re: How would Apollo Creed have done against Clubber Lang?

yep, would destroy him. too much reach along with pure power. Tyson couldnt handle that reach along with a boxer that was strong enough mentally to go toe to toe. Foreman in 5 or 6 rds with a knockout. Ali would wear him down like Foreman. Tyson would be knocked out due to exhaustion plus Ali would have destroyed him mentally

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Imagine Rocky being raised and trained like Apollo. That version of Rocky would be unbeatable

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You could argue that Rocky wouldn't have had the same heart if he didn't go through the initial struggles.

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Still better than Hulk Hogans/thunder lips

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Rocky wasn't ready to beat clubber lang until he beat creed in a footrace.... so I'm going with lang.

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Lewis just outjabbed Tyson and kept him a million miles away.

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Lewis faced a shell of Tyson, nowhere near his prime. As did Holyfield.


Watch the fights, Tyson was a completely different fighter by the time he left prison.

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I don’t care what anybody says. Nobody could beat Tyson is his prime.

Nobody.

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Disagree. After watching both fighters most of their careers and seeing who had trouble with what styles, I think Larry Holmes in his prime would take Tyson, and probably in a pretty lopsided decision.

Larry was taller, more reach, was a better technical boxer, and would keep Tyson away all night with the jab.
He looked good for a couple rds against prime Tyson, but got TKO'd in the 4th. But keep in mind that Holmes had been retired for 2 yrs prior to that fight, was 38, and didn't have the endurance and speed he did at his prime.

Remember what Buster Douglas did to Tyson? Bigger guy with a jab, wore him down. I know Tyson was wasted by that fight, but the template was always there; and that was Holmes' style.

Also, George Foreman, I think beats Tyson in a knockout. Foreman, in contrast to Holmes, actually became MORE dangerous as he got old. He got bigger and more durable, and had even more power. Mike was a beast and could dish out a ton of punishment, but he wouldn't want to wade into a close-quarters brawl with George. I think Tyson takes the early rounds, but doesn't take big George out, and takes a few clubbing blows to the body and arms that slows him in the middle rounds, and George lands a hammer on him eventually.
I don't think anyone else ever hit like Foreman did later in his career.

Speaking of the Rocky movies and real boxing, does anyone remember who was actually training Stallone for, I think 2 or 3, that fricked him up? Can't remember if it was Ken Norton, it was someone like that. Stallone went from being a big slob to being ripped, and learned some decent skills to look good on film; he got full of himself and thought he could actually go for real. He talked the guy into going a couple rounds, and took a body blow that, if I remember right, broke his arm or ribs.
I do remember Stallone talking about it once, said he felt like a stud, then took that shot and he couldn't breath or pick his arm up. I think it threw a big delay into the filming... and Stallone never got bold again

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I don’t care what anybody says. Nobody could beat Tyson is his prime.

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You bought the hype. He fought bums and middling opponents during his prime. Of course he was going to look great.

Was he a shell, or was he finally facing quality fighters?

Dude was still young as frick. This wasn't 102 year old Joe Louis fighting Rocky Marciano.

When Foreman started his comeback at 40 in 1990 he said, I'd knock this little turd out. He's small, ain't got my reach and I can take a punch and he's never been hit as hard as I can hit him.

He was probably right.

Talk about a shell of your former self; Foreman was able to win the title in the mid-90's at age 45 while Tyson started losing to tomato cans.

George Foregman by all human measures was a far more shell of his former 70's self - Tyson was only 5 years removed from his dominance and he couldn't knock anyone out because he started facing quality fighters for once in Holyfield and Lewis.

I know Atlas has a beef with Tyson from an incident when he trained him but Atlas always said Tyson was a mirage.

And if he got into a fight he knew he couldn't win, he'd quit and do anything to get out of that fight. Which is why he bit Holyfield's ear - twice. He knew he was getting whupped and wanted out of that fight by DQ.

Ali beat prime Foreman as an old man and Joe Frazier and Liston, etc. Remember, Ali had his banishment from the sport ala the draft. He came back and whupped the baddest dudes on the planet.

To say Ali would have a problem with Tyson is absurd.

Prime Apollo wears Clubber down, toying with him, then punishes him in the final 4-5 rounds