Ali Vs Tyson

Ali stops Tyson. I have no doubt about that. Tyson wasn't terribly big, he was strong, but he wasn't big. As a matter of fact, he was short. So Ali would dog him all threw the press conferences and leading up to the fight, belittle him, and dominate him.

Eventually, Ali's legs and hand-speed would turn the fight into mismatch proportions, and Tyson would be stopped in, I don't know, maybe eleven or so rounds, IF he had Cus D'Amato in his corner. No D'Amato, Tyson doesn't last eight.

 

On the tonight show years ago, the panel consisted of guests Ali, Tyson and Ray Leonard and Leno asked Ali how he would have done against (current HW champ Tyson) and Ali answered, "If he'd hit me, he'd kill me."

This match-up would have been a war, would have brought out the best that both of these fighters had and would have warranted a series of three. I give Tyson one victory to Ali's two, as it's hard to imagine that Tyson never gets through Ali. But as Ali has the boxing style and an intellect tailor made for Tyson, I think he figures out a way to frustrate Mike into ineffectiveness.

 

If Ali wins, it's by Decision. This fight is 50/50 for me, although I used to pick Ali without hesitation.

 

Depends on which version of Ali and Tyson show up.

(Any post -1997* version of Mike needs to avoid the fight alltogether)

I967 Ali probably stops any version of Tyson. Wide UD at worst.

1975 Ali probably gets a UD over prime Mike.

1976 Ali (and anything later) loses to prime Tyson, possibly by KO.

 

How on Earth do you come to these conclusions?

I consider the fight prime for prime(as would be the obvious choice) to be even because Ali is so open to being caught and caught often by Tyson, but he also has the movement, jab, chin, and craftiness to give Tyson trouble down the stretch. I think stylistically, Tyson holds the edge, but in terms of the fighters themselves, Ali holds the psychological edge, which would play part if the fight went down the stretch.

 

Tyson seemed to have trouble with lateral movement and wasn't that durable. Ali on the other hand could be reached with a left hook even in his prime, which he showed in the Chuvalo fight. I think he would frustrate Tyson with his jabbing and movement for the first 5-6 rounds and then starting to increasingly use combinations as Tyson gradually fades. Probably a quite wide UD for Ali. Tyson would tag Ali now and then, but he probably would have survived by grabbing or dancing out of the danger zone.

To beat Ali you nedeed to apply constant pressure, be patient and throw your punches when in close. Liston for example didn't have that patience and as a result only hit air. I think Tyson might make the same mistake, more or less. Nothing he did ever suggested he'd would apply Frazier-like pressure.

 

Tyson wasn't durable? You know his nickname was "Iron" right? That was for a reason. Not to mention Tyson speed, both foot and hand speed, would frustrate Ali who had trouble with opponents similar in quickness to his own. If Ali gets cornered by the Juggernaut that is Tyson, and his fairy dancing can't get him out, Tyson would crush him.

Tyson KO inside 3

 

You could say that about Tyson too.

E.g. The same TTyson that got K0'd , at 24, by ATG Buster Douglas.

Ali wasn't looking to stop Terrell.

He said he was going to punish him for calling him Clay.

And he did.

For 15 rounds.

 

Agree.

:rofl

 

If you're saying both guys are prime (Ali 1967, Tyson 1988 ?), how on earth can you write: "Ali is so open to being caught and caught often by Tyson" ?

Ali was not easy to hit effectively at prime. He had a 'wrong' style (pulling straight back) that made it near impossible to nail him properly.

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Tyson relied on getting his man out early. If he wasn't connecting like he wanted to, and was hitting a lot of empty air, and given that he was given to frustration and lacked mental toughness, who says there would even be a ..down the stretch. I don't expect that Ali would stop him with thunderous power punches.

Rather, I see Ali making him looik foolish as he did Liston and others. (Liston was much more fearsome than Mike). He would also be landing an accumulation of stinging, cutting jabs, interspersed with some powershot combos.

Combined with Ali's supreme confidence and psychological mastery, and Mike's sometimes fragile psyche,I see Mike being stopped around 5 -7 .

 

You did see the rumble in the jungle, didn't you ?

And that was prime Foreman.

And past-it Ali.

And he did have him cornered for much of the fight.



Rethink?

 

Ok, boys when did Tyson ever show his durability? When did he ever keep up with his opponent, never mind turning it around, when the going went tough? When did he show he could dig down deep during a tough fight?

 

Oh yes, slow, weak foreman is a perfect comparison for Tyson.

Had Tyson been in the same situation Ali would've gotten MAULED. Tyson hit harder and faster than foreman and would have stopped him before getting to that point in the first place.

One well landed left hook on Ali and its lights out.

 

Another one ot those who have seen too many high-light reels of Tyson. Tyson who couldn't KO Tucker, Douglas, Holyfield, Thomas, Biggs, old Holmes and others within 3 would do it with a guy who faced guys like Liston, Foreman and Shavers without even hitting the canvas?