1988 Mike Tyson vs 2002 Lennox Lewis

[WesCrook]

I posted in another thread a few months ago stating that Lennox Lewis beats any version of Mike Tyson....and I stand firm with this.

Experienced, physically gifted, and slightly past his prime Lewis vs Peak, blazing fast, head-moving, Kevin Rooney advising Tyson.

Lewis still wins. The fact that Tyson had some serious struggles against above average taller fighters says a lot. Imagine was Lewis would do, regardless of Mike's speed. Lennox was too big and knew how to take advantage of his physical gifts. It'd be a nightmare for Tyson to close the gap and get near enough to Lennox to land something big. As McCall and Rahman proved, Lennox can be knocked out when he's off balance or caught off guard, but he knew how to protect himself well. There's always a chance that Tyson could slip something past Lennox and hurt him. But when Lennox is focused, he ain't going anywhere. Key word is FOCUSED.

After the 6th or 7th round and once Tyson's head-movement quickly fades, Lewis breaks him down with the jab and wins almost all of the remaining rounds to a UD.

 

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

Who is debating this? Lennox in his prime never loses to any version of Tyson.

 

[Daystew]

Who is debating this? Lennox in his prime never loses to any version of Tyson.

I love watching prime Tyson. But Lennox is the most underrated heavyweight of that (or maybe any)era.

 

[Stinky Diver]

Lennox would jab tysons head off then potentially knock him out.

 

[spencerforhire]

Who is debating this? Lennox in his prime never loses to any version of Tyson.

He had Riddikk Bowe play hide and seek.

 

[Memorial Stadium Piru]

Tysons biggest issues were will and length

Holyfield beat him with straight up will, because people at the time were saying his career was over. Buster beat him up with will because he was full of emotion following the passing of his mother.

Tyson is 5'9 with a 71" reach, Lennox is 6'5 with 84 inches......lol

Both of them in their prime, I'm taking Lennox because he beat Holyfield and we saw what Real Deal did to Mike, and he's just too long and too good. The good part should be noted and taken just as serious as the rangyness, because Tyson beat the shyt out of Golota and would've killed Michael Grant. I'd also not count Iron Mike out completely because Lennox's chin was a little fragile and he got rocked by some lesser comp before.

 

[TrebleMan]

I think Tyson takes it personally. Dude was very adept at getting inside when he was in his prime with some quickness and movement that many would seem unnatural.

I know Lennox was a very smart fighter and his height/power combination is tough to beat for other atg's, but some of that height is negated by Tyson being able to bend very low while being disciplined to keep his eyes up and launch out of that stance in a flash. Lennox Lewis reaches in at the wrong time and it's Rahman all over again.

Great points here:
Mike Tyson vs Lennox Lewis in their primes - BoxRec

I like both men but Lewis just doesn't have the chin to survive Mike Tyson, or the speed for that matter. I could see Lewis doing a Bonecrusher and holding a lot, as he was having to do in Memphis early against a heavy and slowed down Tyson, but at some point early the punch(es) get to Lewis and he's counted out on his back.

Have you seen Tyson's whipping combinations come out of nowhere to lift 6'5'' men like Ribalta off their feet, to crack Blood Green so hard his teeth literally flew out and hit a ringside photographer, to jolt Tucker's head and send jheri curl juice spraying into the back of the auditorium?

Tyson was adamant timing was more important than reach when it came to jabbing, and his jabbing was sublime against big tall rangy fighters, all of whom were more durable than Lewis.

I love Lennox, supported him throughout his career, hate Tyson freaks, but I can't see a way Lewis survives even implementing Bonecrusher's strategy, as even Bone took some great whacks to the jaw.

I have to go with tyson on this one in his "prime" , the major difference in my opinion on prime an non prime tyson is his ability to get on the inside of a bigger rangier fighter. His number one advantage was his speed closing that gap and counter punching the jab an sticking on the inside lewis wouldnt of had the speed or jab to keep him off him, Holyfield on the other hand would have beaten mike prime or not..... but thats a different topic...styles make fights

Lewis knew better than to let Ruddock land and was way more wary about his chin post-McCall when fighting Morrison and the overweight Tua et al, but those men hardly came with a vast arsenal. Left hooks, all night, and Lewis made sure he kept his right glove plastered to his chin. Tyson had the left, the right, combinations of both, crucially Tyson had the impeccably timed jab which he used multiple times to outjab and confuse the bigger men, and he came from all directions with combination punching. And Lewis, when you took his jab away, became very easy to get to, as Bruno, Mercer, and Rahman discovered.

 

[DillaTUDE]

No heavyweight in history would have an answer for that focused Lewis that slaughtered Rahman in their rematch.

 

[bxrfan]

Why 2002 Lennox? He wasn't near his prime either at that point. That goat hypothetical matchup between the two would be 86-88 Tyson against 96-99 Lewis

 

[Mook]

Prime Tyson was the greatest fighter ever made. His weakness was his asthma.

 

[Big Boss]

@SkiHatDaGawd

 

[Rev Leon Lonnie Love]

Yeah, Lewis boxing skills and Emmanuel's game plan would be too much for Tyson. It would be interesting first few rounds but after 5 it would be one sided

 

[dh86]

So Mike Tyson that barely knew how to box vs Lennox near his peak. What a horrible question.

 

[dh86]

Prime Tyson was the greatest fighter ever made. His weakness was his asthma.

You are who you beat.

 

[mitter]

Say what you will about Tyson, but he never got KOed in one punch by a journeyman like Oliver McCall or Hasim Rahman.

Yeah, prime or near-prime Tyson got KOed by Buster Douglas and Evander Holyfield. But that was after prolonged beatdowns that lasted several rounds.


in 2002, saying that Tyson was a shell of his former self was very generous. Yet, Lewis was still ultra-cautious and scared to go in and finish things until Tyson was basically a dead man walking. Imagine how much more cautious the glass-jawed Lewis would be against a prime Tyson.


In all honesty, I think it would be a boring fight. It would be a lot like Tyson vs. Smith or Tyson vs. Tucker: Tyson is frustrated by having to deal with a much taller fighter and isn't able to do what he wants to do, but the much taller fighter is terrified, extremely cautious and just looking to survive and not get KOed. Tyson wins a boring decision by outworking the bigger man.