ALI VS TYSON

[Shallow]

Everybody ignoring George Foreman?  Help me understand it, not one person has commented on it.  You say Tyson because he was so bad, Foreman was badder and Ali knocked him out. 

Too much contraversey around the fight. Be it the supposed voodoo curse on Foreman, the uncharacteristic sluggish weak punches by him in the early part of the fight, the fact that Foreman immediately after said he wanted a rematch then said in '84 that he felt something wasn't right that night with his corner only to later say in the late 90s that he never asked for a rematch (Sports Illustrated has the quote) and that even today with his parkinsons Ali would be too tough to beat, or the account by Norman Mailer that Ali's corner loosed the ropes so the rope a dope would be more effective, an account that is disputed by odd claims that Dundee actually tightened the ropes with a knife; it's just too much of a weird fight for me to look at as legit. Why wouldn't the boxing commission push for a rematch? There was plenty of money to be made.

Even with out all that contraversey and if it were legit, no one has ever said it was Ali's punching power that KOed Foreman. They all give claim to the rope a dope that tired out Foreman causing him to fall in exhaustion, and the purpose of your post was to highlight Ali's big punch. Let's say the rope a dope was a real and no shady business was present, Cus and Whitey would see through that juvenile rope a dope by round 2 and restrategize Tyson to sit and wait for Ali to come to him. It could never hve been the same fight. Tyson is like Frazier while Foreman beat Frazier and Ali beat Foreman, Frazier had also beaten Ali and of the three fights the one that Frazier had won was hte only clear cut victory. The second was a close 12 round decision that could have went either way (since Ali played a stick and back off match the whole way) and the Thrilla in Manilla was a throw in the towel by his corner when it was apparent Ali wasn't able to return for the final round. If they hadn't thrown in the towel many analysts and men in Ali's corner question whether Ali could have even started the last round.

As I said. Tyson would need to fight older, rope a dope Ali to stand a chance. There is no way in hell Iron Mike Tyson, The Dynamite Kid Mike Tyson, 2Pac Entrance Mike Tyson, or any other Tyson you want, can beat Cassius Clay. Clay would wipe the floor with the under trained pit bull.

The answer can't be that easy. We really cannot know. Has Tyson really ever wiped the floor with any legit heavyweight in their prime? No, but that doesn't mean we know that he couldn't when he was in his prime. Cus D'Amato was smarter than Ali and so anything could have happened and something tells me that Tyson took better orders than Ali did from Dundee, but that's just a hunch. Anyway, one well placed early combo could take out Ali like it could any man, but Ali has shown he can get up and keep going so who really knows. If I were a betting man and had to choose and it was a case of Ali knowing what Tyson was made of then I'd pick Ali to out-box him and win on points.

That being said, I can't imagine Cassius Clay in his prime beating Lennox Lewis in his prime. Too big, too strong, and too smart. He can punch like Frazier, he has the strength of Foreman, the patience of Holyfield, and the boxing skill of Joe Louis. He may not KO Ali but I'd bet the world he'd win on points (unless it would be rigged like his match with Evander).

[Da WCC Hopar!]

I'd go with Tyson for the fact that he was just a fuckin' ANIMAL in his prime

[Wild_Elmo]

Everybody ignoring George Foreman?  Help me understand it, not one person has commented on it.  You say Tyson because he was so bad, Foreman was badder and Ali knocked him out. 

I just read this whole thread right now. Let me tell you, Tyson would have sent Foreman out on a stretcher. George swung like a fuckin' robot. Tyson would have taken Foreman out from the body alone.

[Shallow]

Everybody ignoring George Foreman?  Help me understand it, not one person has commented on it.  You say Tyson because he was so bad, Foreman was badder and Ali knocked him out. 

I just read this whole thread right now. Let me tell you, Tyson would have sent Foreman out on a stretcher. George swung like a fuckin' robot. Tyson would have taken Foreman out from the body alone.

Foreman had longer reach, and stronger chin, and a stronger punch. Tyson would have gotten hurt just coming in close. Keep in mind that Tyson's people avoided letting him fight Foreman when Foreman was an old man. A win over Big George would have big huge for Iron Mike, but with Foreman's size and wallop there was a risk that Fireman could KO him and a loss to a 40 year old man would have killed Tyson's career. Watch Foreman vs Lyle to see how fast Foreman can get up from one of the strongest punchers there is.