They both my favorite heavyweights.I can't say which of them i like more.But i think LL beat a prime Tyson 55/45 chanse.Lennox too big, smart fighter with good skills.I don't think that Lewis was a better boxer, but his size was a key for win.

Tyson has a good chanse knockout Lennox in 2-4 rounds

They have both been exploited by the other fighters strengths.


Tyson, when fighting someone who has mental strength, can hit and knows how to use their jab, has lost and/or struggled.


Lewis, when facing a big puncher, has been KO'd.


There is a big argument either way and it's a difficult call.







Tyson has tremendous power and speed, but he never got chance to use it against a pedigree heavyweight of Lewis' standard whilst in his prime. Lennox dominated the majority of his opponents and could fight aggressively or patiently, but has been known to start slow and there will always be questions about his chin.

Would Tyson shut down and mentally crumble if he didn't get Lewis out of there within 6 rounds?

Would Lewis start slow or gas out and succumb to the KO?

What's interesting is Riddick has specified which Tyson is fighting which is the 1986-88 version. That tyson didn't know how to lose and trained like an animal. I remember a quote from Evander Holyfield (no mean training machine himself) whom remembers seeing Tyson training at a whole other level when they were both trying to make the Olympic team. That Tyson had work ethic, focus and self belief.

I remember when Tillis I think it was took the young man into deep water and Tyson was struggling with fatique in later rounds having made the classic youngsters mistake of coming out too early. He was taking some decent shots but Mike just dug down and fired back and gutsed it out.

Would he beat the prime version of Lewis? Who knows but I don't see the 1986-88 version giving up and mentally crumbling.

Have this fight 10 times each guy could well win 5 each, might just come down to the night.

As for Lewis he had some good wins but never beat a prime guy (not his fault though.) However he struggled with Mercer and Bruno, I think lost the 2nd fight against an aged Holyfield and got KO-ed twice by McCall and Rahman which says to me you never quite knew which Lennox Lewis was going to turn up.

Even in his prime 97-00 he was capable of patchy performances.

I'd have to take the 86-88 tyson v all but the ATG heavyweights in their primes. Lewis does not measure up to that IMO.

Tough call but I would have to say Tyson early KO.

Even though Tyson never faced that level of competition that early, it would be nice to see if his speed could have got him on the inside of lennox

It would pretty much be a blowout I think

This is a tough one to call. At first I was thinking Lennox Lewis would win but the more I thought about it I switched to Mike and heres why. Mike was a machine back then. He had great movement and also was a combination puncher back then. What's surprising is Mike had an excellent jab and no matter how tall you were Mike put his self in the right angle to jab with you. Mike knew how to get inside on taller fighters and did great work to the body too. Mike was vicious with great speed and power and had that aura of invincibility which brings me to Lennox Lewis. He was scared of Tyson. Even the washed up Tyson that he beat he was still scared. Manny Steward had to scream and beg Lewis to go after a Tyson that was dead in the ring. Lennox is comfortable when he can keep you outside at the end of his punches. He doesn't like pressure at all.
In the end I think Mike's speed, power and pressure would be too much for Lennox. Mike had a good work rate and could go 12 rounds and he would of got to Lennox.

Lewis was a wimp. He'd have flopped around the ring against young Tyson.

imo, Lewis was at his best after the 2nd Rahman fight. He was confident and strong and able to fight a disciplined fight. Those would be the tools needed to beat a prime Tyson. Idk who i would pick, it could go either way. Tyson gave Lewis trouble in the first rd of their fight and he was a shell of himself. I have no reason to believe a prime Tyson couldn't do the same thing to any version of Lewis, the real question is if Lewis could weather that storm.

A prime Tyson could beat anyone in boxing history, Lewis included.

Agreed!

The young hungry version of Tyson was a fast starter and losing wasn't even in his vocabulary. I think he takes Lewis out early. Even if it went 12 I think he would have put enough rounds in the bank early to get a decision should he gas late.

Tyson wasn't invincible in his prime, he's just a much better version than what Holyfield and Lewis fought. i think this is a tough fight to call and could go either way. i would take Tyson by a controversial decision in a fight Lewis should have won by a point or 2.

Tyson is one of my top 3 all time favorites, but I'm gonna be honest. I think the results would of been the same or similar.

Yeh, I think this sums it up well plus Tyson would have a chance of an early KO.

The thing is though, the fact Tyson fights so damn square is always going to benefit Lewis, who was a superior boxer and has more of a target coming at him.

Tyson by early KO, or one of them by KO late.

So give me Iron mike 6 1/2 out of 10 fights.

I got Lewis over Tyson more times than not.

I got Holyfield over Tyson every single time.

The version of Mike you are all claiming is just about invincible was taken deep by the likes of Tillis (TWICE....very few people even know of the charity exhibition where he went another 10 with Mike)....Tucker and Smith.

ALL....taller HW's with decent jabs/decent power...but nowhere near the Jab and power of the Lewis mentioned.


If you were not being specific with the eras of each...there are plenty of versions of each that would stop the other...for example an 87 Mike vs a 92 or so Lewis...the Lewis that fought Bruno and Rudduck...before Manny....terrible balence...I think he falls with a vintage Mike...

BUT...to streamline it to the 98 era Lewis.....

NAH....too tall, too skilled too powerful. Mike may have a few moments where he lunges in and lands a bomb or so, but nothing that would be so solid as to lay LL out...but in the end I think Lewis beats him maybe not by KO but I could see a stopage by TKO or UD.

Tyson from that era had good head movement and gave very good angles, he was never out of position and always able to fire of those vicious combos. Plus, whether he was fighting a taller fighter or not he utilized his jab to get to his opponent. Lennox at his best had a great jab and was able to dictate the way he wanted the fight to play out. I could see this going either way and wouldn't be shocked who won but I'd slightly favor Iron Mike due to his head movement and his ability to throw hard shots from a wide array of angles.