I just watched Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson again and can't believe how bad Tyson looked in that fight. Do you think it was Lewis fighting that good? or Tyson fighting that bad? I think Tyson was in terrible shape at 234, he looked slow and he couldn't get off punchs. Do you think if Tyson came in at 225 like he did for the Etienne fight it would have made a difference. Honestly I don't the Tyson of 1999-2002 could ever beat Lewis because Lewis would just keep him off with the jab when Tyson rushed in. I believe the Mike Tyson of 1986-1988 would have beat Lennox though(of course). Does anyone think if they fought in 2005 it would be any different? Lewis and Tyson have both gotten older.

Tyson looked slow the whole night
http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2002/Jun-10-Mon-2002/photos/miss.jpg
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/cover/gallery/tyson_lewis/lewis02_lg-01.jpg
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/cover/gallery/tyson_lewis/lewis03_lg-01.jpg

If they fought in 2005 - I doubt the result would be any different, unless Lennox came in under prepared.

But going back to their first fight, i don't think tyson looked THAT bad... Lewis was just too big for an old Tyson.

If that Lewis fought Tyson 15 years ago, Lewis would have more problems and it woudn't be as one-sided (the storm in the first couple of rounds mainly) but i'd still fancy Lennox for the Victory - By late tko.

If they fought in 2005 - I doubt the result would be any different, unless Lennox came in under prepared.

But going back to their first fight, i don't think tyson looked THAT bad... Lewis was just too big for an old Tyson.

If that Lewis fought Tyson 15 years ago, Lewis would have more problems (the storm in the first couple of rounds mainly) but i'd still fancy Lennox for the Victory - By late tko.

I have seen all Tyson's fights and I have never seen him look that bad. After round 1 he was just getting destroyed, he could even get off a big punch. I think the Tyson of the 80's would beat Lewis pretty easily.

Lennox can really dig, he's not just gonna let Tyson come inside without making him pay. The prime Lennox was also a lot bigger than prime Tyson.

For the first couple of rounds Tyson was moving his head like the old Tyson, but he was getting nailed by Lewis.

As Tyson said, maybe Lennox is just too big and strong. Lennox is a behemoth. Look at his fight with Botha, he looked so big and powerful against the smaller man. Same with Golota. Golota was big but a target that big Lennox is just not going to miss. One of the reasons I thought he would beat Bowe. Bowe liked to fight on the inside but Lennox would be hammering him from range and he would hurt him.

Lewis has a weak chin though, thats why you always have to give a fighter like Tyson a chance because if he could get inside land a flush uppercut Lewis will go down. If Oliver Mccall can knock him out, any fighter with a decent punch can too.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39096000/jpg/_39096036_lewis_mccall245.jpg

Lennox does not have a weak chin, as everyone seems to like to say. He was only ever down on monster punches from big punchers, both Rahman and McCall are big punchers. McCall dropped Tyson in sparring. Lennox has a normal heavyweight chin. Look at the amount of big punchers he beat. He would never have survivied against the guys he fought with a bad chin. A heavy with a bad chin doesn't last long.

After the Lewis Tyson fight you could see that Tyson had been broken, his heart had been taken and he was totally humbled, ala stroking Lewis's face. I think Lewis is one of the few people Tyson is genuinely afraid, of and ultimately this would lead him to another K.O. at the hands of Lewis, but this time in the earlier rounds, regardless of how good shape Tyson was in.

I think Tyson vs. Lewis would be at least closer now than in 2002.

Lewis has a weak chin though, thats why you always have to give a fighter like Tyson a chance because if he could get inside land a flush uppercut Lewis will go down. If Oliver Mccall can knock him out, any fighter with a decent punch can too.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39096000/jpg/_39096036_lewis_mccall245.jpg

Dude, it's heavyweight boxing. ANYONE can knockout ANYONE if you just stand there and take a shot on the chin (Rahman vs. Lewis I for example). And Danny Williams and Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson just so you can remember the comparisons to your own arguement.

Maybe because he has never fought anyone as big as Lewis before. Lewis wins this one every single time.

Dude, it's heavyweight boxing. ANYONE can knockout ANYONE if you just stand there and take a shot on the chin (Rahman vs. Lewis I for example). And Danny Williams and Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson just so you can remember the comparisons to your own arguement.

TRUE, good point

I have seen all Tyson's fights and I have never seen him look that bad. After round 1 he was just getting destroyed, he could even get off a big punch. I think the Tyson of the 80's would beat Lewis pretty easily.

Agree. The prime Tyson definitely would have beaten Lewis. I doubt he can beath Lewis now..but there is always the puncher chance...

if lewis and tyson fought again i still think lewis would win by KO, tyson looked awful after the 1st round in his fight with lewis, lennox lewis just took tysons heart in that fight. that was a one sided beating he took from lewis. i actually felt sorry for tyson after that fight, he was just being bullied by lewis and was gettin hit by a range of punches.

That first pic displays Tyson's frustration over the past 15 years better than any. Swing and miss!

The first couple rounds in that fight, Tyson got inside quick and viciously like usual with some bad intentions. Lewis just wasn't having it.

I think tyson would lose again...

If Lewis and Tyson fought again the fight be a lot more competitive than the first one. Weeks before the match Tyson was partying in Hawaii instead focusing on the fight. And Tyson didnt have Roach or a good trainer at all in his corner to give him the proper preparation needed for a great fighter like Lewis.

lewis is way weighting around 185 (or so i herd) i dont think he would be as good as shape as the first time the foguth pluse if we see the tyson from the first round of the william fight (before he hurt his leg) i give tyson a huge chance at ko'ing lewis and early
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why do alot of ppl say that no tyson even a prime (88-92) tyson would never have been able to beat lewis...have you seen prime tyson..he was amzing espeically vs boxers taller then him by 5 inches and above...and even shot tyson has a chance against anyone..tyson's power will always even things out no matter who you are

285 i ment*

Tyson has gone back too far that even an 80% Lewis would beat him. Tyson isn`t the Tyson of old, why are people so insistant that one day he`s gonna turn back the clock or land that big punch. Forget, Tyson should retire before he suffers serious damage!

I'm a huge Tyson fan and even if Mike was in tip-top condition in 2005, I think it would be the same result. Lewis'jab and size are just too much for Mike to overcome.

How bout we turn the clock back to 1986 when he forcefully took the title from Berbick. I think that version of Tyson could have definately beaten Lewis. Mike had physical aspects and more importantly the mental ones to destroy virtually any heavyweight in his era and any one since then.

I think you summed it up by saying took the title from Berbick. Berbick like the vast majority of Tyson`s early opponents were terrible. The 80`s produced an array of bum heavyweights and Tyson fed off them. People like Tony Tubbs, Plinklon Thomas, Bonecrusher smith and Carl Williams. The only name opponents Tyson defeated were Holmes ( 3 yrs out the ring and 38 yrs old ) and Micheal Spinks who was having his 5th fight at heavyweight having been a light heavyweight.
Tyson looked spectacular in these fights but allot to do with that was the fact that the quality of oppistion was so poor. After Spinks and Holmes the next time Tyson fought a name fighter was a shot to bits Evander Holyfield, a 25 to 1 underdog who had appeared the previous year to have suffered a heart mumur during a fight ( Bowe 3 ). Hardly finding the best Comp for Tyson. He did fight Lewis and got a one sided beating. So on reflection if one wanted to praise Tyson for his accomplishments as a boxer whatever rank you position Tyson you`d have to consider Ezlard Charles to also be there because on achievement and quality of opponent, Charles faired no worse. Yes Tyson was exciting and won his fights quickly but he isn`t a legend. Every opponent who stood up to Tyson defeated him. He had one or two fights that were defining ( Lewis, Holyfield II ) but he lost them and looked poor losing them. It isn`t Tyson`s fault that in his prime there weren`t any good fighters about but it stands. The power and excitement alone doesn`t make a great heavyweight. Tyson has never shown heart, desire or the ability to win a fightifidence he was losing. In reality Tyson would be very luckly to make the top ten heavyweights of all time because he was a flash in a pan, went on a roll and when someone beat him he could never recapture what he once had because his conificence was so battered. How can one consider a fighter with such a weak mental attitude to fighting a legend? How indeed!

If I were to judge them both by their last performances, then I'd have to go with Tyson. In their first fight (I told everybody around me for TWO YEARS that Tyson would not beat Lewis), Tyson looked like he forgot that he had skills. Son wasn't going to the body like normally would, wasn't slipping punches, just looked like a very strong average fighter. In the first couple rounds, Lewis did have some trouble though. He was never hurt, but Tyson did land some pretty good shots to his head. But, he seemed to try to win the fight one shot at a time in this fight, and he should know better than anybody that he can't fight like that, he doesn't train to do that.

Fighting in 2005, I see Tyson slipping alot more of those jabs that he was victim to in their first fight and going to the body alot more. I don't see Tyson letting himself get wrapped up so easily a second time around either, he'll probably be throwing that uppercut more frequently that close. Lewis would use his jab alot and try to stay away, I think. Throwing the cross alot, too probably. It'd be a good fight, I think.

I think you summed it up by saying took the title from Berbick. Berbick like the vast majority of Tyson`s early opponents were terrible. The 80`s produced an array of bum heavyweights and Tyson fed off them. People like Tony Tubbs, Plinklon Thomas, Bonecrusher smith and Carl Williams. The only name opponents Tyson defeated were Holmes ( 3 yrs out the ring and 38 yrs old ) and Micheal Spinks who was having his 5th fight at heavyweight having been a light heavyweight.
Tyson looked spectacular in these fights but allot to do with that was the fact that the quality of oppistion was so poor. After Spinks and Holmes the next time Tyson fought a name fighter was a shot to bits Evander Holyfield, a 25 to 1 underdog who had appeared the previous year to have suffered a heart mumur during a fight ( Bowe 3 ). Hardly finding the best Comp for Tyson. He did fight Lewis and got a one sided beating. So on reflection if one wanted to praise Tyson for his accomplishments as a boxer whatever rank you position Tyson you`d have to consider Ezlard Charles to also be there because on achievement and quality of opponent, Charles faired no worse. Yes Tyson was exciting and won his fights quickly but he isn`t a legend. Every opponent who stood up to Tyson defeated him. He had one or two fights that were defining ( Lewis, Holyfield II ) but he lost them and looked poor losing them. It isn`t Tyson`s fault that in his prime there weren`t any good fighters about but it stands. The power and excitement alone doesn`t make a great heavyweight. Tyson has never shown heart, desire or the ability to win a fightifidence he was losing. In reality Tyson would be very luckly to make the top ten heavyweights of all time because he was a flash in a pan, went on a roll and when someone beat him he could never recapture what he once had because his conificence was so battered. How can one consider a fighter with such a weak mental attitude to fighting a legend? How indeed!
How come every time theres a thread about Tyson it always turn into "In reality Tyson would be very luckly to make the top ten heavyweights of all time because he was a flash in a pan, went on a roll and when someone beat him he could never recapture what he once had because his conificence was so battered." I have already heard this 800 million times, all I asked was would the fight be any different in 2005. All you had to say was no because you believe Tyson in shot and has been for some time. And to say tIn reality Tyson would be very luckly to make the top ten heavyweights of all time because he was a flash in a pan, went on a roll and when someone beat him he could never recapture what he once had because his conificence was so battered. And you can hate Tyson all you want but in reality he is a legend.

Kimmy although I disagree I do respect your opinion and everybody elses.

Tyson's a legend just based on his impact on boxing, sports and the world, then you throw in the fact he is the youngest heavyweight champion ever and he won the title twice. Theres not much of an argument, he is an instant hall of famer.

It would be about the same.

Tyson had made a career out of KO-ing cusisers and old people, and Douglas, Evander, LL, and Williams really exposed the guy.

No more hype for Mike. Mike is not hungry=good any more. He has not been hungry since the Douglas fight.

The rest of his boxing career will be extremely tough. Every second top 10 boxer will end up KO-ing him.

i dont think byrd and ruiz or toney would ko tyson...just wanted to say that..not argueing lol...

a prime tyson would have no problem but the tyson we have no is very unlikely to win...he stil has the power no matter what anyone saids....also tyson is a legend no matter what anyone saids...he exciting and besides marciano, louis, ali and tyson no one else will ever be remembered as much

who the hell cares..who wants to see 2 40 year olds fight?

Tyson on the night he fought spinks could have beat lewis....other than that I doubt it

It would be about the same.

Tyson had made a career out of KO-ing cusisers and old people, and Douglas, Evander, LL, and Williams really exposed the guy.

No more hype for Mike. Mike is not hungry=good any more. He has not been hungry since the Douglas fight.

The rest of his boxing career will be extremely tough. Every second top 10 boxer will end up KO-ing him.

Nautilus, I couldn't agree with you more about the Tyson's hunger the main factor for his performances in the ring. Even though Tyson is 39, he still has the ability and skills but he lacks the desire or the "hunger" to be a top contender today. Too bad, I would love to see him knock out some of the current crop of heavyweights today. :(

Same way. I`m sure.