Not sure Ali would've been cleared to fight in 1986, but maybe if he goes down early and claims foul play, Ali still has enough love to win by DQ?
Tyson from 1986, from which fight? Ali from which year? Because Ali from 1986 would probably lose even to Hector Mercedes.
He is surely referring to Mike Tyson in his prime in 1986 against Ali in his prime which, in my opinion, if Ali was ever in his prime at all, was in 1967 and not 1974 as some say. Ali at his best beats Tyson at his best , plain and simple.
Ali circa 1967 beats Tyson circa 1986 via stoppage somewhere in 10-12 rounds. He has too many weapons in the arsenal-and his speed, 8" reach advantage, and sharp jab would keep Tyson at bay and neutralize his usual explosive start. Eventually Mike wears down and Ali would finish him off in the later rounds.
Prime Ali will have Tyson sputtering in frustration within six rounds. Tyson will come out raging and go back to his corner befuddled after not laying a glove on Ali in the first round.
I know. I wasn't being serious. i assume that the OP means prime Ali Vs '86 Tyson and that's been exhausted, murdered to death.
I know you know that. Tyson is a hard guy to evaluate. His peak seems so spectacular, but it was so short. Cus D'Amato allegedly built him to beat taller movers, but tall movers seemed to trouble him, whether they won or lost.
Tyson hits Ali in the first round and hard! Ali feels out his opponent for the first 60 - 90 seconds of the first round. He bounces, slides, glides, dances and pivots, giving looks, testing their reactions to his head, foot and hand feints, getting a feeling for the canvas and reading their timing. Usually his first punch is the jab, either to body or to head in his prime. First fight Vs Liston, his first punch attempt is a check hook if I recall correctly. Once he establishes that he has his opponent beat for speed and timing, we see him settle down and control ring centre, boxing off the jab and pivot, less herky jerky head movement than when the fight started, much more orthodox, technically correct, efficient boxing. We can see Ali take the fight to his opponent early against Foreman but that wasn't his usual MO. If Ali takes it to Tyson or dances away, Tyson will land and he will land big. Only thing is, I think Ali has enough nous to adjust, survive and navigate his way through.
Hmmm, I evaluate Tyson like this - on his perfect night, he could stop every fighter that's ever lived - however, he has flaws that the elites and some very goods could exploit even at his very best. He has no clinch game - passive, stands square and can be pushed back off balance into the direction of punches. He can be kept at the end of the jab and timed on his way in to the mid-range where he absolutely excels. For me, there was no greater destroyer of B and C level fighter but against the elite A fighters when he gets dragged into a fight for your life situation, the same guy that was getting into mischief even when Cus was alive, I have doubts about Tyson's ability to hold it together and not default to self-destructive tendencies.
I was being a little hyperbolic but if we're talking really prime Ali ... and he was still just a kid against Liston, albeit an insanely talented one ... both physically and mentally, IMO his game plan will be to mess with Tyson's mind so I think his actions in the ring will be based on that, not what he did in Miami Beach in 1964. He will start trying to frustrate and humiliate Tyson from the opening bell because he will know that Tyson is a bully and bullies are prone to being discombobulated when they're shown their bullying is for naught.
