fight, avoiding the much faster, more aggressive Tyson, who has the better footwork and great defensive abilities coming in.

 

That was a great punch that Tyson landed on Holmes but:-

- Holmes was coming out of retirement and rusty
- Holmes threw very few punches and did not move with extreme vigour
- Holmes' movement did little, other than serve to provide Tyson with the distance he needed.
- Holmes didn’t look to tie up when he got into trouble
- Holmes almost made it through round 4 (and probably would have scr.aped through, if not for the 3-KD Rule)

I know Lewis could be complacent and I know he could be lazy but you wouldn’t see this in a Lewis facing a prime Tyson.

Several people agree that, if Lewis makes it through 4 rounds, he gets to take control and deliver something of his own on Tyson.

Watch how Smith is able to spoil and negate Tyson, for 12 rounds; catching Tyson in the dying seconds of the bout with an overhand right; a more devastating version of which Lewis would be dishing out for most of the fight. Watch the Tucker fight, where a one-handed TNT takes Tyson the distance because Tyson's early onslaught begins to fade, before mid-way.

Both fights occurring during Tyson's heyday and these guys were neither as strong nor as powerful punchers nor as skilled as Lewis.

 

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So out of 24 rounds Smith and Tucker won, what, 3 rounds ? They sure dominated Tyson, lol.

BTW, I am willing to bet that Tucker and Smith are easily as "strong" as Lewis, talented and skilled most likely not but pure strengh they match him easily

Bottom line, if two borderline journey man can take Lewis out with ONE single punch and both are not known to have exceptional power , speed or laser accuracy then Tyson chances are ten fold over those two ham and eggers.

That is the single problem with assessing Lewis, those two one punch ko's he suffered, no prolonged beating, no exhausting battle back and forth, no war , no, once you put him down he stays down, irrefutable fact.

 

The best Lewis beats the best Tyson. Lewis punching power keeps Tyson from trying to overwhelm Lewis as he must be cautious. Lewis keeps Tyson on the end of his jab and once attacked neatly side steps to his left and clinches avoiding the Tyson hook. Pattern continues until a big punch from Lewis ends the fight. Lewis ko 10 over Tyson.

 

I used that particular case as an example of Tysons multi-faceted artillery. He doesn't need to be close to Lewis to unleash bombs. That punch was fast and landed with incredible accuracy and power. He leapt in with a left hook out of Holmes reach and unleashed a short right hand that would have most likely left Lewis on the canvas.

Even at his best Lewis had the tendency to take breaks in certain rounds. He took rounds off in the Holyfield fight which was probably his best performance. He would not have that luxury against Tyson. You bring up the Tucker and Smith fights, but those guys fought to survive. When someone is in the ring with the mindset not to get KOd, its usually hard to get rid of them especially if they're bigger than you.

And frankly, I think Tysons stamina gets underrated. He looked pretty energetic in most of his fights that went the distance in the 80s. Sure, he slowed down a bit in the later rounds but that applies to, oh, 95% of fighters ever. Lewis looked like he went 40 rounds after 12 with Mavrovic but nobody brings that up.

Let's get one thing clear. I think Lewis has a chance, I do. I just don't make him favourite. Because he's walking on a tightrope against a prime Tyson. He can't get hit too much because of his chin, and he can't bank on bumrushing Tyson himself because even a very depleted Tyson showed great punch resistance against him. He also can't get lazy like he usually did, because of Tysons speed and explosive power. When one fighter needs to land hundreds of punches to win, while the other only needs a few, and both are competing at the same level, the advantage goes to the latter in my book.

 

Tyson wins KO
Lewis wins the rematch tko or ud

 

I just don't see Lewis expecting to take breaks against Tyson - an opponent he would not in any way take lightly. He might have taken risks with his preparation against opponents he perceived as non-threatening but he wouldn't consider Tyson as anything but extremely dangerous and probably know he was in for a long night - given it is likely he would seek to take the bout into the latter rounds.

The example you gave (Holmes/Tyson) is one of best punches Tyson ever landed - a highlight reel moment and not indicative of the norm; not something he pulled off at will, with assured frequency, against world class opposition. Sure, it showed a capability of Tyson's but it happened to be against a guy whose reflexes and legs were not what they had once been. Great punch but, in perspective, it was against a relatively static target.

The point I make, by bringing up the Tucker and Smith fights, is that Tyson was not able to tear through boxers, who did utilise their size advantage against him; were able to tie him up and smother him or keep him at distance. Lewis could do both, while landing some of his own punches, giving Tyson plenty to think about.

I don't doubt Tyson's stamina. He kept working from start to finish. Again, the point I make is how his ferocity drops off after about round 4. This can be clearly seen against Tucker - more so because Tucker gave Tyson the room to continue to work, which began to level out in round 5.

You seem to forget that Lewis had artillery of his own. Notably, a wicked and pristinely timed uppercut and an overhand right that would land and make the nudges Tyson received from Smith, Tucker and Bruno seem like playful taps.

I also think that the Lewis chin is relied upon too heavily as the man's sure-fired Achilles Heel; as if he'd never been caught flush on it before or would be again. He had been and was and it stood up to the test so any idea Tyson simply has to connect to blow Lewis away is misguided.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is by any means easy for Lewis. It would be a battle to end all battles but I think Lewis had enough of a physical advantage and the tools to see it out victorious.


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