Tyson and lennox lewis

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Last I heard they were supposed to be having it in Memphis, but the needed money or something and it didn't look like they would get it. I also read that there was a deadline that has long since passed that they would have needed to get the money by or else Lewis would have to face soeone else or forfeit his titles.

[Guest DrTom]

Bah, I'm to the point where I don't care anymore.  The heavywieght division is a joke and a circus.  Tyson is a criminally insane barbarian who has the good fortune to live in a country where people of his loathsome ilk are somehow popular.  If this fight happens, wherever and whenever it is, I hope Lewis beats Tyson like a little bitch in the middle of the ring.

[Guest alkeiper]

Boxing's had a lot of characters more dispicable than Tyson.  Boxers come from the lowestend of the economic spectrum, and will always have a large amount of criminals in the group.

 

As for the fight, June 8th is the date I've heard.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I know that the date was supposed to be June 8th, but I haven't heard if they are still having it.

 

As far as questioning Tyson's character, I think people need to lay off of him. He is a regular guy like everyone, but he has the ability to "knock people out in spectacular fashion" (those are his words not mine. I think people expect a lot from him because of his fame, but in all honesty, I think he needs some help instead of people firing shots at him. If someone is sick, you help them. People have more pity for someone physically handicapped than a person who is mentally handicapped. The physically handicapped person is helped and gets special provisions, a mentally handicapped person usually becomes an outcast. The media does their best to portray the guy as a jerk and a moron, but I know for a fact that Tyson can be a nice guy with altruistic tendencies sometimes. Sure he has some mental problems, but all of the belittling doesn't help him.

[Guest DrTom]

"Boxing's had a lot of characters more dispicable than Tyson."

 

A lot?  Even if you count promoters like Don King, I still wouldn't go along with "a lot."  There are hoods in every sport, yes, but Tyson has a long record of crimes, serious problems, ridiculous outbursts, and generally being a despicable person.  There might be a few boxers who rank higher than him on the asshole-o-meter, but I can't see it being anywhere near "a lot."

[Guest DrTom]

"I think he needs some help instead of people firing shots at him. If someone is sick, you help them. People have more pity for someone physically handicapped than a person who is mentally handicapped."

 

Wee-wah.  That's just a bunch of bleeding-heart bullshit.  Tyson has been careful to surround himself with yes-men, a common thing among athletes who have an entourage or a "posse."  At some point, the troubled person has to want to help themselves.  Tyson's not beyond help, but he has shown no willingness to seek it out himself, nor to ally himself with anyone who will actually tell him he needs it.  I have no pity at all for him.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

A mentally ill person is not likely to admit that there is a problem with the way they think. Granted there are nice people who are mentally ill, and there are dickheads who are mentally ill, but people have been messing with Tyson for as long as I can remember. Whether it has been jokes about his voice or whatever, so Tyson is paranoid and defensive sometimes. The reason why Tyson is surrounded by yes men is because he is insecure and has somewhat of a childish mentality sometimes. I remember reading somewhere that he has the people who he has because he was tired of being told what to do.

 

That's just a bunch of bleeding-heart bullshit.

 

At some point, the troubled person has to want to help themselves.  Tyson's not beyond help, but he has shown no willingness to seek it out himself, nor to ally himself with anyone who will actually tell him he needs it.  I have no pity at all for him.

 

If he is in fact mentally ill, how do you think he is going to come to the realization that something is wrong with the way that he thinks? Denial is common among people who are mentally ill.

[Guest Genecide1]

i'm sick and tired of everyone on this board bashing boxing whenever they can get a chance. Look I'll be the first to admit that the heavyweight division is more f'd up than Tammy Lynn Sytch but if you wanna see a great fight you just have to know where to look. Go and find tapes of Leonard Dorin v. Raul Balbi or Bernard Hopkins v. Felix Trinidad or even Kostya Tszyu v. Zab Judah, clusterfuck that that fight turned out to be. So in conclusion don't hate what you don't know. Watch a couple of fights. Support your local prizefighters. Then rip it if you so choose

[Guest DrTom]

"Whether it has been jokes about his voice or whatever, so Tyson is paranoid and defensive sometimes."

 

That's no excuse for his behavior.

 

"The reason why Tyson is surrounded by yes men is because he is insecure and has somewhat of a childish mentality sometimes."

 

Sometimes?  He acts like a petulant child just about all the time.  The reason he's surrounded by yes-men is because so many people in America will trip over their own feet to kiss the ass of a celebrity.  If you're rich and at least a little controversial, an army of sycophants is fairly easy to assemble.

 

"If he is in fact mentally ill, how do you think he is going to come to the realization that something is wrong with the way that he thinks?"

 

Someone will have to tell him and convince him of it.  And as long as he surrounds himself with people who exist only to pucker his backside, that's not going to happen.

[Guest]

anyone think lennox has the jaw to take tysons punches.  I don;t but even if he somehow defeats him, klitchco will fuckin destroy him

 

--Rob

[Guest Genecide1]

I use a great line from a letter to the Ring Magazine to make my point: If Lennox Lewis is an all time great, but one who was shaken by Shannon Briggs, Hasim Rahman, and Oliver McCall, how would he fare against Rocky Marciano, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes.

[Guest alkeiper]

Lets see.....

 

Rocky Marciano- almost lost to Joe Walcott before the KO, had his nose split in half by Ezzard Charles, was knocked down by Archie Moore, nearly lost a decision to Roland LaStarza.

 

George Foreman- Lost to Jimmy Young, was knocked down by Ron Lyle, lost a decision to Tommy Morrison.

 

Joe Frazier- was DESTROYED by George Foreman, lost twice of Ali.

 

Muhammad Ali- was knocked down by Henry Cooper, had his jaw broken by Ken Norton.

 

Larry Holmes- lost twice to Light Heavyweight Michael Spinks, destroyed by Mike Tyson.

 

The point?  Even great fighters take their lumps.  Lewis lost twice yes, but he's defeated both fighters in rematches in convincing fashion.  He's defeated the top contenders of his era, including Hasim Rahman, Michael Grant, Evander Holyfield, Andrew Golota, Ray Mercer, Tommy Morrison, David Tua, Razor Ruddock, Frank Bruno, Oliver McCall, and Frank Bruno.  Overall, I'd easily place him among the top 10 heavyweights of all time.

[Guest Genecide1]

yeah but McCall was so weakened emotionally he started crying in the middle of the ring, and Rahman was soft. I think Lewis is overrated and wouldn't have done much when Mike Tyson was in his prime

[Guest alkeiper]

Tyson in his prime was one of the 3 best ever, IMO.  People forget how good he really was.

[Guest Genecide1]

and what people also forget is just how well of a bodypuncher he was. if he wanted to he could knock you out without ever aimiing at your head once

[Guest gwf0704]

Well, as for the fight it is still on and I expect Lewis to win it if he follows the same gameplan as he did with Tua, though Tyson is a lot more agressive.  Other than that the lower weights are really better to watch for fighting.

[Guest Genecide1]

yeah man. I agree. I'm going to try and go to a sports bar to see the Barrera-Morales rematch, and the De La Hoya-Vargas demolition. ( I-m picking Vargas in 5 rounds by the way

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

The heavyweight fights are more violent though.

[Guest Genecide1]

yeah but the lower weight classes are better

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I am watching ESPN Classic, and they are showing a Tyson fight from 1986. I just learned that Tyson is a southpaw who boxes from the right. That's pretty impressive considering that people who usually do that do so because they lack power in their right hand. Clearly that wasn't the case with Tyson. If Cus D'Amato was still around, I think Tyson would be one of the best fighters of all time. I don't think he is now, but if he could have stayed under the tutelage of Cus D'Amato, he would be more disciplined and more skilled than he is now. I'm not trying to be a Tyson cheerleader, but watching him in his first year as a pro, the guy was a man child. He won the title when he was 19 or 20 years old. That's blows my mind considering that I'm 20 right now. That's pretty impressive in my book.

[Guest swan]

It has been a done deal. From ESPN.com:

 

"June 8

At The Pyramid, Memphis, Tenn. (PPV), Lennox Lewis, Britain, vs. Mike Tyson, Las Vegas, 12, for Lewis' WBC and IBF heavyweight titles"

 

Tickets are already on sale I believe. A cheap seat will set you back $500.

[Guest Ripper]

First, there is noway Lenox Lewis is one of the top 10 heavyweights of all time...He is struggling to make top 10 of recent history(I even think a motivated Riddick Bowe would have decimated him).

 

But the Heavyweight division is just so boring.  The only fighter I like watching is...well...his name escapes me right now.  He is the big white european boxer that has one of the most beautiful straight right hands I have EVER seen. I have watched him get lots of KOs using his left hand hook, too. The guy has power with both hands, and fundamentally sound.  THIS is the man I am looking forward too in the heavy-weight division.  Other than him, it really isn't intresting anymore.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I was speaking hypothetically about Tyson's place among the all-time greats. Cus D'Amato (his mentor and trainer) died early in Mike's pro career, so Mike wasn't able to benefit from his guidance. Mike was champion at the age of 19. Just think about that for a second. Mike was the age of a college freshman, knocking out grown men who had boxed all over the world. He was not only knocking them out, he had established himself as the best there was. Right now, Tyson doesn't have anyone in his corner who has any great boxing knowledge. He has an entourage that looks clueless if he needs advice. There were fights early in Mike's career where he used his jab well, instead of looking to end the fight in one punch. He was knocking people down with shots to the body and there were times where he looked like he couldn't be hit. I was watchng the fight with James Tillman and Tyson was dodging his punches so well at one point, that he went down to one knee and dodged several of them. He was a phenom back then, but his potential went unrealized and his skills eroded.

[Guest dreamer420]

This is something that at one point in my life I might have actually cared about.  Now boxing is such a pathetic joke that it doesn't matter to me anymore.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I don't really care for boxing that much either. There is no one with drawing power, and there are no rivalries anymore.

[Guest dreamer420]

Plus everything is so crooked and corrupt.

 

Hey Vince, you should get into boxing!!

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Anything with Don King's name on it is usually crooked.

[Guest dreamer420]

Have you ever seen the movie "The Great White Hype"?  It's a really funny movie that has Samuel L. Jackson playing a Don King-type role.

[Guest snuffbox]

Lewis-Tyson is official for June 8. It will be on pay per view (joint effort by HBO and Showtime) for $54.95.

 

The undercard thus far is heavyweights Vitali Klitschko (31-1) vs. Corrie Sanders (37-2) and former lighweight champ Joel Casamayor (25-1) vs. TBA. Expect one more fight to be added.

 

Tyson has been training 6-8 hours a day and is allready at his target weight of 230 lbs. Tyson appears to be taking this fight seriously and seems to be extremely focused. He is a vicious body puncher, his gameplan literally is to break Lewis' ribs. Tyson still has tremendous power, perhaps the strongst punch in the sport still. In his last fight, last October, Tyson knocked 300lb Brian Nielson (underrated Danish clubber) completely off his feet sending him through the air and crashing to the mat. His power is magnified by Lewis' one glaring fault - a highly suspect chin.  Lewis was ko'd by Oliver McCall, a former Tyson sparring partner.

 

Lewis will need to implement the strategy he used to cruise to victory over power puncher David Tua. Lewis may also get lucky and frustrate Tyson into getting himself disqualified again.

 

Personally, my confidence in Mike Tyson is growing as good reports continue to pour out of his camp. His comeback has been spotty at best. Looked bad against Holyfield, Frans Botha, and Buster Mathis Jr, but looked very impressive vs. Julius Francis, Lou Savarese, Andrew Golota, and Nielson.

 

A prime Tyson bombs out a prime Lewis within 3 rounds in my opinion, probably the first. If Tyson is at the top of his current game the result could very well be the same.

 

Prediction- Focused Tyson by ko within 8 rounds. unfocused Tyson loses by disqualification after Lewis jabs him away for a few rounds. Anyone betting on the fight should hold onto their money until they have a definite idea of what Tysons mindset will be.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I wonder what Lennox Lewis would have to say if Tyson did in fact knock him out. Would he claim it was a lucky punch? He gets knocked out by guys and then tries to discredit them with trash talk. I'm glad Rahman made him look like a bitch because he acts like one. Why not give credit to somebody? If the opening was there and they connected, give them the credit and don't call it luck. I could see if it was a baby hitting someone and hurting them, but a profeesional boxer that is trained to knock someone out shouldn't be called lucky when he does so. Despite all of this, people call Lewis a gentleman. Must be the accent.