Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield prime for prime

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Emanuele

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Who would win if we put a 1988 Tyson vs a 1991 Holyfield?
 
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Sunfish said:
Evander was all wrong for Tyson, regardless of which version. KO 5 doesn't sound realistic. It's going the distance and Evander probably shades it.
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Yeah maybe you have a point. Evander had a knack for grinding in the grittiest way. Im not sure of the distance, and Evo had never seen the kind of power Mike brought to the ring. Lets not forget that the 2nd fight was actually pretty competitive before the ear bites. A quicker sharper focused on killing someone in the ring by "punching the bridge of his nose into the brain" Mike Tyson of '88 imo wouldv'e been a touch too much for Evo. Flash knock down and finish while a dizzy Holyfield tries to hold and recover maybe 9th or 10th.
 
I read an old interview from Kevin Rooney quite some time ago. He commented on Tyson-Holyfield right after the fight, just like he commented on Tyson-Douglas post-fight. Rooney pointed out severel things. The only two I remember is Rooney suggesting that Mike didn't look in good shape in both fights and also the lack of head movement, which was a crucial part of prime Mike's game according to him. Since Rooney practically lived with Mike while training Mike, he should know. Of course he thought that Mike at his best would knock out Holyfield quickly.

I don't know who I pick, just like I don't know who I'd pick in Ali vs. Frazier if they fought in 1968. Holyfield himself said that Mike stopped fighting at one point and began relying on the intimidation factor.
 
clashnat said:
I read an old interview from Kevin Rooney quite some time ago. He commented on Tyson-Holyfield right after the fight, just like he commented on Tyson-Douglas post-fight. Rooney pointed out severel things. The only two I remember is Rooney suggesting that Mike didn't look in good shape in both fights and also the lack of head movement, which was a crucial part of prime Mike's game according to him. Since Rooney practically lived with Mike while training Mike, he should know. Of course he thought that Mike at his best would knock out Holyfield quickly.

I don't know who I pick, just like I don't know who I'd pick in Ali vs. Frazier if they fought in 1968. Holyfield himself said that Mike stopped fighting at one point and began relying on the intimidation factor.
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I agree with that!
 
headbutts vs ear bitting i'll take the headbutts. on a serious note tyson was a far better boxer and harder puncher but nowhere near as tough as holyfield. i would have to go with tyson. tyson vs foreman was the match i would have loved to see.
 
It depends who is coaching Mike Tyson. If Cus D'Amato is, then Mike takes it. If not, then Holyfield wins.
 
Holyfield of the early 90's got hit a lot... often by shots you wouldn't expect him to. Old Foreman spent most of their bout simply crossing his arms and surviving but he still manage to buzz Holyfield a number of times, an out-of-shape late replacement Bert Cooper hurt him badly, Holmes caught him with a series of uppercuts early and obviously there's the first Bowe bout. Despite Bowe's height and size the majority of the damage came on the inside with the two brawling in the phonebox and Bowe nearly got Holyfield out of there with a huge uppercut on the inside.

I'm not sure I'm that confident in anyone who primary boxes on the inside and gets hit that often... especially by uppercuts... managing to beat Tyson of his 1988 form. Likewise, their first bout in 1996 was pretty competitive (with Tyson able to hurt Holyfield at least once) until about the sixth round when a combination of a headbutt induced (and worsened) cut, a pretty blatant low blow and a knockdown took Tyson out of the bout. Even then he finished the bout on his feet.
 
From what I understand, if Tyson had gotten past Buster Douglas he would have fought Holyfield next. It sucks that we had to wait another 6 years or so before seeing the fight after Tyson had spent a few years in prison. I would have much rather watched this fight take place in 1990 or 1991.
 
wellz6 said:
From what I understand, if Tyson had gotten past Buster Douglas he would have fought Holyfield next. It sucks that we had to wait another 6 years or so before seeing the fight after Tyson had spent a few years in prison. I would have much rather watched this fight take place in 1990 or 1991.
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If during that time(in which he had a much better chance of winning), he had fought Lennox, and Holyfield I think people would be putting him higher up on the echelon of greatest ever. Cause I think he would've beaten them both, circa 88-91.

Prime Tyson, head movement an all was a very baaad man, and would've been a major problem for anyone in history.
 
clashnat said:
So Holyfield thinks that Mike would knock him out?
That must've been his alter ego Evan Fields who talked out of him.
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I don't think Holy was saying that, all he meant was he wasn't the same guy everyone feared in the late 80s by the time they actually threw down. Nothing more than that...World Class boxers don't fear any man, they just call it like they see it, Mike wasn't the same guy, (hence easier to deal with).

**On a side note**
I don't know if you all remember but they were trying to get a Lennox vs Tyson fight done for a long time when they both were rollin'; but Lennox kept ducking Mike until he was clearly ripe for the beating some 5-6 yrs later. I remember when that fight finally happened most of me an my friends were expecting Mike to get smashed (as he sure did) but we were hoping somehow Mike might clip the big Brit an bring back some nostalgia. LOL
 
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