So it's basically the Tyson that re-matched Holyfield vs. the Ibeabuchi that fought Tua. Who wins it?
Ibeabuchi - pretty easily. Main reason Tyson went into meltdown against Holyfield II was that Holyfield again sucked up anything and everything Tyson could throw at him....and those were mainly big single shots. Ibeabuchi has a much much bigger output and hs overall size, power and durability cause Tyson to.....well, not win. ::
Tyson still had plenty of physical ability at that point but he was psychologically beaten down .... Still what do we actually know about Ibeabuchi? Seems crazy to me to predict a victory for him by using a great fighter like Holyfield as the template
I'd go with Ike. Tyson didn't have the mentality to handle adversity after the first Holyfield fight. Ibeabuchi had a solid chin and would keep throwing punches. You've got to figure that he'd break Tyson's will eventually. Tyson was physically able to beat him, but not mentally.
Ike wins in 97. It's possible he beats any post-prison version of Tyson, except maybe the Bruno II version. That Tyson still looked very sharp and fast. But yeah, any version of Tyson after the first Holy fight, Ike definitely wins. Pre-prison Tyson beats Ike. The peak 87-88 Tyson fucks him up badly.
Problem is Mike wasn't much of a combo puncher post-prison, and his defense and overall physical ability had slipped by a lot after about 5 rounds. Assuming Ike could survive the first 5-6 rounds, which is very possible, then post-prison Tyson would burn out and just start eating punches. 80s Tyson? No contest. Ike would be completely overwhelmed by Mike's speed, his combos, and his overall offensive arsenal. I can't see Ike going the distance with 80s Tyson, let alone win.
I think the tyson that rematches holy would have a pretty good chance. He was in top shape and ready to go (at least while the water was waist height or lower). Any version after that would quit
I think you have it reversed. The Tyson of the FIRST Holy fight would have a good chance, cause he still had his confidence in tact. Much of Holy's strategy involved holding Mike and pushing him back. Ike would never clinch Tyson on the inside - he would trade with him. That gives Mike his best opportunity.
