Hello Combat Lovers
This is a great question that has been widely debated for a very long number of years.
First of all, Muhammed Ali and Mike Tyson are both legendary boxers ,who ruled the boxing world in their prime but the both had different styles and strengths. The outcome for a fight between the two could be anticipated based on speed,power, toughness and defense.
Speed: Mike Tyson was surprisingly fast for a heavyweight,certainly faster than the guys he faced . But if we are talking in their primes, then it's Ali. He wasn't just fast for a heavyweight but he was swift.
Power: No question, Tyson was pure power. Even at age 18, he was massive, and his punching power was legendary. That said, Ali was no slouch. He was a big man who knew how to hit, and knocked down some of the hardest hitters in boxing history, but it's Tyson all the way here.
Toughness:Yes , these guys could dish it out, but could they take it? Put it like this - Ali was never knocked down in his career. Yes he got dropped a couple of times, but you never saw him counted out onthe canvas. In their first fight, Joe Frazier hit him with a left hook that could have knocked over an elephant, and Ali got right back up. Iron Mike , on the other hand, got knocked out by Buster frickin Douglas. A bum. A man Ali would have beat the crap out of. But, to be fair, up till then Tyson did look invincible. His demolition of Spinks is the stuff of legend.
Defence: This is interesting, Tyson who stalked his opponents with his peek-a-boo style against Ali who danced with his hands down. But I don't think Tyson could hit him, at least not as much as Ali could hit him.Ali had this sort of radar- he knew what his opponents were gonna throw before they threw it. You can't reach that.
Final thoughts: What a fight this would be. What a war. But I think Ali's superior boxing skills would ultimately prevail. I'm not saying that Tyson couldn't hurt Ali. Both times I watched Ali get knocked down, it was from a left hook. And Tyson threw a mean left hook. He might even wobble Ali at times. But Ali's jab, footwork , handspeed and fabulous boxing brain would overwhelm Mike. Tyson would go for quick KO , but that a'int happening. By the fifth round his face would be puffed up and bruised. By the ninth round, he would visibly be tiring. By the tenth, Ali would come out flat footed and just beat the shit out of him . I loved Mike , and wish there were more of his calibre around today. But Ali wins this fight.
WHOM DO YOU THINK WOULD WIN? WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?