Originally posted by Derfel CadarnI honestly don't think if Ali had the title, Tyson would have ever been given a shot. Ali really was the Greatest, but Tyson was just too strong and fast. If Ali could have stayed away for the first three rounds it would have been more even. Victory to Ali in that case. Ali was so smart though it is really hard to say. I know one thing Roper Doper would not have worked. Tyson would have broke both his arms, then knocked him out.
I think if Ali got Tyson angry, Ali could take him out of his game and win. But Mike Tyson had power, so he could probably take Ali.
Tyson, in his prime before he became a walking punchline, was a mix of speed and power boxing hadn't seen before. Ever see any of his matches when he was in his early twenties? His opponents considered it a victory just to make it to the third round. It's difficult to compare across eras, but it seems to me that Tyson would be too much for Ali. Too fast, too strong.
Originally posted by Pawn SmasherIt is difficult to speculate, but there is a decided difference between boxing and fighting. True, Tyson was a hell of a fighter, but as a boxer, he doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same book, let alone sentence, as Ali.
If we step into the world of fantasy and imagine both fighters were in their prime, who would win the bout?
Ali was a boxer's boxer, the epitome of strength, dexterity, mental toughness and shrewdness, quickness, etc., etc. He was able to force the stronger opponent into expending all their energy on missed/ineffective punches or just simply chasing him around the ring. For the weaker opponent, no time was wasted. While Tyson would likely fall somewhere in the rank of the stronger opponents Ali faced, he certainly would not have matched the raw power of a Ken Norton, Gerry Cooney or George Foreman in their day.
Although Tyson appeared unstoppable in his early career, it was more due to the lack of real competition than to his abilities. He was (as time has painfully revealed) just a thug, not an athlete.