Lennox-Tyson prime for prime.....

[Randall_Hopkirk]

So guys like Mitch Green, "Bonecrusher" Smith and Tony Tucker take Tyson the distance, but Mike's going to stop an ATG like Lewis, with extremely long reach, awesome jab, and huge power in both hands early?

thats my point exactly. Lewis had the lot for a HW, people would question his heart and chin against a prime Tyson but the heart issue was/is a non issue and a fully prepared and alert Lennox sees Mike's punches coming and doesn't get stopped.

[oldgringo]

Lewis had the style to beat Tyson, a tall guy with a great jab and a great uppercut to catch Tyson on the way in, he was also very good at clinching in the inside, ring size will have a major factor in this fight though, if it's a small ring Lewis won't get the chance to move around ala the Mercer fight, a normal sized ring I'd give the edge to Lewis unless he got caught flush, I'm not saying he had a china chin but Tyson was very explosively powerful in his prime.

Good post. I feel like bashing Tyson is the cool thing to do now, but he was an explosive force in his day. He certainly had the tools to beat several other great Heavyweights, Lewis being one of them.

Even fight for me. Lewis' chances of winning increase after 7-8 rounds.

[Left Hook Tua]

Who in the heavyweight division history had the speed, power and intensity Mike Tyson had?? I don’t think there would be a HW champion that wouldn’t be scared by Mike Tyson in his prime.

ali got in the ring with liston , frazier , foreman and shavers 7 times.

[Jolly Roger]

Lewis was simply a better and more versatile boxer, i see him either stopping Tyson late or winning a decision.

[-Swizzy-]

So guys like Mitch Green, "Bonecrusher" Smith and Tony Tucker take Tyson the distance, but Mike's going to stop an ATG like Lewis, with extremely long reach, awesome jab, and huge power in both hands early?

why not? mccall did. triangular theories don't work in boxing.

[Khalid X]

Well lets look at when they fought later on in their careers. Mike was completely finished(was getting outboxed by Botha b4 he KO'd him) and was still able to cause lennox problems in the first round. When he rushed lennox...lennox looked like a deer in head lights and mike got insided easy and resulted in lennox clinching alot. Lennox was even giving a warning for too much clinching. But as the fight went on lewis was able to wear down a finished mike tyson. Tyson in his prime would have destroyed lennox early on. He had the openings was able to get inside but that version of mike IMO lost alot of his power and explosiveness.


One thing i give mike credit for though is he took clean shot after clean shot from lennox and was able to last till the 8th round. Also a year b4 mike won the HW title he fought lennox who was the olympic medalist at the time. Soon as the bell rang tyson rushed him and knocked him out the ring in the first few seconds. Then lennox got up and it went the distance with no man holding a clear advantage. So tyson could have went the distance but was told to not be so aggressive after those first few seconds.

[Khalid X]

ali got in the ring with liston , frazier , foreman and shavers 7 times.

ali admited b4 the foreman fight he was nervous/scared...he went to cus d'amato and cus gave him the blue print to beat george.

[Jim Jeffries]

why not? mccall did. triangular theories don't work in boxing.

Um that's not a triangular theory, since Lewis didn't fight any of those three guys. McCall was a better fighter than Buster Douglas, BTW. See how that works?

[Randall_Hopkirk]

why not? mccall did. triangular theories don't work in boxing.

You're assuming that Tyson had more power than McCall therefore Tyson would do the same? McCall's punch was right on the button, a close your eyes and hope for the best job; his power was irrelevant. I still say Lewis would be too alert and ready for Mike to get dropped. As Larry Merchant said of Lennox during the Lewis-Rahman II build-up "his history is when he gets angry, fearful or respectful of an opponent, he becomes more defensive which is too his advantage as a fighter."

[BMWM3P]

Prime Tyson would have knocked Lewis out, Tyson's intensity would be have been too much for Lewis.