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re: Prime Ali vs. Prime Mike Tyson
Posted on 11/26/25 at 10:37 am to iwyLSUiwy
Posted on 11/26/25 at 10:37 am to iwyLSUiwy
The cus Mike Tyson was-the greatest heavyweight in the history of boxing. No one had the combination of punching power speed and agility of Iron Mike. He would have annihilated Ali (who is my hero by the way)
3
Posted on 11/26/25 at 10:40 am to SaintLSU
Hahaha. Now this HAS to be a joke.
Posted on 11/26/25 at 10:48 am to SaintLSU
quote:
The cus Mike Tyson was-the greatest heavyweight in the history of boxing
No one that knows anything about boxing thinks that. Literally no one. There is no argument to be made that he is the greatest heavyweight of all time.
quote:
No one had the combination of punching power speed and agility of Iron Mike
Mike's peak was very short lived and during his peak he beat nobody of consequence. That alone eliminates him from the discussion. yes he was scary and had a lot of skill and punched harder than anybody. But that's not all there is to boxing and he was limited in other areas. In particular his stamina/fatigue. He would have needed that against Ali and Tysos stamina was sub par. He lost every dog fight he got in and never beat anyone that was great at the time of the fight, much less a prime Ali.
quote:
He would have annihilated Ali (who is my hero by the way)
I got some good news for you, you can sleep easy knowing he 100% would not have annihilated your hero. And if Ali is your hero, I'm sorry, you should know better than to think that. There's a reason Tyson barely made Ring magazine's 80 best boxers of the past 80 years and Alie was #3.
This post was edited on 11/26/25 at 11:22 am
Posted on 11/26/25 at 10:52 am to Rankest
Tyson was even a bigger mental midget than Liston was and we all saw what happened there. Tyson folded in just about all his biggest fights. Holyfield absolutely bullied him and made him his bitch so much so that Tyson resigned to getting DQed instead of stopped again. The real Tyson is who you saw against Douglas, Holyfield, Lewis, Williams, and McBride. A guy who will crumble in the face of adversity because he was mentally fragile. Was Tyson exciting? Sure. The line of guys he fought in the 80’s were mediocre to average. Being exciting against guys like Berbick, Biggs, Tubbs, etc doesn’t make you a GOAT. Tyson best wins are old Holmes and Light Heavyweight Spinks. That’s his whole resume from his ‘prime’. There’s not much there.
Posted on 11/26/25 at 10:56 am to ronricks
The two posters above me summed it up perfectly, well done.
Posted on 11/26/25 at 10:56 am to SaintLSU
quote:
The cus Mike Tyson was-the greatest heavyweight in the history of boxing
quote:
No one had the combination of punching power speed and agility of Iron Mike.
Can you list the best fighters he fought in his prime? Did he fight anyone during this time along the lines of a Liston, Frazier, Foreman, etc? Even a Ken Norton?
Posted on 11/26/25 at 10:59 am to Rankest
I asked ChatGPT if prime Tyson would beat prime Ali, and the answer emphasized why I thought he would.
Tyson’s style and his weight advantage. Tyson’s explosive speed, head movement, and inside pressure would neutralize Ali’s jab, and his extra 5–10 pounds of compact muscle gives him more torque, more stability, and more power in close. Ali could lean on and tie up taller punchers, but he couldn’t physically control Tyson’s shorter, heavier frame. With the combination of style and weight-driven explosiveness, Tyson has the edge in most matchups—enough to win 7 out of 10.
I said 8/10 and stand by it
Tyson’s style and his weight advantage. Tyson’s explosive speed, head movement, and inside pressure would neutralize Ali’s jab, and his extra 5–10 pounds of compact muscle gives him more torque, more stability, and more power in close. Ali could lean on and tie up taller punchers, but he couldn’t physically control Tyson’s shorter, heavier frame. With the combination of style and weight-driven explosiveness, Tyson has the edge in most matchups—enough to win 7 out of 10.
I said 8/10 and stand by it
This post was edited on 11/26/25 at 11:01 am
Posted on 11/26/25 at 11:11 am to Hayekian serf
bullshite.
For starters, Tyson could not handle an offensive jab as shown in the Douglas, Lewis, and Holyfield fights. A prime Holmes would have devastated Tyson with his jab.
Speaking of Douglas, that is a preview of what would have happened if Foreman fought Tyson. Mike couldn't handle someone that big and strong who knew how to box. He comes in, Foreman just pushes him off. Foreman doesn't have to be fast to beat Mike. You also underestimate his boxing skill. His defensive style was modeled after Dempsey, hence what looked like pawing was actually designed to throw punches off course. In fact, I think Cus showed him the Frazier fight and said don't ever fight someone like that. Frazier had a very similar style.
Cassius Clay would have made a fool out of him. He would have had his style broken down and figured it out. He would have made him so mad before the fight Tyson would forget about boxing. That Clay jab would have frustrated Tyson to no end.
Prime Holmes with his jab and knockout punch would have been tough for Mike to beat. That would actually be a good fight - until it got past the ninth round. If it's a 15 round fight, Tyson is toast against Holmes after 10.
I doubt even Cus Mike can take Lewis and Holyfield.
For starters, Tyson could not handle an offensive jab as shown in the Douglas, Lewis, and Holyfield fights. A prime Holmes would have devastated Tyson with his jab.
Speaking of Douglas, that is a preview of what would have happened if Foreman fought Tyson. Mike couldn't handle someone that big and strong who knew how to box. He comes in, Foreman just pushes him off. Foreman doesn't have to be fast to beat Mike. You also underestimate his boxing skill. His defensive style was modeled after Dempsey, hence what looked like pawing was actually designed to throw punches off course. In fact, I think Cus showed him the Frazier fight and said don't ever fight someone like that. Frazier had a very similar style.
Cassius Clay would have made a fool out of him. He would have had his style broken down and figured it out. He would have made him so mad before the fight Tyson would forget about boxing. That Clay jab would have frustrated Tyson to no end.
Prime Holmes with his jab and knockout punch would have been tough for Mike to beat. That would actually be a good fight - until it got past the ninth round. If it's a 15 round fight, Tyson is toast against Holmes after 10.
I doubt even Cus Mike can take Lewis and Holyfield.
Posted on 11/26/25 at 11:29 am to Hayekian serf
quote:
I asked ChatGPT if prime Tyson would beat prime Ali, and the answer emphasized why I thought he would.
Who gives a shite
Seriously, no one cares what Chat GPT thinks on a boxing match. It's a fun debate but if anyone actually thinks it's a legitimate debate they are dumb. Boxing historians are some of the smartest and unbiased historians in all of sports. Nobody that knows boxing thinks Tyson could beat Ali, even those that loved Tyson. Even Tyson didn't think he could. Also, just for fun and to show how dumb Chat GPT is in a discussion like this, I asked the same question and this was the verdict...
quote:
Verdict
It’s hard to say definitively who would win because both had such different approaches, and the outcome could depend on several factors, such as Tyson's ability to land clean shots early and Ali's ability to stay out of range.
If Tyson lands clean early, it could be over quickly.
If Ali survives the early onslaught, uses his movement, and frustrates Tyson, he might be able to wear Tyson down over the course of the fight, especially in the later rounds.
A lot of people would argue that Ali’s boxing IQ, adaptability, and ability to survive tough situations would give him the edge in a 12-round or 15
-round fight.
So overall it gives it to Ali, but your Chat GPT gives it to Tyson 7 times out of 10
Posted on 11/26/25 at 11:51 am to ronricks
Tyson is lucky he came along in the post-Holmes 80s. If he had come up in the 70s, he would be an asterisk. Ernie Shavers, Foreman, Lyle were all big guys that had massive power.
Posted on 11/26/25 at 12:44 pm to stuntman
This is the 1966 Ali vs. Cleveland Williams fight that is generally accepted as Ali’s peak moment as a fighter.
He was pretty good in the ring …
He was pretty good in the ring …
This post was edited on 11/26/25 at 12:45 pm
Posted on 11/26/25 at 1:10 pm to InkStainedWretch
Absolute masterclass,
Williams was a very respectable boxer too that just got embarrassed. Almost had a couple title fights outside of this one at a time when you had to be a hell of a boxer to get a title fight.
Williams was a very respectable boxer too that just got embarrassed. Almost had a couple title fights outside of this one at a time when you had to be a hell of a boxer to get a title fight.
Posted on 11/26/25 at 2:32 pm to Rankest
Ali.
Tyson always struggled against taller boxers with a greater reach. Ali was 5-6 inches taller and his reach was 7 inches longer. I think Ali would take him.
Tyson always struggled against taller boxers with a greater reach. Ali was 5-6 inches taller and his reach was 7 inches longer. I think Ali would take him.
Posted on 11/26/25 at 3:28 pm to iwyLSUiwy
The young Ali was ripped, too …
Posted on 11/26/25 at 6:25 pm to Rankest
When asked, Ali said Tyson would beat him
Posted on 11/26/25 at 6:35 pm to lepdagod
Tyson would not have survived boxing in the 70’s
Posted on 11/26/25 at 10:19 pm to elprez00
Ali said a lot of things like that on camera or in interviews in his dotage and to be diplomatic and humble. Off camera he was more honest and more willing to acknowledge how good he really was.
Posted on 11/26/25 at 10:37 pm to Rankest
Tyson was a small heavyweight. Any bigger heavyweight with talent could easily bully him. He had no chance vs Lennox Lewis. Ali would have easily beat him.
Posted on 11/26/25 at 10:57 pm to JoeyP239
quote:
Tyson was a small heavyweight. Any bigger heavyweight with talent could easily bully him.
By the 6th round (1 more round than Tyson could be effective) Buster Douglas was just pushing Tyson off of him as Tyson started his middle round holding routine realizing he was entering the early desperation zone once his first couple of blitzkrieg rounds didn't work.
Keeping Tyson at bay with his size and reach.
Ali was also 6'3" with a 78-inch reach.
Posted on 11/27/25 at 7:56 am to prplhze2000
I didn’t like Holmes in real time, can’t really explain it except that he wasn’t that exciting or compelling a fighter, he was just a superb professional practicing his trade. Plus he could be petulant like when he talked s**t about Marciano after losing.
But I have grown to appreciate him more with the passage of time, basically because he was a superb professional practicing his trade in a sport that often became a circus.
He also walked away with his money, his brain and his marriage intact which is admirable.
IMO the only better heavyweights were Ali and Louis.
But I have grown to appreciate him more with the passage of time, basically because he was a superb professional practicing his trade in a sport that often became a circus.
He also walked away with his money, his brain and his marriage intact which is admirable.
IMO the only better heavyweights were Ali and Louis.
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