Lennox Lewis.

[Benny Leonard]

Oh yeah, and as far as "...he said he could/couldn't beat him..." goes, that really doesn't prove anything.

Muhammad Ali told the nation on a talk show that Mike Tyson would beat him in their primes. While he would certainly have a chance (under Rooney), that doesn't PROVE he's right. Actually, we could go on for pages about the things Muhammad Ali said (and later changed his mind about) that probably aren't absolutely true. That being said, I don't even need to continue.

It's called being humble, plus, if he would of talked **** like "I would of kicked his ass in my prime", people would say it was sour-g****s. People tend to like more humble people because they are less threatening.

Rocky Marciano fans like to always mention how Joe Louis said he would never have beaten Rocky, even in his prime, but how many people really believe Joe Louis thought that or at least thought he would think that if he was younger?

[Benny Leonard]

There ain't nothing funny about Lewis completely dominating Tyson.
Lewis has the style to beat prime Tyson, Lewis was trained by Emanuel Stewart most of his career to fight his way around short powerful guys like Tua, Holyfield and Tyson, that was bread and butter for Lewis...
If you notice Lewis was never in trouble against short guys, rarely got hit flush by those kind of opponents... Tall guys like Briggs, Klitschko ect.. guys with longass reach like Rahman gave Lewis trouble... Tyson would never be able to beat him, I can't show you the interview where Tyson said that he could never beat Lewis since I saw it live but you can't give me that "prove it that he said it". There's no reason I would lie about it, I'm pretty sure a lot of people heard Tyson say that...Lewis can neutralize Tyson's hooks all night long...
I've been following Lewis since his Olympic appearances. I know what I'm talking about... Don't be fooled by Tyson's flashy performances in his short prime and weak opposition...(example Douglas) it just shows your boxing ignorance...

Tua was past his prime when he fought Lewis. He was fat, and couldn't throw the amount of punches he used to; come to think of it, he could barely put two punches together. Just remember, Tua broke records with the amount of punches he threw for a Heavyweight.
I would still favor Lewis, but the Tua leading up to IKE/for IKE, would of been a hell of a test.

Taller guys can be hammered to the body, making them smaller as the fight goes on, words by Lewis himself. Of course, a good uppercut when the smaller man comes in could deter the attacks, but I am sure with a good chin, if the smaller man knew that was what he had to do, he would take those risks.


Tyson had incredible speed with his feet, and liked to swarm his opponents, not giving them time to readjust/throwing them off balance and leaving openings.


I see you mentioned the Douglas fight, why is that not a surprise.
It can show you flaws in Tyson, but the one biggest flaw it shows not only for Tyson, but all fighters, is that when a fighter doesn't train, doesn't have a team around him, isn't motivated, ****s women the night before the fight, etc. he has a bigger chance of getting exposed.
Lets remember, isn't this what is blamed for Lewis's loss to Rahman?


The big difference between Tyson and Lewis was that Lewis took the long road to the top. This gave Lewis an appreciation for staying motivated, staying in shape, and just an all around appreciation for what he had, was achieving/achieved.


Trainers also are a big part of a fighter's success: You might even compare looking at Lewis prior to Emanuel Steward like Tyson after Rooney, at least for boxing skill analysis. The one big difference here of course after Tyson left Rooney, admitting , he wasn't motivated or "bored with boxing"


Tyson could throw every punch in the book, at incredible accuracy, speed, power, combinations, and timing, in his prime with Rooney.
I am sure Rooney would be able to work something out with Mike on how to beat Lewis.


Either one can really win this fight.

[aljon]

...

I wrote a reasonable post, don't even reply if you gonna put a silly smiley like that... It's disrespectful... If you have something to say then write something like I did.. Don't give me that bull****...

[aljon]

That's what you believe and i have no problems with that. I do have problems with things like



As much as you love Lewis and believe he would beat Tyson, there is a million reasons for you to lie about it. I'm not calling you a liar, but you shouldn't even think about saying this when it's clear Lewis never said this, and he actually said the opposite about a prime Tyson, unless you have solid proof. Even if you have proof, you still have nothing credible like Brassangel said.



Believe me, i'm not biased concerning Tyson. You are with Lewis. You are so desperate for people to believe Lewis would beat Tyson, that you state things that have no proof or are either redicilous mind reading analogy's. No dissrespect to you though.

Alright cool, I have nothing against you either, the feeling is mutual...
You have your reasons for stating your opinion and I have mine...
It's just a deadend argument...

[Brassangel]

Originally posted by Benny Leonard
It's called being humble, plus, if he would of talked **** like "I would of kicked his ass in my prime", people would say it was sour-g****s. People tend to like more humble people because they are less threatening.

Rocky Marciano fans like to always mention how Joe Louis said he would never have beaten Rocky, even in his prime, but how many people really believe Joe Louis thought that or at least thought he would think that if he was younger?

If you read my post, then you realize that this is exactly what I was stating.

Even though Ali may have felt differently in private, I'm sure Tyson actually had a lot less respect for Ali in private as well. That doesn't matter. The point was to show that a boxer's comments about another don't weigh the outcome of a match between them.

[Benny Leonard]

If you read my post, then you realize that this is exactly what I was stating.

Even though Ali may have felt differently in private, I'm sure Tyson actually had a lot less respect for Ali in private as well. That doesn't matter. The point was to show that a boxer's comments about another don't weigh the outcome of a match between them.

I apologize, I should have first stated, "I agree", then added on to your explanation.

[ceboxer15]

Having recently watched the Lewis - Tyson fight again, i listened to some comments being made after it. Some surprised me! i.e do you think that this should be the fight that cements Lewis's place in history as a great champion?

i don't think so, he's had better fights, IMO.

[micky_knox]

Prime Lewis beats any version of Tyson...
Bad match-up for Tyson, and Tyson himself knows he could never beat him...

if mccall and Rachman can ko Lewis im sure as hell Tyson could have done so too

also i remember all the trouble that Briggs gave Lewis early on too.

still a 80's Tyson vs a 90's Lewis would be a very interesting match up

[aljon]

if mccall and Rachman can ko Lewis im sure as hell Tyson could have done so too

also i remember all the trouble that Briggs gave Lewis early on too.

still a 80's Tyson vs a 90's Lewis would be a very interesting match up

Anyone can KO anyone, they're heavyweights you can't make a valid argument like that... Yeah it would be a very interesting match-up considering Lewis' chin and Tyson's power but I still see Lewis KOing him the same way Douglas did, by neutralizing his punches and using his big height/reach advantage...

[Franko]

There ain't nothing funny about Lewis completely dominating Tyson.
Lewis has the style to beat prime Tyson, Lewis was trained by Emanuel Stewart most of his career to fight his way around short powerful guys like Tua, Holyfield and Tyson, that was bread and butter for Lewis...
If you notice Lewis was never in trouble against short guys, rarely got hit flush by those kind of opponents... Tall guys like Briggs, Klitschko ect.. guys with longass reach like Rahman gave Lewis trouble... Tyson would never be able to beat him, I can't show you the interview where Tyson said that he could never beat Lewis since I saw it live but you can't give me that "prove it that he said it". There's no reason I would lie about it, I'm pretty sure a lot of people heard Tyson say that...Lewis can neutralize Tyson's hooks all night long...
I've been following Lewis since his Olympic appearances. I know what I'm talking about... Don't be fooled by Tyson's flashy performances in his short prime and weak opposition...(example Douglas) it just shows your boxing ignorance...

In theory, what would have happened had Lewis been knocked out by Tyson?
What would people be saying then?

IMO boxing can sometimes be unforgiving, but Lewis claiming that the Tyson fight in 2002 was his defining fight is ridiculous IMO. Lewis deserves more credit for other victories in his career. Sadly he did not get the chance to face a prime Tyson or Rid**** Bowe, and these would have been 'defining fights.' But we can't blame Lewis for those fights not happening. Furthermore, you question the quality of Tyson's opposition during his prime, but surely the manner of Lewis's two defeats can't easily be dismissed when determining how he stands in heavyweight history. Yes, he corrected both losses, and yes, other great fighters have been knocked down by inferior opponents i.e. Holmes, Ali, Foreman, Frazier, Patterson, Louis etc, but the difference is that these fighters got up to win e.g. Clay V Cooper, Holmes V Weaver, Foreman V Lyle etc. Obviously Tyson wasn't an expert in overcoming adversity either, but to claim that someone should not be fooled by 'flashy' performances during his prime is IGNORANT.
Tyson's prime was brief, but it was unforgettable and explosive and the level of opposition during this time compare favourably with most on the career record of Lennox Lewis, and no doubt they would do well in the current heavyweight division. I'm talking about the likes of Jesse Ferguson, James Tillis, Jose Ribalta, Bonecrusher Smith, Pinklon Thomas, Tony Tucker, Mitch Green, Tyrell Biggs, Tony Tubbs, Frank Bruno, Carl Williams, Larry Holmes (though obviously past his prime), and Mike Spinks. IMO when Tyson beat Spinks he would have tested any heavyweight in history, despite Spinks being a blown up heavyweight, and IMO Tyson and Lewis are in what i would call the third tier of heavyweight greats.