Evander never fought prime Mike Tyson though. The Tyson of 1996 even when he was winning was not nearly as good as 1986 thru 1988 Tyson.
Mike lost a lot of his speed and ability to counterpunch off a miss with that 4 year layoff from going to prison.
Mike used to have the ability to make you miss,then immedietely come back with a countershot. And he could put together combinations
You are correct, Tyson 86/89 was 100% better than the 96/97 version, it was his foot speed & defence which made the difference, he was extremely difficult to hit during the mid to late 80's, he would roll with the punches as well, Holyfield may have always had his number though i suspect the fight would have been a lot more competitive & may well have gone the distance.