Prime Mike Tyson in this era

[tysonesque]

I don't think we can say Vitali doesn't have a chin. I forget what round it was in, but Lewis hit him with a monster uppercut that would have taken a lot of fighter's heads off and Vitali barely flinched.

Prime Mike would have been too quick for Vitali and easily out works him, but his sheer size would have made it difficult for Mike to catch him with big combinations to the head.

Tyson wasn't a head hunter then ... if the body was available he'd dig right into it.

He does have a good chin but its not super amazing if we can only base it from one fight. Plus he said that he Lewis was slow and he saw everything coming. Compare that with a Tyson uppercut that he would never see coming. The speed difference is too great and Tyson would charge him.

I guess there is a possibility that Tyson could force the ref to step in, but I just can't see Vitali being counted out.

To be honest though, anything is possible with prime Tyson.

[Mr140]

Eh i say everyone expect the brothers i mean there been long running champs. I say Tyson may lose because when he fought top guys he lost most of the time i go with Klitschko think size be a problem.

[THE PHILOSOPHER]

James Tillis frustrated the hell out of him and made him look inept at times so put him in with any boxer with quick hands!

Holy schooled him and Douglas broke him. So let's not make out he would run through everyone....

I'd favour him over everyone except K2 and maybe the 2 quick southpaws Byrd and Ibragimov.

[OMGWTF]

I firmly believe Tyson would destroy all of them, and he would of taken out a prime lennox lewis, he never would have beaten holyfield though.

Basically Vitali has been flawed and wobbled by lesser punchers than the bombs Tyson throws, and thats a severe understatement, not many of you have seen vitali kickboxing, his chin isnt iron, its solid, but not Tyson solid and tall fighters are tailor made for Tysons style.

Only someone with an exceptional chin or power could beat a prime Tyson e.g. holyfield ali for chin and perhaps a slugger like foreman could beat him too, buster dougless was a fluke 9/10 times Tyson would beat buster dougless.

[Beanflicker]

I think a lot of you guys are really underestimating the Klitschkos. Yeah, Tyson was probably the greatest puncher in HW history (his combination of power + speed + punching variety is unmatched imo), but like any puncher, he needed to plant his feet.

You guys forget that he often had a lot of problems getting off and landing on big, tall guys who tied him up when he got close. Even 6'4'' bum Mike Jameson effectively tied Mike up and stifled his offense for the first few rounds. 6'4'' James Smith stifled his big punch largely, as did 6'5'' Tony Tucker.

Would Tyson beat the Klitschkos? Like I said, for me it's a toss up. But for all you who think Tyson would just walk in there and bomb them out because they caught punches from Corrie Sanders is just rediculous. The Klitschkos didn't dominate a division just by being big - they have the skill and the knowledge to back it up. They've been great at keep guys out of range and not allowed guys to get set.

[THE PHILOSOPHER]

I firmly believe Tyson would destroy all of them, and he would of taken out a prime lennox lewis, he never would have beaten holyfield though.

Who did he beat that was comparable to prime lewis.

Basically Vitali has been flawed and wobbled by lesser punchers than the bombs Tyson throws, and thats a severe understatement, not many of you have seen vitali kickboxing, his chin isnt iron, its solid, but not Tyson solid and tall fighters are tailor made for Tysons style.

Do u mean FLOORED? LOL. And Tyson has been brutally stopped by much lesser punchers than K2!

Whats your point? How did Tyson do against lewis' and Williams punches and how did VK do? Being wobbled is not comparable to being KTFO by Douglas or Holyfield or Williams! Lewis and Sanders are giant punchers and he took there best shots....his chin is iron!

Only someone with an exceptional chin or power could beat a prime Tyson e.g. holyfield ali for chin and perhaps a slugger like foreman could beat him too, buster dougless was a fluke 9/10 times Tyson would beat buster dougless.

And Douglas LOL.

And u never saw VK kickboxing. Kickboxing utilises legs aswell as punches it is a different sport. U probably don't even know about kickboxing anyway. Stop with the Pele Reid crap, he was brutalised by O Norris and J Francis both of whom Vitali stopped easily in boxing.

U criticise VK's chin yet make out Ali's was better! He was sparked out by 185lb CW Henry Cooper. Point me to were that happened with VK.

[Beanflicker]

Basically Vitali has been flawed and wobbled by lesser punchers than the bombs Tyson throws, and thats a severe understatement, not many of you have seen vitali kickboxing, his chin isnt iron, its solid, but not Tyson solid and tall fighters are tailor made for Tysons style.

1. Vitali got knocked out by Pele Reid with a spinning kick. A punch from Tyson, Shavers, or Foreman doesn't hold a candle to a solid, flush kick from a professional kickboxer. You generate a lot more power with a kick than a punch. No one is taking that flush spinning kick from Pele Reid and staying conscious - I don't care how good your chin is. And that's not even mentioning the fact that Vitali was a kid back then, with a lanky "praying mantis" frame that wasn't yet built to take a huge forceful blow.

2. Tall fighters were tailor made for Tyson's style? Yeah, maybe guys like Dave Jaco. The truth is, like I mentioned he struggled with a complete can in 6'4'' Jameson, struggled offensively against 6'5'' Mitch Green as well as 6'4'' Bonecrusher Smith. Took 10 rounds to finish 6'5'' Ribalta, went the distance with 6'5'' Tony Tucker and took 7 rounds to finish 6'5'' Tyrell Biggs.Then of course he got destroyed by 6'4'' Buster Douglas and was given hell by 6'4'' Razor Ruddock.

That's prime Mike. If you want to go post-jail Mike, who were his losses? Holyfield of course beat his ass twice, then 6'5'' Lewis, 6'4'' Danny Williams and 6'6''/6'7'' Kevin Mcbride.

I don't know where you're getting this "tall fighters were made for Tyson" idea, because historically his WORST performances were against tall guys.

[Beanflicker]

This is the technique that KO'd Vitali. There's not a HW bomber, past or present, who could even come close to generating the kind of force that a skilled kickboxer can generate his with legs. That shit would have knocked out Chuvalo, Hagler and Mccall on the same day.

[Fenster]

I think a lot of you guys are really underestimating the Klitschkos. Yeah, Tyson was probably the greatest puncher in HW history (his combination of power + speed + punching variety is unmatched imo), but like any puncher, he needed to plant his feet.

You guys forget that he often had a lot of problems getting off and landing on big, tall guys who tied him up when he got close. Even 6'4'' bum Mike Jameson effectively tied Mike up and stifled his offense for the first few rounds. 6'4'' James Smith stifled his big punch largely, as did 6'5'' Tony Tucker.

Would Tyson beat the Klitschkos? Like I said, for me it's a toss up. But for all you who think Tyson would just walk in there and bomb them out because they caught punches from Corrie Sanders is just rediculous. The Klitschkos didn't dominate a division just by being big - they have the skill and the knowledge to back it up. They've been great at keep guys out of range and not allowed guys to get set.

They're not the same person, they have completely different strengths and weaknesses. It's impossible to know whether either could have beaten the same opposition (well it's proven they couldn't).

Prime Tyson was fast and slick enough to crack thunderous punches onto both of their heads.

I'm not sure he'd beat Vitali, if Vitali took the early bombs there's a good chance his own output wears Tyson down, but I'm pretty certain Wlad would have crumbled. Anyone that unleashes an attack against Wlad has him under pressure, and there's not many in history that match Tyson for aggressive spurts.

[Beanflicker]

Prime Tyson was fast and slick enough to crack thunderous punches onto both of their heads.

Could be. I do know that neither Klitschko would just blow over like a card house along the lines of a David Jaco, like some posters seem to think.

It's a tough fight for Mike and it's a tough fight for either Klitschko. Tyson had a lot of power and speed but hey, so does David Haye. Not saying David Haye = Tyson, but Haye found out quickly that it's easier said than done to just go in there and bomb out a Klitschko. We're talking about two guys with serious size, punching power, speed, educated jabs and superior HW foot movement and range. It's a tough fight for Mike.

[Fenster]

Prime Tyson was fast and slick enough to crack thunderous punches onto both of their heads.

Could be. I do know that neither Klitschko would just blow over like a card house along the lines of a David Jaco, like some posters seem to think.

It's a tough fight for Mike and it's a tough fight for either Klitschko. Tyson had a lot of power and speed but hey, so does David Haye. Not saying David Haye = Tyson, but Haye found out quickly that it's easier said than done to just go in there and bomb out a Klitschko. We're talking about two guys with serious size, punching power, speed, educated jabs and superior HW foot movement and range. It's a tough fight for Mike.

The Terminator Klitschko model you're describing, which I agree is borderline unbeatable, is actually two seperate entities. The Klitschko's have different styles. Chins. Power. Speed. Movement. Stamina. Toughness. Bottle. Heart.

If Corrie Sanders had never ironed out Wlad no-one would currently believe it. If Vitali hadn't taken those bombs from Lewis most fans would not currently believe he could have competed with him.

[Beanflicker]

I'm just saying pressuring Wlad is a hell of a lot easier said than done, and if it was that easy it would have been done a hell of a lot more often. Wlad looked like absolute garbage against Corrie but that was 10 years ago. When talking about hypothetical matchups you have to take each guy at their best. I'm looking at the savage Tyson who wiped the floor with Michael Spinks like he was a journeyman, not the guy who looked average and got his shit pushed in by Buster Douglas.

Wlad isn't an easy guy to hit, especially when you have the reach of a middleweight.

[IamInuit]

One thing I have noticed over the years is that boxing fans have the shortest memories in sport. Not only short memories but also selective. Many tend to remember what a guy looked like on his worst day or the months of decline before he left.

I never liked Tyson at the time but that's not relevant. That guy was a machine even leading into his prime years. He started fighting in 1985 and by the end of 1986 he was already at the top of the food chain having fought 15 times in 85 and 13 times in 86 ending in a title. That's unprecedented now and in the mid eighties when it happened.

Tyson was unstoppable for a time. The mere sight of him coming to the ring with no socks, black no frill boots and shorts with a head hole cut through a terry cloth would have most of the guys mentioned asking for a fresh pair of Depends. Its at that very moment that many of Tysons opponents folded. The highlight reels of the man they watched replaying in their minds. I think Wlad falls into that category. Tyson simply gets underneath that jab and it does not end well for Wlad.Tyson probably had the best head movement in boxing history for a heavyweight and could bob and weave as good as any other.He also was extremely fast for a heavyweight.

Vitali could prove more difficult but damn he stands straight up and moves straight back with that kind of posture. He also carries his lead hand at his waist in the process. He gets away with that with slower and less aggressive fighters but its unclear whether he could cope with the Tyson continuous on-slot. Its probably a toss up as others have mentioned. Personally I don't see it going to the cards and I don't see Vitali making it out of the fight off his back in a slug fest.

[Beanflicker]

One thing I have noticed over the years is that boxing fans have the shortest memories in sport. Not only short memories but also selective. Many tend to remember what a guy looked like on his worst day or the months of decline before he left.

I hope that's not aimed at me, I give Tyson full credit as being THE GREATEST puncher in HW history. And I acknowledge that he wasn't just a puncher, he has superior technique, head movement and defenstive skills to go along with the two nuclear bombs on the ends of his arms.

But the Klitschkos have never gotten the proper respect they deserve for the talent they have. And people are still stuck on Wladimir getting run over by Corrie Sanders 10 years back. Under the guidance of Manny Steward, Wladimir improved leaps and bounds since then. While his chin is still a question mark, I don't see any evidence that would suggest he would cower from Tyson or "beat himself" like Michael Spinks did.

When it comes to Tyson, people only remember the KO clips. They forget that just like every other boxer, he had his faults, flaws, and he was given trouble by a more than one opponent. And like I pointed out, his best performances WERE NOT against tall guys with big reach and boxing skill.

Remember that for 10 years, guys have seen the Corrie/Wlad fight as well as the first Brewster fight. If he had an awful chin, people know about it. Yet no one has been able to do it since. And it's not like the guys he fought weren't capable. David Haye is as powerful and explosive a puncher as we've seen in the HW divison for a long time. Wlad has very few holes in his game and leaves very little oppotunity for opponents. To believe that Tyson would just go in there and bomb him out, no sweat, is just unrealistic to me.

[IamInuit]

One thing I have noticed over the years is that boxing fans have the shortest memories in sport. Not only short memories but also selective. Many tend to remember what a guy looked like on his worst day or the months of decline before he left.

I hope that's not aimed at me,

No it was not. Simply a general statement of fact.