-
-
Leon Spinks defeating Ali is THE biggest to me. Buster defeating Tyson was considered a bigger one but everyone in boxing knew if Buster came in "right" he could give Tyson a run. Buster was a well schooled fighter who often didn't train properly and had to many outside interests. Not that time!
RayComment
-
I remember it like it was yesterday.
Tyson had looked really good against Bruno and Seldon (granted it looked like Seldon couldn't have stood up to a decent gale that night). But Tyson was looking ripped, powerful and nearly as fast as his heyday. His head movement and combination punching weren't quite there yet.......and his stamina was untested in his comeback, but most people I spoke to at the time thought he was going to be champion for a very long time. Lennox Lewis accepted 4 million to step aside rather than fight Tyson for mega millions. Tyson was really carrying quite an aura again in 1996!!
Meanwhile, we had poor Holyfield suffer suspected heart issues in his losing fight with Moorer; then claims that he had been religiously healed. Despite this, he seemed to have no stamina at all in his decider with Rid**** Bowe and was stopped for the first time. Bowe looked pretty substandard himself that night which didn't help.
Next, Holyfield struggles and looks very poor against former cruiserweight Bobby Czyz! Many thought Holyfield was shot and could be badly damaged against Tyson. Even in hindsight, Holyfield with this script looked doomed to failure!!
I honestly thought Holyfield would last about five rounds. Most thought it would end quicker.........Ron Borges was the only guy picking Holyfield that I recall. Most thought it a mismatch. I remember local odds of 33:1, not quite the 44:1 for the Douglas fight, but the result was a huge upset at the time and propelled him near to the top of the pound for pound lists.Comment
-
Yeah but a lot of Holyfield fans knew he wouldn't be intimidated, would give back as hard as he got hit and would stand up to the early barrage of Tyson and keep coming, like Douglas did against Tyson. I wasn't expecting a stoppage though, but to be more like the first Bowe fight where they battle it out nearly every round and it goes the distance, but this time with Holyfield getting the decision.
So Lewis stepped aside so Tyson could fight Holyfield? They just ended up fighting anyway and I don't think the result would've been much different. A prime Tyson could probably stop Lewis though or maybe win a decision.Comment
-
Vegas should make a line on the heavyweights belt lines at their weigh ins Arreola over/under 42" chisora over/under 44"
Comment
-
But I'm surprised you thought Holyfield could grind out a hard fought decision at the time. His distance stamina was terrible against Moorer and Bowe!
We all knew Holyfield was brave and wouldn't be intimidated, but it was the biggest surprise when we found out that his distance stamina was every bit as good as it had been 4 or 5 years earlier. Plus his chin and sheer strength was probably superior to prime Holyfield.
Fair play to anyone predicting a Holyfield victory; but there was no apparent evidence from his recent fights that he had anything like enough to beat Tyson at the time.
As for Lewis circa 1996....it would have been a better fight that it was in the early noughties. Tyson did fight well against Holyfield and did some good work in the first 5 rounds. But Barring a McCall/Rahman style punch; and lets face it Tyson did land some great punches against Bruno and Holyfield (both times) in 96/97, Lewis would probably win late.
Prime for prime may have been a different story.Comment
-
Well I guess I picked him because I was just a bigger Holyfield fan than a Tyson one.Comment
Tweet
Comment