Tough opponents Tyson never faced

[BKM-]

Riddick Bowe
Oliver McCall
Ray Mercer
David Tua
Ike Ibeabuchi
George Foreman
Vitali Klitschko

Also Young Lennox(misconceptions about his chin).

More punchers he didn't face:
Tommy Morrison
Shannon Briggs
young Wlad Klitschko, Hasim Rahman and Corrie Sanders.


How is it that all of these men were fighting around the time Mike Tyson was a top HW and he did not face a single one of them?

The only punchers Tyson faced were Frank Bruno and Donovan Ruddock. Both badly hurt him several times, neither of them could take a punch though they had heart, both frontrunners.

I went through this with Tyson fanboys lately. Their excuses for Tyson never facing one puncher with a good chin and instead fought a long line of bums and journeymen is because he was too busy with criminal activity, or he needed tune ups.

I think anybody who knows boxing knows that he ducked them. Tyson could not KO these guys on the top list, and he could not handle their answers as they could all hit him back hard.

The story of prime Tyson ducking old George Foreman:
https://tss.ib.tv/boxing/articles-of...-foreman-tyson

[taino78]

Around 1992 I would have loved to see an all Brooklyn showdown with Riddick Bowe. I might even give the edge to big daddy with his size and boxing skills.

[abracada]

Looking back now there were some very tough matchups for Tyson that we never got to see. I don't think he ducked them per se except maybe one of them(lumberjack George).

Oliver McCall
Ray Mercer
David Tua
Ike Ibeabuchi
George Foreman

These were all possible at one point. All iron chinned punchers with heart(maybe not headcase Oliver) who could take it to him.. I think I forget some too. Mike would hate to fight any of them.

How do you see these fights going? Keep the years in mind for the 25 Tyson versions.

Tyson early 20s...

Oliver McCall - lost to Frank Bruno, beat Lewis in a fluke. Tyson murders any version of him.


Ray Mercer - good chin, but slow. Tyson would pound him to a TKO.


David Tua - Tyson was too fast, both powerful punchers, Tyson KO.


Ike Ibeabuchi - unknown.

George Foreman - skill, height, power. Foreman would KO Tyson in brutal fashion.

[TBear]

Tim Witherspoon. But blame Don King for this as Witherspoon sued him.

[The Old LefHook]

Some great potential fights there. Back in the day I was hoping for any of them. I always believed Tua's lack of a good right hand would be his downfall against two-fisted Mike. His lefhook was as hard, and he had the chin to go with it, but no right hand.

[OctoberRed]

Around 1992 I would have loved to see an all Brooklyn showdown with Riddick Bowe. I might even give the edge to big daddy with his size and boxing skills.

^^^^^ this right here.

[OCPancho]

Tim Witherspoon. But blame Don King for this as Witherspoon sued him.

DK wanted no part of Tim against Tyson.
He could have spoiled the party.
So he had Tim take a dive against Bonecrusher.

[OCPancho]

Looking back now there were some very tough matchups for Tyson that we never got to see. I don't think he ducked them per se except maybe one of them(lumberjack George).

Oliver McCall
Ray Mercer
David Tua
Ike Ibeabuchi
George Foreman

These were all possible at one point. All iron chinned punchers with heart(maybe not headcase Oliver) who could take it to him.. I think I forget some too. Mike would hate to fight any of them.

How do you see these fights going? Keep the years in mind for the 25 Tyson versions.

McCall was just a sparring partner to Mike.
Mike made him quit on a body shot one time.

[DreamFighter]

I doubt he would have been interested once he'd have done the obligatory successful recapture of the title. He was in boxing purely as a cash cow after that, and his heart wasnt in it after prison.

That said, he's ko big george after aan early scare,

olly would go the distance
mercer goes distance
tua gets stopped early, stops tyson

ike, who knows? ike didnt know what he was doing half the time. BUt he never proved he was an elite convincingly before his fall from gracelessness.

[Anthony342]

The thread title makes it sound like Tyson never faced a tough opponent. I guess that would be true, early in is career. He at least finally got to face Holyfield in the mid to late '90s and Lennox Lewis when he was shot.