What if Tyson fought Holyfield Nov 1991 after the 2 nd ruddock bout ??

I still think Holyfield would have beat Tyson, though it probably would have been better than their 96 fight. Holyfield just had his number.

 

Holyfield still neutralizes and stops Tyson.

 

Holyfield simply doesn't lose to Mike. Ever. One of those things. Like the sun coming up every morning....

 

Yep..Holy had his number IMO

 

This is where the ‘boxing is mental’ thing comes into play. Holyfield would always be mentally tougher than Mike and have the mental edge.

H2H, Holyfield > Tyson. We saw it play out. I don’t think it’s any different here. Only time it might have been different was before Evander really grew into being a full-blown heavyweight.

 

I've said this for the longest. 91 Tyson > 91 Holyfield. Here's a thread I've done on this.
https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/unpopular-opinion-91-tyson-kos-91-holyfield.685208/

 

Tyson UD I’ve gone over it before. Both Holyfield and Mike were different fighters post prison time for Tyson. Tyson’s athleticism and love for the sport were gone when they fought, while Holyfield was way bigger than he was in 91. Tyson wins a UD in a good fight in 91.

 

Holyfield everyday and twice on a Sunday. He had the perfect gameplan and the mentality to beat Tyson. Tyson couldn't fight going backwards and Holyfield would force him in to doing so. Tyson was always mentally fragile, it's just that is metal was rarely tested.

 

Tyson was fighting more like a caveman against Ruddock; he wasn't what he was against, say, Holmes.

Holy rips him up in 10 at the latest.

 

Think I got Tyson but if a immediate rematch happens (and a trilogy after) Evan wins imo

 

I do not hide the fact that I am a Tyson fan and I believe that today he is greatly underestimated due to how quickly his regression occurred. But I have also always been a fan of Holyfield, whom I consider one of the greatest players in history. But I can't give him points for fighting before 1992.
Of course, in 1990-1991, time was already working against Tyson, he trained irregularly, the fight with Douglas clearly left a mark on him, he stopped developing and clearly showed that the obsession with boxing that many people who knew him in 1984 talked about had already passed. Alw was still at the peak of his physical abilities and was much, much better than Bert Cooper, much faster than Foreman and Holmes. And Holyfield? he still didn't resemble the beast from 1996, he didn't fight very tactically, and it was tactics and consistency that were the key to defeating Tyson, not courage!! He weighed too little, was too often used to being either much faster or stronger than his rivals, and in 1991 he had none of that. He was slower, he was physically weaker, he hit easier.
In 1996, Holyfield was already stronger, slower, but after a few rounds it lost its importance, he was definitely more durable and definitely wiser, able to accumulate experience and preparation. Tyson went to Hokyfield in 1996 and had 4 fights in 5 years, but were the viewership numbers? None of them lasted longer than 3 rounds and the only one who seriously fought him was a bum named McNelley - it all lasted about one minute. Bruno and Mathis were just fighting for survival, and Seldon didn't even pretend to fight.
Tyson was dramatically rusty!!
To sum up - Tyson was not as strong as in 1986, but he was certainly more ready than in 1996, Holyfield was not as ready as in 1996.
Tyson UD !

 

I don't like how Tyson looked in the Ruddock rematch. If anything, he fought better in their 1st fight and rightfully stopped Ruddock.

As for Ruddock stood tall but Holy would fall? Holyfield had far superior chin and it's not even close, he's been knocked down far less amount of times, and he has fought like 5 times more world class opponents than Ruddock. Lewis ended Ruddock quickly but couldn't put down Holy in two 12-rounders. Tyson dropped Ruddock like 4 times, but never dropped Holy.

 

you're right, but take into account that Ruddock was a style nightmare for Tyson. He was his kryptonite like Liston was to Patterson, Foreman was to Frazier, Young was to Foreman. And his resilience in 1991 was much better than later

 

In 1991?
It's about a toss up. Tyson was going down mentally. He was still potent in the ring though. Much better than the post prison version.
Evander wasn't as strong in 1991. He was 205lbs. The version that fought Tyson in 1996 was a stronger, bigger man who used that strength. He pushed Tyson backwards every exchange.
If Mike trains hard for Holyfield in 91 I think he could stop him. We know Tyson wasn't wrapped too tight at this time. If Holyfield can take it to deep water before being thrashed he could win with his superior heart, determination etc.
Only if he survive the initial onslaught.