Tyson vs Ali

[fistofrage]

I'd take Ali if I had to take a bet, but Tyson could easily win too. No way do I think Tyson gets beat 10 out of 10 times, so if they only fought once, it could easily be Tyson's night.

As far as the technical aspect, if Ali could run from him for the 1st half of the fight, he would pull away but Ali would most likely get cornered. Ali was knocked down 4 times in his career and I believe Tyson had more power than all of them.

I guess the real question here is who do you think would win between Frazier and Tyson and go from there.......

[phillyfan23]

I don't think ANY fighter beats Ali in his prime.

Like someone said, people remember Ali vs Foreman and Frazier.....that was the seasoned veteran Ali, not his prime. The fights just prior to his jail time....I don't think anyone could beat that Ali. Just by judging at heart, smarts, strategy , accuracy, speed and a small mix and dose of power. He was just so complete.

Also people misjudge Tyson. Tyson vs Douglas , Tyson was at his prime years, but he had no focus and no drive , so that wasn't even CLOSE to the best Tyson. You have to go back to his earlier fights to see the real Tyson , the Tyson that I believe would have dispatched Holyfield and Lennox.

I judge boxers not only who they fought but their overall physical package and abilities. Tyson had a lot of the intangibles also, he had tremendous heart and I will dispute anyone who says otherwise. Tyson probably only realized HALF of his potential too....sad.

But back on topic....if anyone fought Ali 10 times, I don't think I can see any boxer in history winning 3 times against him.

[Po Pimp]

People mention Ali's speed vs. Tyson's strength, but fail to realize Tyson had speed too! With that said, I think Ali was one of the SMARTEST fighters who ever lived, and for that reason, I'd give him the edge. Not to mention, Tyson was only 5'11 with a short reach whereas Ali stood 6'3" with like an 84 reach.

And while Joe Frazier and Sonny Liston are legends, Tyson was a different animal. You can't look at Ali's fights against them and predict that's how the fight would go.

[Complex]

Tyson is the definition of boxing power. He had one punch power but even more so punishing power that when he hit you, you always felt it. He wasn't measuring you for distance or setting up a combo. He was going to punish you. Still doesn't change my prediction though.

[jmarcguy]

Holmes commented when he fought Tyson that it was his speed rather than his power that gave him trouble. He felt Earnie Shavers hit harder. He never hit me so I don't know but I think it was the combination of speed & power that was the key rather than pure power like Foreman. Plus the way he came out of that crouch made his attack really deadly.

I mention this because when his speed faded, his power seemed to also indicating that his quickness was a big factor in his ko's. Foreman was dirt slow but could still hurt guys.

[ChampN252]

Quote: Originally Posted by Po Pimp

People mention Ali's speed vs. Tyson's strength, but fail to realize Tyson had speed too! With that said, I think Ali was one of the SMARTEST fighters who ever lived, and for that reason, I'd give him the edge. Not to mention, Tyson was only 5'11 with a short reach whereas Ali stood 6'3" with like an 84 reach. And while Joe Frazier and Sonny Liston are legends, Tyson was a different animal. You can't look at Ali's fights against them and predict that's how the fight would go.

I'm with you. I don't think Ali would win. I feel Tyson was faster when he gets inside and fast enough to keep up with Ali running around. He would be dropping bombs repeatably, faster and probably harder than what foreman could have done. The stamina thing is his killer, but he was incredibly aggressive and savage-like in the ring. Ali would have never seen anything like it. If he managed to survive 2 or 3 rounds of extremely aggressive non-stop blows, he would win. Tyson was no chump, he knew when it was show time, so I think he would have brought his A game.

[sva91]

Wasn't Foreman Tyson before there was a Tyson?? What I'm saying is that Foreman was the beast that was knocking people out in 2 rounds, just destroying fighters, and then Ali used his smarts to slow him down finally KO'ing him..

With that said, I think Tyson was much quicker than Foreman, so that might give Ali some problems, but the quality of boxers in Ali's days compared to Tyson's was much higher. I would take Ali 7 out of 10 times. Tyson would beat his opponent pschologically before the fight would begin, once he fought someone he wouldn't back down and fight back(Douglas, Holyfield, Lewis) he would totally lose his mind. Ali would probably get into Tyson's head more than any fighter Tyson had ever fought.

[Money99]

I'm a big Tyson-homer but I think Ali wins. The one thing I can't get out of my head was how he did against Tony Tucker.
I still believe Tucker was an incredibly underrated fighter in his day and he'd probably own a belt if he was in his prime right now.

Tucker was very similar to Ali in size and fighting style. And we all know Tucker was no Ali.
Saying that, how much did Tyson improve since that fight? He seemed to get better, stronger and more confident as he rolled along.

So I guess the question is if the Spinks Tyson fought the pre-war Ali, I would go with Ali. But by a close decision.
Post-war, a prime Tyson probably stops him. Ali wasn't the same after that layoff.

It's always an interesting debate. The closest thing to Tyson that Ali encountered was Frazier. But Frazier wasn't as quick, didn't have the same great defense and couldn't punch with both hands like Mike.
At the same time, Tyson never fought someone with Ali's heart, speed or movement.
Would a Roony-trained Tyson fold he found out that Ali wasn't scared of him and would fire back when hurt?