Who Gave Ali and Tyson, Their Hardest Fight Whilst Ultimately Losing?

Tillis was Tyson's closest win, but Ruddock 2 probably the hardest in terms of damaged received.

Norton 3 or Young were Ali's closest (most controversial) wins, but Frazier 3 the hardest. The win over Shavers was both close points wise and very hard.

 

As they got older, especially Ali, the tough fights were more frequent…older Tyson didn’t have as many but what tough fights he had, he lost. So I’ll deal with the younger soon to be prime or prime versions of both….

Pre prison Tyson didn’t have many perceivable tough fights as such but I would agree with Bokaj that Tillis for the sheer closeness of the fight despite the unanimous win…and Ruddock II for some of the shots he took over 12 rounds on his way to yet another UD, stand out for me.

Similarly to earlier Tyson, 1960s Ali didn’t have many tough fights as such but Doug Jones seemed to be a particularly tough scrap. As in Tyson v Tillis it was a UD win for young Ali, but it was a pretty hard fought contest.

 

I scored the Shavers match for Shavers.

 

If we add come from behind stoppages we have Botha for Tyson and Lyle for Ali. Both stoppages came with plenty of time to go, though.

 

Of course you did.

 

I bet you scored Ali-Foreman for Foreman.

 

Both short right hand shots that did the damage too I believe. Tyson’s KO’d Botha and Ali’s scrambled Lyle leaving him defenceless to a marauding Ali. Good shout though regarding Tyson…he was being given a boxing lesson until that point. So yep I think we can say it was a hard fight.. For a little while anyway.

 

I'd like to see his scorecard for Ali-Terrell. Think he could have given that to Ali with the last round swinging it in his favour.

 

Tyson - Razor Ruddock
Ali - US government on Vietnam

 

Frazier and Ruddock.

 

Post 1975 Muhammad was having plenty of close,or close-ish,fights with those whom he'd have beaten handily only two or three years prior so I'm only counting the bouts up to Manila inclusive. After much deliberation I'm selecting the second fight with Ken Norton. By far the best fight of their trilogy and I go with the consensus that It was all level at the end of the eleventh round. Muhammad did what he needed to do in the final stanza by pulling it all out and winning it convincingly.

Maybe the second Ruddock bout for Tyson as well as the James Tillis one.

 

Ali was near death vs Frazier.....the norton fights no matter what the scoring were walks in the park comparatively.

As often happens it's how you perceive the question i guess.

 

Ali- Manilla proabably. maybe Young.
Tyson - not a guy with a lot of hard fought wins. kinda Ruddock by default since those were really his only competitive fights that he won. Tucker and Tillis had moments in their fights, but they really only looked good by comparison to how everyone else was fairing.

 

Tyson's would be = Ruddock 2, Tills.

Ali's would be = Frazier 3, Norton 3.