Some say the blueprint to beating Tyson was fighting like Tillis did. Would Ali have beaten Tyson?

Actually, Tyson's bout with Jesse Ferguson was his first prime time fight on television. I think Tillis was next. Anyways, Tyson suffered an ear infection that wasn't totally healed by the Tillis fight. But that happens. Tillis put up a damn good fight, even though I had Mike winning 8 outta 10 rounds.

But that style, the movement and being able to thwart Tyson's offense by tying him up would be well suited if the particular fighter had power to go with it. A mix of Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

 

I find it disturbing that no one raises question marks over Holyfield and Lewis when they had poor showings in fights they should have won comfortably. Even Ali had poor average showings in fights he won. This is the problem with Tyson, he set such a high benchmark, such huge expectations that when he didn't meet them on the odd night, he would get slated very badly.

 

I am continually dumbfounded by those trying to *******ize Tyson's win over Spinks due to Spinks being scared or whatever they label it as. Incredible really.

 

One shouldn't make too much of a still developing Tyson facing a veteran that came in surprisingly prepared and motivated.

But, yes, one of the most successful tactics against Tyson was to disrupt him with a jab, give him angles and time him with right crosses and uppercuts when he came in. But that's hardly rocket science when you face a shorter fighter.

Ali fits the bill of this tactic in so much that he had one of the best jabs and right crosses ever and definitely the best lateral movement ever for a HW. But he also held his hands low and the Biggs fight is a good illustration of how good Tyson was at punishing this, especially with a left hook, which Ali was vulnerable against.

So you can make a case for either fighter from a stylistic standpoint.

 

Tyson would KO him.

 

It certainly makes an argument for Ali , then again you could say the blueprint to beating Ali was fighting like Doug Jones or Cooper .. Surly Tyson could out-perform those two.

 

Holmes layoff definatley had a minor effect but let's not act like fighters don't have long layoffs even in today and someone who had multitude of exp.

Holmes had a longer layoff after after the Tyson fight and at older age...so?

Ali was custom made for Tyson not vice versa. Ali wouldn't have even been the hardest guy to hit for Tyson BC those types the long jabbers he trained better for.

Cus purposely trained Tyson for Ali like fighters. Ali would have to actually fight with Tyson BC if he holds on for dear life he would simply lose by decision.

The whole thing is Tyson's mentality , every fight he was motivated in he won by K.O and Spinks was no different. Ali would motivate Tyson to go in there and destroy. I can't see Ali winning for several reasons.....

Without power punching you ain't keeping Tyson off you. Alis jab itself is neutralized by Tyson's excellent ability to slip and counter punch them. Ali has also never fought such an explosive ring cutter......this match is a wrap without me writing a book on this.

Tyson even had a sparring match with Tillis for charity a year later....if anything the match shows why Tyson handles guys like that easy.

You really know who the lunatics are that scoff at even the idea of Tyson winning.

 

Tyson is doing what Frazier, Foreman, Shavers, and Liston couldn't do.

 

No one beat Tyson at his best by doing what Tillis did. They just survived the distance and lost a UD.

 

Yep. Ali's clinching and movement would actually cause him to lose points on the score cards. Every fighter who employed those tactics against a prime Tyson just survived the distance and lost a UD. None beat him or even got a SD or a draw.

 

Tyson is a faster and more skilled puncher than any of the above, even as late as 1996. You could even argue until 2000.

Bowe didn't hit as hard as Foreman and yet he came closesths to stopping Holyfield and did stop him the third time around.

 

Yep. He had Tucker running and clinching for his life but because he didn't stop Tucker, he "struggled". Would Ali, even in his prime, have stopped a prime Tucker? Unlikely.

And with all due respect to Ali, people knock Tyson's competition in the 80s, but if a prime Tyson fought the guys a prime Ali did, including the version of Liston he did, it would be like a grizzly bear being set loose into a school of salmon.

 

Were you Fergy?

 

Moving away from Tyson was never a strategy against him. If anything, it was strongly advised against. Douglas, Holyfield and Lewis almost never backed away from Tyson. They would stand their ground, hold, push and punish. Rinse and repeat until the KO happened. Manhandling Tyson was the way to beat him. Giving him space to charge in was a death sentence.

I just don't see Ali hopping around the ring with his hands low and chin in the air, constantly evading a rushing Tyson for 15 rounds straight. No way. People don't talk about the fights in which a 60s Ali looked less spectacular, the Cooper fight being one of them. That fight was 6 months before Liston I and Ali was badly hurt by a massive one trick pony. Cooper kept chaging in with his left hook the entire fight and it was only a matter of time before Ali got timed, and it happened. Don't see a reason why Tyson wouldn't be able to do the same, or worse.