Was 2002 The Earliest Tyson-Lewis Could Have Really Happened

[Goodnight, Irene]

What about the Rahman rematch? If that isnt Lewis at his best, I dont know what is.

Tyson had every chance to train, yes...but how many boxers TWELVE YEARS after their prime is over ARENT shot? Tyson was obviously washed-up by 2002.

It counts for as much as Tyson-Holmes does. Two great fighters, one prime (or at worst, marginally post-prime), the other plainly washed-up.

[Ambling Alp]

I will just say that I pretty much completely disagree with almost everything you just wrote and leave it at that. We are miles apart on this one.

[Ezzard]

I think we are sort on the sam e page. I do think the situatuion was a little different that Hagler-Leonard. Hagler was expected to destroy Loenard; he had some huge advatanges.
However going in, a lot of people were picking Tyson. Lewis did not have any huge advantages. (Tyson wasn't coming off a huge layioff or anything like that. )
Not saying it was a huge win for Lewis. However, he performed well and should get some credit. Strange as it sounds, I alwasy thought if Lewis wouldn't have performed well but still won a competitive fight, he would have actaully got more credit. The way it turned out, all almost everyone says about the fight was that Tyson was horrible. It was partially becasue Lewis made him look horrible, but he gets almost zero credit for it.

I always thought Lewis would beat Tyson pre-Douglas defeat.

I think what bothered people was that Lewis was over cautious. But all that mattered was he won.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Tyson was never going to beat Lewis in 2002...and had they met in their primes, Lewis would have died.

[Ezzard]

Tyson was never going to beat Lewis in 2002...and had they met in their primes, Lewis would have died.

Like Tillis, Tucker and Smith?

Both men had their off nights. Both men looked great when they were on.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Yes, they did --- as all fighters do.

On those best nights, though, I cant imagine Lewis surviving. Speed kills, and I have no faith in Lewis' durability. He'd always be hard-pressed to beat any of the all-time greats who fell into the punchers category.

[loaded_gloves]

Tillis, Tucker and Smith were extremely durable.

Tucker was never off his feet until he was a 35 year old faded druggie.

Tillis was THE gatekeeper of the 80s, and it took a very good man at that point to put him down.

Smith was another big durable lump who took some major whacks on the jaw in his day without budging.

You can't compare the chin of Lennox Lewis to these guys. As dangerous as he was offesnively, it's impossible to see him taking a punch on the jaw vs a peak Tyson. He isn't just going to shrug it off like Tony Tucker.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Thats the worry with Lewis against a Tyson, a Foreman, a Liston. With guys like that, he's never more than a punch away from defeat, and in the case of Tyson, the speed deficit, mixed with Lewis' relative fragility, is a fatal cocktail.

He would not have survived the young Tyson. Too slow, too soft.

[Ezzard]

Lewis got KO'd twice in a long career of fighting the greats. I'd bet Tyson's fragility to be a bigger factor than Lewis's, just as it was in their actual careers.