Ali vs. Tyson: Who Would Win?

[skinsfan07]

Currently having this discussion on my facebook page. And of course, it begs the question, who would win. 1 v 1 in their primes. Tyson or Ali? I'm going with Tyson. Would love to hear some of ya'lls opinions on who you think would win and why. Poll up.

[chipwhich]

Mike Tyson when he was trained by Kevin Rooney

Ali any other time.

[Tulane Skins Fan]

We are talking about boxing, right?

Ali.... is there a question?

[hawgboy]

Tyson usually lost if he didn't take care of business in the first couple of rounds...Advantage-Ali.

[Predicto]

Ali in his prime, before he was stripped of his title for four years for refusing to go to Vietnam. He had it all.

[Teller]

Tyson.

Ali got hit a TON. And you don't just "absorb" shots from Mike.

[skinsfan07]

So those who say Ali? Reach? Smarts?

-I feel like anyone that actually watched Tyson in his prime would have to take Tyson. Prior to fall of '88 when tyson started to lose his marbles, he was never knocked to the ground. That includes four title matches that went the distance against fighters with more reach than Ali.

-Also, Ali was not the best at winning early, unlike Tyson who started his career with 18 straight knockouts which were mostly in the first round.

-And finally if you look at it, since anyone who watched early Tyson would know, he was so good defensively, so well conditioned, and so tough, that he was fully capable of going the distance with preprison Ali whom had looked SO impressive through his first 19 pro fights and gold medal match that he was a 7-1 underdog when he fought his first title match to Liston unlike Tyson who was a 6-1 favorite when he got his first title match against Berbick. But i guess we'll never know.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Both in their primes, I'd pick Tyson to win via KO early on. He was just at his own level of athleticism. In the history of boxing, you'll never see that cobination of speed and power at HW. The way he unleashed bombs out of nowhere is second to none. He got a bad rap for the second half of his career. In the mid 80s, Tyson would have been able to find Ali's chin, which is impossible for a human being to absorb.

[Predicto]

Tyson.

Ali got hit a TON. And you don't just "absorb" shots from Mike.

Early in his career Ali hardly got hit at all (see .gif above).

And late in his career he absorbed massive shots from George Foreman, who was more powerful than Tyson and had dominated great boxers like Joe Frazier and Ken Norton.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Early in his career Ali hardly got hit at all (see .gif above).

And late in his career he absorbed massive shots from George Foreman, who was more powerful than Tyson and had dominated great boxers like Joe Frazier and Ken Norton.

Tyosn's not going to be pawing at Ali with jabs and an average looking cross. He's going to duck his head, cover his jawline perfectly with his gloves, get inside, and tork the most wicked hooks and uppercuts in the history of punching. He was tuned like a fighter jet, state of the art.

[Unforgiven]

Early in his career Ali hardly got hit at all (see .gif above).

And late in his career he absorbed massive shots from George Foreman, who was more powerful than Tyson and had dominated great boxers like Joe Frazier and Ken Norton.

I'd say Tyson was a more powerful puncher than Foreman early on in the fight, say the first 4-5 rounds. Foreman had more consistent power from beginning to end though.

[Predicto]

So those who say Ali? Reach? Smarts?

I feel like anyone that actually watched tyson in his prime would have to take tyson. Prior to fall of '88 when tyson started to lose his marbles, he was never knocked to the ground. That includes four title matches that went the distance against fighters with more reach than Ali. Also, Ali was not the best at winning early, unlike tyson who started his career with 18 straight knockouts which were mostly in the first round. And finally if you look at it, since anyone who watched early Tyson would know, he was so good defensively, so well conditioned, and so tough, that he was fully capable of going the distance with preprison Ali whom had looked SO impressive through his first 19 pro fights and gold medal match that he was a 7-1 underdog when he fought his first title match to Liston unlike Tyson who was a 6-1 favorite when he got his first title match against Berbick. But i guess we'll never know.

Sonny Liston was considered unbeatable by any mortal man, AND was thought to have the Mob in his corner. You didn't bet against the Mob in 1964.

[Tulane Skins Fan]

So those who say Ali? Reach? Smarts?

-I feel like anyone that actually watched Tyson in his prime would have to take Tyson. Prior to fall of '88 when tyson started to lose his marbles, he was never knocked to the ground. That includes four title matches that went the distance against fighters with more reach than Ali.

-Also, Ali was not the best at winning early, unlike Tyson who started his career with 18 straight knockouts which were mostly in the first round.

-And finally if you look at it, since anyone who watched early Tyson would know, he was so good defensively, so well conditioned, and so tough, that he was fully capable of going the distance with preprison Ali whom had looked SO impressive through his first 19 pro fights and gold medal match that he was a 7-1 underdog when he fought his first title match to Liston unlike Tyson who was a 6-1 favorite when he got his first title match against Berbick. But i guess we'll never know.

Reach, smarts... how about speed.

I won't say I'm an expert in boxing, but who did Tyson ever beat that you'd hold up to guys like Foreman and Frazier?

[Predicto]

Tyosn's not going to be pawing at Ali with jabs and an average looking cross. He's going to duck his head, cover his jawline perfectly with his gloves, get inside, and tork the most wicked hooks and uppercuts in the history of punching. He was tuned like a fighter jet, state of the art.

That works great when you are fighting a bunch of Glass Joes during a weak period of Heavyweight boxing. Those tomato cans were so intimidated that the fight was over before it even began.

Ali had the size and the reach and the best speed a heavyweight ever had, and he wasn't intimidated by anyone. He wasn't going to let Tyson stand inside and connect on uppercuts and hooks.

[StillUnknown]

Ali would've have outsmarted him, not sure Tyson ever saw anything remotely as fast as what Ali would've brought to the table.

Tyson certainly has the chance to KO any fighter with his power, but I think Ali outboxes him in their prime.