Givens got into Mike’s head, you think Ali couldn’t? Mike was precariously balanced in his own head. The arsenal that Ali had to tip fighters over mentally would be overkill in the face of Tyson. Mike fit the bill - a fast KO artist, of angry disposition, becoming quickly inflated with his own aura of invincibility. Exactly the type of stretched balloon that Ali knew how to pop and pop he would. Pop!
Ali's relentless belittling of Foreman played a HUGE role in the stoppage. George himself said after he'd landed what he felt was his biggest punch of the fight, a right to the side in the 6th round Ali said "that ALL you got, George?". This was after rounds of hearing how the girls watching could hit harder than him, how much of a sissy he was, etc Mike would get the same treatment, and it wouldn't go over well for him either imo.
Ali’s Jedi mind games would tie Tyson’s brain in knots and revert him to infant state before the first bell.
Good god I hope not - Ali could push the boundaries but I like to think he wouldn’t take it that far (sleep with Mike that is). Slipping Mike some ALi-Thium would be enough to do the trick.
Speaking of which, Ali needs to be worked into the Star Wars/Trek thread if not already done. Leave out Ali, you must not.
Are you really comparing Ali with Givens ?!? Tyson was not angry one bit coming into the ring, where did you come up with this crap ?!? Again, we are talking about prime Tyson here. He went into that ring to do a business, he wouldn't be fazed one bit by Ali's talking. And neither would any good HW post 1980. Like I said, Ali's talking only worked against the idiots of his era.
He liked making up names for his opponents, but didn't like it when they didn't refer to him by his preferred name. I remember they interviewed Floyd Patterson on USA Tuesday Night Fights, and they mentioned the name calling and how Floyd wouldn't call him by his new name. Floyd said something like "well he wouldn't refer to me by my name, so why should I refer to him by his?".... I give credit to Floyd Patterson, good for him. Nobody liked that a**hole.
Muhammad would have had Mike all over the place mentally. Physically both had the styles to make a great fight but mentally it was a no brainer in favour of Ali.
The comparison I made holds. So, everyone else saw what Givens was about but not Mike? Okay. And Mike didn't feed off anger going into fights? Sure. Liston and Foreman were not idiots. Ali knew exactly where and how to verbally hit an opponent and bring out the overriding, emotional reaction he desired. If you don't think Tyson would be very much susceptible to same, then you're ignoring a lot about Mike's well known, precariously balanced mentality - which apparently required a cast of characters to keep him on track and focused in order to be "invincible"-
He'd tell him Staight, "we see when we get in there"... at onetime Mike Tyson truly was the BADDEST Man in Boxing history.
Though Mike was sensational for a few years in the 80s, most boxing folks don't think he was even the baddest man in heavyweight history. Muhammad Ali (1960's) seems to have clinched that title amongst most boxing intelligentsia, plus I have to offer up Roberto Duran (among others).
I know of them well and many, many long before Ali & Duran... I still believe there was a period where Iron Mike beats any HW in History
