Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis remain two of heavyweight boxing's biggest stars, even years after their careers ended. Their names still get fans talking.
Shakur Stevenson, the current WBC lightweight champion, has shared his thoughts on who'd win if these two legends fought in their prime. In an interview with Mics, Stevenson picked Tyson as the winner.
"Lennox Lewis was a beast but that power. I don't know if Lewis could deal with a prime Tyson."
Stevenson's opinion brings up the old debate about their 2002 fight. Lewis won by knockout in the 8th round, but many fans argue Tyson was past his best by then. The fight happened when both were in their mid-30s, with Tyson having faced several setbacks in and out of the ring.
These days, Tyson is gearing up for a comeback at 57. He's set to face Jake Paul in his first professional fight in over 20 years. Paul, less than half Tyson's age, has won 10 of his 11 fights. Interestingly, Lewis is backing his old rival to win this bout.
Lewis, the last undisputed heavyweight champion before the upcoming Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight, retired after beating Vitali Klitschko on cuts. He never returned to professional boxing and now works as a boxing pundit.
Tyson, on the other hand, retired after back-to-back losses in 2005. He made a comeback in 2020 for an exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr.
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While fans debate about prime Tyson vs prime Lewis, Stevenson has his own challenge ahead. He's defending his world title against Welshman Joe Cordina. The fight will be on the undercard of the Dimitri Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev undisputed light heavyweight showdown.