Apologies if this is old news (I know I'm going back ten years) but I just came across it on boxrec. I wasn't following boxing so closely at this stage. I seem to recall that after the match he took instead (Seldon) Tyson said "I'm coming for you". Would this also be the period where Lennox's "put up or shut up" comment came from?

Apologies if this is old news (I know I'm going back ten years) but I just came across it on boxrec. I wasn't following boxing so closely at this stage. I seem to recall that after the match he took instead (Seldon) Tyson said "I'm coming for you". Would this also be the period where Lennox's "put up or shut up" comment came from?

I thought Tyson said "I coming for you" after the Savarese fight in 2000 during his famous eat you children interview :D , he was thinking of fighting Holyfield in 1996 not Lewis.

I thought Tyson said "I coming for you" after the Savarese fight in 2000 during his famous eat you children interview :D , he was thinking of fighting Holyfield in 1996 not Lewis.Yeah, on Boxrec it says that Lewis was WBC mandatory at the time, and they stripped Tyson for fighting Seldon instead. Never knew that. I knew Lewis was paid money by King NOT to fight Tyson, but I thought that was a different period...

Apologies if this is old news (I know I'm going back ten years) but I just came across it on boxrec. I wasn't following boxing so closely at this stage. I seem to recall that after the match he took instead (Seldon) Tyson said "I'm coming for you". Would this also be the period where Lennox's "put up or shut up" comment came from?


High risk low reward.

i think it is for the same reason bowe didnt fight lewis.... why risk a loss to somebody who wont get you money

In a mandatory match Tyson only recieves 75% of a purse that had to be close to a combinded 60 million! Lewis was a dangerous opponent so why not Tyson just give up the WBC belt ( he had won the WBA from Seldon ) and feast on an old decaying Evander Holyfield for 30 million dollars ( Holyfield recieved 8 million for the first Tyson fight ). King believed Tyson would smash up the shot and faded Evander Holyfield, then bash up Micheal Moorer and face Lewis for the WBC title in 1997 sometimes, then Tyson would be able to command the lion share of the pay per view purse! Very good business actually!

Its not that he wouldn't have gotten money. Mike Tyson was going to make 20 Million no matter who he fought its just they didn't want to risk there meal ticket before they cashed in.

Bowe didn't fight Lewis because Rock Newman didn't think Bowe could win. They even took two fights that paid them much less had they fought Lewis.

Lewis would have Knocked Bowe, and Tyson out at any point in their careers. Lewis punked Bowe in the Olympics, and Punked tyson out on PPV. Anyone who says "Tyson was washed up" is full of it. Lewis was older and more washed up. Lewis is just a superior fighter to the two, who are nothing but PPV attractions plain and simple. :)

I agree that Bowe was made for Lewis. If Lewis had fought Tyson in 1996 i`d have gone with Lewis but i think Tyson still had something left. Not enough to outbox or out smart lewis but he could take a few licks and maybe land a punch....in 1996 it may have been possible and lewis doesn`t re-act well when hit does he!

I agree that Bowe was made for Lewis. If Lewis had fought Tyson in 1996 i`d have gone with Lewis but i think Tyson still had something left. Not enough to outbox or out smart lewis but he could take a few licks and maybe land a punch....in 1996 it may have been possible and lewis doesn`t re-act well when hit does he!
lol yeah if mccall can do it tyson could.

tyson probably had more chance of beating lewis than holy
based on chins...skillwise tyson has one way.

ko or nothing

Lewis was pretty good in the Mid 90's. Tyson would have walked all over Lewis, Bowe, and Holyfield during his climb to undisputed HW championship in the 80's.

Lewis was pretty good in the Mid 90's. Tyson would have walked all over Lewis, Bowe, and Holyfield during his climb to undisputed HW championship in the 80's.
like he walked all over buster douglas hehe

like he walked all over buster douglas hehe Very funny, but that wasn't during his climb to the undisputed HW championship, it was after.

Holyfield, Bowe and lewis were better than any of the fighters Tyson fought in the 80`s. Lets be honest here, the standard of Tyson competition made him look much better than he was. Trevor Berbick was a rediculous champion, as was Bonecrusher Smith. Plinklon Thmas and Tony Tucker had drug dependances and Larry Holmes was 38 yrs old and had been inactive for two years.
Tyson at his prime would have made Holyfield and Lewis fights much closer and much more competitive. I won`t pick a winner because there is no way of knowing but lets put Tyson in context, he probably dominated one of the worst era`s in heavyweight boxing!

hey thanx, i never knew