re: Post your unpopular sports opinions

quote:

---

19-y.o. Tyson was a machine. There was no "getting in his head" or "wearing him down"

---

I'm like Tyson's biggest fan. He was an absolutely masterful technical fighter before he fired Kevin Rooney and the rest of the team that Cus had assembled for him. And so just like I look at a small window of Ali's career, and separate it out from the rest. I also just look at a small window in Tyson's career and separate it out from the rest.

And Tyson in that short window from '86-'88 was an absolutely brilliant fighter. He was like a billionaire's Joe Frazier.*

That being said, Ali is not a good matchup for him. In fact, Ali is definitely the worst possible matchup for him of any historical fighter.

Take three minutes and watch this clip. Clay Liston 1964 -- Round 1


What does Tyson do against that? Tyson is known as a puncher but was a speed fighter at his very core. What does he do when matched up against a guy who is just as fast and way way longer?



*And just so that we're clear, the 1960s version of Ali never has any epic wars with Joe Frazier. He wins easily on points and walks out of the ring completely unmarked.