No doubt they are the best of their respective eras. One dominated the 60s and 70s with his elegant style of boxing, the other steamrolled his opponents between late 80s and 90s with his menacing peek-a-boo offense.
Like I said, they are two different boxers from two different eras. But what if somewhere in an alternate universe, a prime Muhammad Ali ran into a prime Iron Mike Tyson. For sure, that match would be a blockbuster. It would easily triple the earnings set by the welterweight championship showdown between Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather, which everybody knows wound up to be a farce of a match. However, the biggest question is would an Ali-Tyson match live up to the hype? Who got the upper hand in a 15-round slugfest?
Here’s The Tale of the Tape
Muhammad Ali
Weight Division: Heavyweight
Height: 6-foot-3
Reach: 78 inches
Stance: Orthodox
Boxing Record: 56-5 (37KOs
Career Highs: Gold Medal in Heavyweight division of 1960 Rome Olympics; WBC, WBA, the Ring and Lineal Heavyweight Champion; Heavyweight’s only three-time lineal champion.
Mike Tyson
Weight Division: Heavyweight
Height: 5-foot-10
Reach: 71 inches
Stance: Orthodox
Boxing Record: 50-6-2 no contest (44KOs)
Career Highs: WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles, third longest reign as heavyweight unified champion.
The Verdict
Obviously, Muhammad Ali has the advantage in height and reach over a much smaller Mike Tyson. Skills-wise, the Olympian is a better-rounded boxer too, using his impeccable footwork and deceptively fast hand speed to swarm over his foes. But what made Ali the most complete fighter of all time was his hard rock chin that enabled him to receive hard blows. He proved time and time again that he could absorb haymakers and still continued with his assault.
I’m not trying to be blasphemous here but I honestly believed Tyson has a shot at knocking out Ali if they ever faced each other in the squared circle. Yeah, he might be too small in the division but his punches (left or right) were loaded with dynamites. His defense was not shabby too as his peek-a-boo style of boxing allowed him to cover all over his chin and then switch to offense in one motion. Calling Tyson a force of nature was an understatement, especially before the Buster Douglas shocker.
Then again, we are talking about the greatest of all time here (And I am not slighting Sugar Ray Robinson or Joe Luis here). You probably still remember, the Rumble in the Jungle, right? It’s because what happened that night in Zaire would probably be the outcome of this Ali-Fantasy match. Ali would first dissect his opponent, study his tendencies, let him punch out in the corners and unload the finishing blows late in the round. Ali was just the master of that tactic. Sorry Tyson fans but Ali is too much for him.
Oops! Do you disagree? Yeah, I am open to any debate my friends. I am still a minnow in Steemit but I am very much willing to talk and accept your point of view regarding the topic.
Don’t forget to upvote my article and please don’t flag me, I am just doing my due diligence as a die-hard sports fan.