[The Tyrant Lizard]

This is an oft asked question, but one which is never unanimous. My question is; who do you think would have won, if Iron Mike fought Mohammad Ali, while both fighters were in their prime? (and if time machines were real)

I think Tyson would have won. And inside the first three rounds...

[Flawed]

Tyson easily. One or two punches and it would of been game over.

If not he could of just bitten him into submission.

EAR EAR!

[Battalion]

I'd go for Tyson, too.
He was just too powerful for Ali.

[Coco with marshmallows]

Hoo-boy. this is something I have devoted way too much time to over the years, both by arguing with my friends and family. My conlusions are still pretty open ended:

the thing really comes down to timing.

Tyson in his prime was a f**king animal who would tear through damn near anything. And, despite people saying that in this he was simply like Liston, he was much nastier than Liston ever was.

Having said that, in terms of actual boxing skill Ali was definitely superior. Could Ali have dodged and weaved enough to avoid the worst of Tyson's attacks?

To be honest, its one i'd see going either way.

If Tyson can get him to a corner, I don't think Ali would last. I know he managed the rope-a-dope, but Ali said in his autobiography that he thought Foreman had nearly killed him with his first punch. Similarly, when Foreman hit him and Ali didn't go down, George said he felt that there was no way he could finish Ali, and as a result lost his head of steam. It's this analysis on Foreman's part that i doubt Tyson would have. He'd just keep hitting full bore till Ali dropped.

so, if it's an early finish - it's Tyson's win. Gets past the first four rounds - it's Ali's fight.

Seriously, we'd need to do a best of three, or even best of five series to get an answer, but in terms of the one-off fight, I'd want Ali to win.

[paladin]

Tyson. Tyson was extremely quick and devastating and Ali didn't punch hard enough to hurt Tyson. Ali would lose too many rounds trying to stay outside of Tyson's zone

[Dagger]

Tyson was just an animal inside the ring, a force of nature. Ali was a far smarter boxer, faster, and if I am not mistaken, a longer reach. Ali would be able to stay away from Iron Mike long enough to start picking away at him. By the 8th round Mike would be reeling from a thousand tiny cuts and then down he'd go.

My late father-in-law was a big boxing fan and a WWII vet. He hated Ali because he thought he was a draft dodger but if you got him talking boxing he'd say there was no heavyweight that could touch him in his prime. Joe Frazier came the closest, for some reason he got into Ali's head. According to my father-in-law, the real debate was Marciano vs. Ali. And it would turn out the same way as Tyson, a big cat just biting and slashing at a water buffalo until the beast dropped.

[amphibian]

Dagger;212953 said:

Tyson was just an animal inside the ring, a force of nature. Ali was a far smarter boxer, faster, and if I am not mistaken, a longer reach. Ali would be able to stay away from Iron Mike long enough to start picking away at him. By the 8th round Mike would be reeling from a thousand tiny cuts and then down he'd go.

My late father-in-law was a big boxing fan and a WWII vet. He hated Ali because he thought he was a draft dodger but if you got him talking boxing he'd say there was no heavyweight that could touch him in his prime. Joe Frazier came the closest, for some reason he got into Ali's head. According to my father-in-law, the real debate was Marciano vs. Ali. And it would turn out the same way as Tyson, a big cat just biting and slashing at a water buffalo until the beast dropped.

The young, Cus D'Amato-coached Tyson had damn near perfected a side-to-side evasive style that let him walk through the jabs and "keep-away" punches with little to no damage and unleash his fury on the opponent. I think this fight is Tyson's to lose - which is why Ali has a chance to win.

Tyson demoralized pretty quickly in his later years when he couldn't get up close fast enough and when his punches didn't visibly shake his opponent. I think Ali the actor could pull that off in the early rounds and then outlast Mike for the win.

[dktorode]

Brains over Braun wins everytime....Ali would win no doubt.

[The Tyrant Lizard]

Does that mean Stephen Hawkins would beat Hulk Hogun in a wrestling match?

[Battalion]

The Tyrant Lizard;213051 said:

Does that mean Stephen Hawkins would beat Hulk Hogun in a wrestling match?

No, but only because it's fixed.

[Dagger]

I told a coworker about this debate and he pointed out one thing I had forgotten about. The pre-fight mind games. Give Ali two months and by the time that bell rings for round one Ali would be so far inside Tyson's head you'd think he was performing brain surgery.

Coworker also claimed that Joe Frazier would also clean Tyson's clock.

[The Tyrant Lizard]

There wouldn't be any prematch mind games. I reckon Tyson would just beat him up at the press conference.
I think he'd batter Frazier too. He coupled speed power and accuracy like no one else has ever done.

[Morgoth]

I dunno. but then again, I think Ali would be quick enough and smart enough to keep out of harms way the first few rounds, and from my very limited boxing knowledge, I seem to recall Tyson being somewhat lacking in endurance

[Nightmare]

In his youth Tyson had boundless energy. He fought a couple of 12 rounders against world class fighters and won. If Ali tried dancing around Tyson he'd end up getting clobbered.

[amphibian]

Dagger;213628 said:

I told a coworker about this debate and he pointed out one thing I had forgotten about. The pre-fight mind games. Give Ali two months and by the time that bell rings for round one Ali would be so far inside Tyson's head you'd think he was performing brain surgery.

Coworker also claimed that Joe Frazier would also clean Tyson's clock.

I don't think anyone outside of like Galactus would faze or bother a young Tyson. He had/has this inner world in which he inhabits that really isn't all that connected to the outside world. It is simultaneously the main source of his incredible abilities and the limiting factor in harnessing that talent.

My favorite Tyson story has to be his being arrested 38 times by the time he was 13 for waiting in apartment lobbies alone, violently stealing purses and groceries from whoever walked in and then taking off.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Cocoreturns;212939 said:

Hoo-boy. this is something I have devoted way too much time to over the years, both by arguing with my friends and family. My conlusions are still pretty open ended:

the thing really comes down to timing.

Tyson in his prime was a f**king animal who would tear through damn near anything. And, despite people saying that in this he was simply like Liston, he was much nastier than Liston ever was.

Having said that, in terms of actual boxing skill Ali was definitely superior. Could Ali have dodged and weaved enough to avoid the worst of Tyson's attacks?

To be honest, its one i'd see going either way.

If Tyson can get him to a corner, I don't think Ali would last. I know he managed the rope-a-dope, but Ali said in his autobiography that he thought Foreman had nearly killed him with his first punch. Similarly, when Foreman hit him and Ali didn't go down, George said he felt that there was no way he could finish Ali, and as a result lost his head of steam. It's this analysis on Foreman's part that i doubt Tyson would have. He'd just keep hitting full bore till Ali dropped.

so, if it's an early finish - it's Tyson's win. Gets past the first four rounds - it's Ali's fight.

Seriously, we'd need to do a best of three, or even best of five series to get an answer, but in terms of the one-off fight, I'd want Ali to win.

Nice analysis. I agree.

[Grumble]

3 words for you James BUSTER Douglas ! Yes Tyson was going through a messy divorce etc but Douglas didn't freeze like so many of Tysons opponents but worked behind a solid jab and threw the right when he could. Ali certainly would not have been intimidated and would have the ring craft and guile to keep Tyson at bay early before battering him to a standstill in the later rounds.

[amphibian]

Grumble;213808 said:

3 words for you James BUSTER Douglas ! Yes Tyson was going through a messy divorce etc but Douglas didn't freeze like so many of Tysons opponents but worked behind a solid jab and threw the right when he could. Ali certainly would not have been intimidated and would have the ring craft and guile to keep Tyson at bay early before battering him to a standstill in the later rounds.

Buster did indeed fight the bout of his life, but that huge upset was mostly the result of Tyson forgetting about his evasion skills and constantly looking for the KO punch instead of combinations.

This is such a weird proposition because if it's a match where both are at their absolute prime, it's absolutely debatable who wins, but if it's a match where it's more like how they were over the full course of their career, it's clearly Ali.

[The Tyrant Lizard]

I remind Grumble of a fight Ali had with Leon Spynx - a man with only 7 professional bouts to his name. Ali lost that fight convincingly. If we are to say who would have won a fight between both men when they were both at their worst, I would still say Tyson.
Give James BUSTER Douglas to an earlier Tyson, and he would have knocked him out in the first round.

[MecnunK]

Ali without a doubt in my mind as he wa a true champ and had courage. Half of Tyson's opponents lost the fight before they even entered the ring such was the aura of menace he exuded during his prime.

Ali was much smarter, had skillz and wasnt afraid of big punchers. He would have had a strategy against Tyson and play to it like a surgeon.