If Mike didn't have that rib injury in training camp and didn't get convicted of SA'ing Desiree Washington, and went on to fight Evander on the 8th of November, would he have beaten Evander? Bonus: If you think Tyson would have beaten Holyfield, do you think he would've beaten these possible title defenses: - Tommy Morrison - George Foreman - Larry Holmes - Ray Mercer - Riddick Bowe - Lennox Lewis
He would've knocked Holyfield clean out and had a good title run unless he got out of training again. I think he'd beat every one of the aforementioned names with varying degrees of difficulty, but with clean wins in the end. I think that Foreman and Father Time are his two worst enemies here- George would have the potential to knock Tyson out if he wasn't fighting smart, and if Mike started to peter out to be around the same level he was in '95/'96, he'd be ready to be taken out. I do feel like this fantasy Tyson going into the middle years of the '90s should be better than the one we saw in all reality, but likely not by much. He'd be taking a lot of punishment with all the high-class title defenses, and Mike didn't seem to have that good of longevity (though you can probably credit that to any number of reasons, I don't feel like he'd be the baddest man for very long). Out of the six shown here, I'll give my verdict for how I think Tyson would win against each of em in 1991/1992: - Tommy Morrison ('91, TKO1 - George Foreman ('91), UD12 - Larry Holmes ('92), TKO8 - Ray Mercer ('91), UD12 - Riddick Bowe ('92), TKO6 - Lennox Lewis ('92), TKO8
I think he probably does but it isn't guaranteed. Tyson's head movement wasn't as sharp as his 88 version. So he was a lot more hittable. On the other hand, Holyfield wasn't physically as strong as the 96 version and he couldn't manhandle Tyson the way his older version did. Tyson did have the stamina to fight 12 rounds as he showed vs Ruddock 2. The 96 Tyson was a 4-5 round fighter. I think Tyson, with his quicker hands and greater power, lands first on Holyfield more often than not. However, Holyfield is cagey enough to survive and fight back. Tyson, unlike his post prison version, would keep fighting hard though and likely win a close decision. Tyson UD 12, 7-5. Close fight. I don't think Tyson beats all of the above guys. He could. But Tyson is the kind of personality who would start to lose motivation at some point. So he is bound to get upset by someone.
He KO’s Foreman, Ol George ain’t ready for that heat… unless he’s cashing out lol imagine if Foreman got landed on as much as he did with Holyfield? - Bowe is the most fun IMO, Lewis fight is the most interesting… 50-50?
I agree with the above opinions. Tyson would be motivated to regain the title and fired up by two good fights with Ruddock, although he could also be weakened a bit by them because he suffered a lot of injuries there. But I think he would have won against Holyfield either early by a point or by a point. He would also be a favorite against each of the above-mentioned rivals, but as DMT wrote, I don't believe he would have kept his form. Mike seemed bored with boxing and he could have lost to literally any of them, which would have happened in the end. Even a rematch with 42-year-old Holmes.
I remember someone here writin' in another thread that Tyson wins a competitive match by UD, then a trilogy happens with him losing the rematch by UD and the rubber match by TKO. I could picture something like that happening. While still being a menace, like someone noticed, 91 Tyson was still less focused and without Rooney in the corner his adaptability and ring IQ declined with his skills.
In theory, Tyson could have beat them all. But like others said, the problem is whether he could have stayed motivated or not, which is not a given. In 1990/1991, Tyson was on a mission to regain his title, but past a few rounds, he admitted himself that he felt " bored ". There is also the fact that Tyson started to be more injured (especially during training) , as @Jakub79 mentionned it. Also, I don't think he regressed that much compared to his 1986-1988 self. Tyson always had moments where he focused less on head movement and tried to land a big shot. Furthermore, he added more versatility to his right hand and was fighting more out of clinches. He still threw terrific bodyshots. I think Tyson stops Holyfield halfway after a great battle. The same for Foreman who couldn't match Tyson speed of hand and foot. I also believe he would have destroyed Morrison and Holmes (who was too stationnary during his second come-back). He beats Mercer by UD, stops Lewis in a one-sided fight. Bowe is a 50/50 fight as he is for me the best opponent, but his lack of defense could have cost him.
It would have still been a tough fight but a pre-jail version Mike Tyson even after losing to Buster was a lot more formidable than the post-jail version of Mike Tyson. Also, Holyfield hadn't gained much HW experience, and Holyfield was a lot more accustomed to the HWs by when Mike Tyson left jail in which he had slowed down a bit and was still pretty rusty. In 1991 - still a close fight but Mike Tyson wins 7 to 5 rounds on points.
In '91, Holyfield had a great chance to stop Tyson. He was tough, and that was a really strong version of Evander. He had better conditioning, could clinch, and break opponents down gradually. Tyson, after his problems outside the ring and the loss to Douglas, was no longer the same motivated warrior he was in '88. If Holyfield survived the early rounds, he could break him physically and mentally and eventually stop him in the late rounds.
I say Tyson would stop Holyfield at this point, but I say it with no real conviction. Also, Tyson knocks Morrison senseless. I do say that with conviction. Foreman is a live dog as he is big, strong and hard hitting. But speed kills and Tyson had plenty of it. Holmes gets stopped again. Mercer could be a tough one, but I think Tyson prevails. Bowe has a good chance at victory except for the fact that his defense is really not all that. Lewis has the best chance, can't really call it.
Would have been interesting in 1991. At the time I was favoring Tyson, but who knows. Holyfield had tremendous resolve and willpower. I wonder about it. By 1991, he had started to get away from some of the attributes that made him successful in the first place. Holyfield might have been able to capitalize on that, but Mike still had a lot more left at that point than after prison so I can't come to a conclusion.
In 1991 Tyson I think kos Holyfield in a back and forth fight, the post prison Tyson just didn't have the drive he did before, very sad really. If he had never went to prison I don't think he loses to Holyfield or Lewis. He would have remained king of the 90s for the most part. I think he might have had a loss against someone we don't normally consider perhaps.
