Missed modern day classics ! Bowe v Tyson, MSG, Jul 1996

Evening lads.

Unfortunately work commitments prevent me from posting regularly, but thought I'd run a series of some modern day classics what should've/could've happened annd how you thought it wouldve played out at the time without hindsight and now with hindsight.

The battle of Brooklyn, turn our minds back to the summer of 1996 In a PPV sold out MSG.

Key points

Tyson had blasted out McNeeley,Mathis and WBC holder Bruno after being released from incarceration.
Bowe had smashed giant Cuban Gonzalez and Holyfield in 1995 (after being heavily dropped)

Pre fight odds: I'd have said

Tyson 8/11 Bowe maybe 5/4 or 6/4 maybe be mooted.

My fight prediction:
At that time before Bowe was heavily dropped by Evander, I thought Riddick was the strongest HW on the planet at the time, Tyson needed more fights and was a bit of a uncertainty and Lewis was just beginning to show signs of maturity under Steward. However after Mike demolished Bruno, I was fooled I thought the devastating Iron Mike had returned and would savage his way through the heavyweight division. Had the fight been made and mooted for 1996 as was talked about, my pick would've been Tyson getting to Bowe in about 8 or 9 rounds.

Looking back at it, I find it almost an impossible task to pick a clear cut winner. As we know both were past it,Tyson was knocked off his perch by Holyfield and Riddick looked shot to pieces in his 2 fights with Golota in 96.

Some points to taking into consideration, Did Bowe ever fight a puncher in his career ? I'm struggling to think of one and Mike never battled back from adversity. Golota threw the kitchen sink at Bowe but Bowe was still coming back, how would Mike have coped if he couldn't have nailed Riddick to the floor?

Tyson still had formidable power in both hands and had showed some signs of his past, Bowe had made easy work of so e top 10 contenders and still had incredible infighting skills, gun to my head, I'd prob still have to pick Tyson to eke out a win, with hindsight Bowe looked the more shot of the two in 1996 and looked vulnerable all of a sudden. Tyson TKO 6 rounds (I think)

Cheers Rodders

I think the problem with the post prison mike - we just dont know how much he had lost. I'd favour Bowe to keep Tyson on the end of that Jab and give him a few shocks on the inside on the few occasions that he did manage to get in. Pre prison of course - its a different story. Bowe TKO 10

Shah, did you believe like me after the massacre of Bruno, Mike had retuned to something close to the devastating machine of past, would you have picked Bowe at the time ?

Cheers Rodders

Bowe beats post prison Tyson for me........

Don't see him stopping him though....

Na, I was praying for Bruno beforehand needn't have bothered seems he did enough by himself

Bowe via KO.

If only Bruno did as much crossing after the bell rang....