Ali vs Tyson (for the Physics illiterate)

[JTimmons]

Only cause I saw this started on another forum, which started with the recent show on ESPN2 on Ali.

Questions are: Who'd win in a fight if both were in their prime in this day? Why?

While I will say Ali was a great boxer, I'd have to give it Tyson as a fighter. I think he would have crushed Ali in the first, maybe the second round.

Tyson straight brought it to any fight in his prime (prior to going to prison)
The look on his face during a fight was nothing short of a pit bull going in for a kill, the look was scary to say the least. His punches weren't thrown to score points, he threw them with the intention of putting his fist through your chest or taking your head completely off.

Have watched several of Ali's fights. The man again was a great boxer with skill, but I believe his biggest asset was his ability to get in your head and make you doubt yourself by his barage of smack talking. He made it a game dancing around (looking pretty) and talking smack. Out smarting opponents with the rope a dope.

I think this would have been useless on Tyson, the rope a dope would have backfired after he got his ribs crushed by Tyson's blows. Talking smack to Tyson would've only added more fuel to that anger the man had weeks before the fight.

What do you think?

[Pappy]

I have to agree. Tyson was an old style fighter, not a boxer. I don't think Ali could have taken the punishment and stayed standing.

Years ago there was a set of computer generated 'fights' matching the all time greats. Final had Ali taking hits at 3 to his 1 from Rocky Marciano and winning. Same thought on that one. Marciano was a fighter that punished his opponents bodies.

[JTimmons]

Speaking of old style fighters.

Anyone ever see the Ward vs Gotti fights? That was something to see, both showed a ton of heart. Gotti fighting with a broken hand, something you don't see often in a modern day athlete.

[Knottscott]

Yeah...I'd have to go with Tyson at his peak vs Ali at his. I never saw anyone hit as hard as Tyson, or as angry as him in his earlier days. Ali would have toyed with Iron Mike one too many times and taken a jack hammer to the jaw, and/or sustained a few broken ribs leading up to it.

[JR]

Well, I'll stand in Ali's corner.

Ok Tyson could punch. But Ali proved he can take a punch. Do you remmeber him going 15 rounds with a broken jaw? That was with Ken Norton, who could hit a litte, too!

Speaking of fighters vs boxers, do you remember Joe Frazier? How about the Thrilla in Manilla? Ali proved he could take on the best brawlers.

Minimizing the rope-a-dope strategy does little make the argument. George Foreman at the time was thought to be unbeatable. He was huge, surly, and punched like he had concrete gloves. It was Ali's finest moment, past his prime, and he still found a way to defeat the most feared fighter of the time.

Ali was neve the puncher that Tyson was, but he was 10 times the fighter. He had speed, range, stamina, and brains who tested himself against (arguably) the best heavyweight field in the history of the sweet science. Tyson was a sociapathic nut-case whose defeats of tomato cans only fed his lunacy.

IMHO.

JR

[Ed62]

I don't think there's any doubt that Ali was a smarter boxer. Tyson could punish an opponent with 1 swing. Ali could take a hit, but could he take Tyson's? I don't know. But Tyson had the ability to bite someone's head off.

Ed

[germdoc]

I don't think there's any doubt that Ali was a smarter boxer. Tyson could punish an opponent with 1 swing. Ali could take a hit, but could he take Tyson's? I don't know. But Tyson had the ability to bite someone's head off.

Ed

I believe that was a piece of ear, actually...

[messmaker]

I would go with Ali. He was a master. He would have found a way. Joe Frazier was not far behind Tyson when they were both in their prime. I would love to see that fight.