2 heavyweight blockbusters that fell through (02 & 03)

[Riddick Bowie]

Totally forgotten but would have been very tasty indeed. Mike Tyson was set, in an effort to get more rounds in and shake the ring rust, to fight Ray Mercer in Jan 2002 but Lennox Lewis went to court and blocked it.

Roy Jones offered Corrie Sanders a fight for Nov 2003. When Team Sanders accepted the fight Roy decided he wanted (an impossible) 20m otherwise he would drop back down to light heavy for an uninteresting fight with unfashionable Antonio Tarver.

I think Tyson would have KOd what was left of Mercer and Sanders would blitzed Jones. But who knows. Two that got away!

[punchoutsb]

I agree, I'd say Tyson would have gotten a late stoppage after beating Mercer up, and Corrie would have stopped Roy in the first half of the fight.

[gilgamesh]

Totally forgotten but would have been very tasty indeed. Mike Tyson was set, in an effort to get more rounds in and shake the ring rust, to fight Ray Mercer in Jan 2002 but Lennox Lewis went to court and blocked it.

Roy Jones offered Corrie Sanders a fight for Nov 2003. When Team Sanders accepted the fight Roy decided he wanted (an impossible) 20m otherwise he would drop back down to light heavy for an uninteresting fight with unfashionable Antonio Tarver.

I think Tyson would have KOd what was left of Mercer and Sanders would blitzed Jones. But who knows. Two that got away!

How could Lennox have been in a position to keep a guy who wasn't Champion of anything from fighting someone else? I take it they already had their fight signed and agreed to, and it said there could be no tuneups or something?

Tyson and Mercer in 2002 probably would've been an excellent, and highly competitive bout. Tyson likely would've won, but he would've won a hard fought decision, and made it all the more clear that he didn't have any chance against Lewis.

Lewis I imagine didn't want the fight to take place because he was afraid of a very real possibility of Mercer beating Mike, and taking away his mega payday.

[DrDuke]

Tyson vs Mercer wouldn't be very interesting at that point. Tyson had indeed possessed at least decent delivery of his powah, while Mercer's chin had been gone.

Sanders vs Roy would be fun. It's easier to see Corrie a winner by a kayo.

[gilgamesh]

Tyson vs Mercer wouldn't be very interesting at that point. Tyson had indeed possessed at least decent delivery of his powah, while Mercer's chin had been gone.

Sanders vs Roy would be fun. It's easier to see Corrie a winner by a kayo.

Mercer's chin was gone in 2002? He got stopped on his feet by a Wladimir Klitschko that was pummeling the sh*t out of him that year.

It hadn't gone too far.

[DrDuke]

Tyson vs Mercer wouldn't be very interesting at that point. Tyson had indeed possessed at least decent delivery of his powah, while Mercer's chin had been gone.

Sanders vs Roy would be fun. It's easier to see Corrie a winner by a kayo.

Mercer's chin was gone in 2002? He got stopped on his feet by a Wladimir Klitschko that was pummeling the sh*t out of him that year.

It hadn't gone too far.

Anyway, was far from best.

[Riddick Bowie]

Totally forgotten but would have been very tasty indeed. Mike Tyson was set, in an effort to get more rounds in and shake the ring rust, to fight Ray Mercer in Jan 2002 but Lennox Lewis went to court and blocked it.

Roy Jones offered Corrie Sanders a fight for Nov 2003. When Team Sanders accepted the fight Roy decided he wanted (an impossible) 20m otherwise he would drop back down to light heavy for an uninteresting fight with unfashionable Antonio Tarver.

I think Tyson would have KOd what was left of Mercer and Sanders would blitzed Jones. But who knows. Two that got away!

How could Lennox have been in a position to keep a guy who wasn't Champion of anything from fighting someone else? I take it they already had their fight signed and agreed to, and it said there could be no tuneups or something?

Tyson and Mercer in 2002 probably would've been an excellent, and highly competitive bout. Tyson likely would've won, but he would've won a hard fought decision, and made it all the more clear that he didn't have any chance against Lewis.

Lewis I imagine didn't want the fight to take place because he was afraid of a very real possibility of Mercer beating Mike, and taking away his mega payday.

He also went to court and blocked Hasim Rahman vs Brian Nielsen in China in 2001

[gilgamesh]

Totally forgotten but would have been very tasty indeed. Mike Tyson was set, in an effort to get more rounds in and shake the ring rust, to fight Ray Mercer in Jan 2002 but Lennox Lewis went to court and blocked it.

Roy Jones offered Corrie Sanders a fight for Nov 2003. When Team Sanders accepted the fight Roy decided he wanted (an impossible) 20m otherwise he would drop back down to light heavy for an uninteresting fight with unfashionable Antonio Tarver.

I think Tyson would have KOd what was left of Mercer and Sanders would blitzed Jones. But who knows. Two that got away!

How could Lennox have been in a position to keep a guy who wasn't Champion of anything from fighting someone else? I take it they already had their fight signed and agreed to, and it said there could be no tuneups or something?

Tyson and Mercer in 2002 probably would've been an excellent, and highly competitive bout. Tyson likely would've won, but he would've won a hard fought decision, and made it all the more clear that he didn't have any chance against Lewis.

Lewis I imagine didn't want the fight to take place because he was afraid of a very real possibility of Mercer beating Mike, and taking away his mega payday.

He also went to court and blocked Hasim Rahman vs Brian Nielsen in China in 2001

See I understand that though because he had a Rematch clause in the contract, but how can you control whether or not a potential challenger has a tune up or not?

[BroughtonRulesRefuge]

- 2002-03 an interesting intersection of the heavy division with Tyson making his 2nd comeback after a road rage incident where he literally kicked  "Richard Hardick" between his legs that earned him extra downtime in the Big House for violating his parole.

Poor Dick never knew what kicked him, but Frans Botha pitched a shutout in Tyson's ring return before he was able to time Botha out for the KO. Next 5 opponents crazy 1-2 rd KOs as Mike was implementing his 4 round training routine. Finally a solid Neilson took him a hard earned 6 rounds, whereas Lewis having recovered from his British Horizontal Heavy moment against Rahman made offers to Tyson who accepted with the proviso of Mercer as a solid warm up for Lewis who sued. 

Keep in mind anyone can sue anyone with a frivolous lawsuit that happens every day. Lewis with his keen eye saw his payday was in danger if Mercer outlasts a melting Mike, so Lewis sweetened the deal, lawsuit dropped, and Mercer fight was lost forever.

I was just getting back into viewing boxing after my l'l bro post 9/11 went comatose for two months in ICU. I was over daily and then on to feed his cats where I'd partake any HBO fights where I first saw little Floydy get beat up by teensy Jesus Chavez to no credit, and Manny struggling with the billy goating Agapito Sanchez when all he had to do was box at a distance.

When Bro recovered, he had a big night with his best friend and myself over for a grill out and Tyson/Lewis. He was the lead salesman of the local high powered Mazda dealer full of young bucks wanting his cushy internet position, so I drafted a Wagering Advisory noting the two fighter styles that would predict Tyson early in the first 4 rounds, and Lewis everything afterwards that he printed up to great hoopla.

Roy was then in full pomp as #1 p4p in all of History according to Slapsie Maxie Jellymon, capable of prostrating Dempsey, Louis, Ali, and Superman on the same night before playing some basketball. After whooping the beleaguered Ruiz, in his delusions of grandeur he wanted $100 mil for his next fight, preferably the melted Tyson but Lewis if that couldn't be arranged. Of course that was ridiculous. When Corrie KOed Wlad, he was ready to bypass his dreary mandatory to go straight into Roy and his WBA title, and so signed the contract Roy gave him, but of that also was pie in the sky as DKing who held the next heavywt option on of Roy was to find out when the now unlicensed Vander turned down that fight for Toney...oopsie poopsie Vander!

Roy nixed his Heavywt WBA title defense and King for the regrettable Tarver fight that he won looking less than Roy The Magnificent was supposed to look. Had he retired then as he had been planning, his fans would be littering boxrec today with his #1 all time status with some legit gravitas. 

Nyet to that, so sayonara and adios suckers, here we be today

[jaouad]

Wished that Lewis wouldn't have sued Tyson back then for wanting a tune up fight. Tyson only had 1 fight in 2001 where he looked sluggish and large unlike his active year of 2000 where he was also in great shape. He was scheduled to fight David Izon in June 2001 but Showtime tried to figure out a deal with HBO to have a Tyson - Rahman match up after Rahman upset Lewis in April 2001. Eventually Lewis successfully activated his rematch clause which pushed a fight for Tyson back to October 2001 which caused exactly one year of inactivity for Tyson. At the end it wouldn't made much difference for the outcome of Lewis vs Tyson but at least we would have a definitive answer who would win between Tyson and Mercer in a fight.