{"id":4,"date":"2012-11-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-11-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/blessedsuccess\/muhammad-ali-vs-mike-tyson\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T19:57:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T19:57:47","slug":"muhammad-ali-vs-mike-tyson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/blessedsuccess\/muhammad-ali-vs-mike-tyson\/","title":{"rendered":"Muhammad Ali vs. Mike Tyson \u2013 Battle of The Greats"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Muhammad Ali vs. Mike Tyson<\/strong> talk has been up in-the-air for years now and I just thought about it the other day myself, and did a little research. Personally, I already have to say, I think Ali would\u2019ve won, hands down! Not saying Tyson is weak, but I have a strong opinion and reasoning for what I think of Ali.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Hypothetical\u00a0Poll:\u00a0Muhammad Ali vs. Mike Tyson<\/h2>\n

Who do you think would have the championship belt if it would\u2019ve went down?<\/p>\n

Here is an in-depth analysis on\u00a0Muhammad Ali vs. Mike Tyson<\/em>
\n– from Bleacher Report by Marcus Smith<\/p>\n

\n

My name is Marcus Smith and I own SurveyMagnet.com. On April 23, 2010 we ran a poll\/article entitled \u201cWho would win in their prime? Ali or Tyson.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I opened Microsoft Word to write this article, Tyson was winning by the length of his trademark gold tooth. The tally stood at 25 votes for Iron Mike, 24 votes for Muhammad Ali, two voters predicted a draw, and one voter thought the fight would end due to ear biting .<\/p>\n

Few sporting debates can incite a riot like Ali vs. Tyson.<\/p>\n

In most major sports (football, basketball, soccer, etc) loyalty is a location-based commodity. New York Yankees fans despise Red Sox fans. Green Bay Packers fans detest Minnesota Vikings fans. Due to\u00a0Lebrongate<\/em>, Cleveland Cavaliers fans now detest the Miami Heat.<\/p>\n

In boxing, loyalty is an age-based commodity.<\/p>\n

The shelf life of a person who takes uppercuts to the chin for a living is understandably short. In addition to that, at any given time there are typically no more than five boxers with enough talent, fanfare, and personality to cultivate a ravenous fan base.<\/p>\n

Age related debates are fueled by emotion and facts are rarely on the menu. Combine that with the incredibly short supply of boxers to idolize and you have all the ingredients of a ready-made civil war.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a veteran of Ali vs. Tyson debates. I like boxing and I love arguing so its heaven for me. Trust me when I say it normally takes about\u00a030 full seconds<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0for the entire discussion to dissolve into drivel.<\/p>\n

Team Ali is usually comprised of older gentlemen. They dig in and say Ali was entirely too fast for a lumbering half whit like Mike Tyson.<\/p>\n

Team Tyson is normally composed of younger gentlemen. They dig in and defend Mike Tyson\u2019s herculean punching power and intimidating persona. Team Tyson always, and I mean always, predicts a quick knockout from Kid Dynamite.<\/p>\n

If you know anything about boxing then you know both arguments are unfounded. Let\u2019s quickly clear them both up.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Muhammad Ali was just too fast\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u2013 Muhammad Ali fans have a love affair with his speed. Ali was very fast. The legend of his speed was magnified by the fact that most heavyweights of Tyson\u2019s time were slow as molasses. He relied on his quickness and agility to avoid punches. Which means his defense was the boxing equivalent of Russian roulette. It was this game that led his face to be the pounding pad for thousands of well-placed punches. For all of his quickness and speed, Joe Frazier beat Ali within an inch of his life in their first encounter.<\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Mike Tyson would quickly knock Ali out<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Mike Tyson fans have a love affair with Tyson\u2019s power and intimidating persona. Mike Tyson made grown men quiver and scream. Mike Tyson\u2019s intimidating ring entrance and ice-cold stare broke many opponents down. None of those men were Muhammad Ali. Ali withstood the thunderous hooks and uppercuts of George Foreman, Archie Moore, Joe Frazier, and Ken Norton without being knocked out. Sonny Liston was arguably a more intimidating boxer than Mike Tyson because of his mafia connections. Muhammad Ali made a mockery of him and embarrassed him twice.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If you\u2019re going to have a discussion, especially a fantasy discussion, in which you compare boxers then you need to look at no less than 9 things.<\/p>\n

    They are:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \u00a0<\/strong>Style<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 How does he box?<\/li>\n
    2. \u00a0<\/strong>Punching Power<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Is he swatting flies or cracking jaws?<\/li>\n
    3. \u00a0<\/strong>Speed<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Can you see his punches coming or do they sneak up on you?<\/li>\n
    4. \u00a0<\/strong>Chin<\/strong>\u00a0– Can the boxer take a pounding and stand his ground?<\/li>\n
    5. \u00a0<\/strong>Defense<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Is he a human punching bag or is he hard to hit?<\/li>\n
    6. \u00a0<\/strong>Heart<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Does he have the desire to peel his sweaty carcass off the canvas and return to battle?<\/li>\n
    7. \u00a0<\/strong>Psychology<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Can he get inside his opponent\u2019s head and nullify his training?<\/li>\n
    8. \u00a0<\/strong>Key Losses<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Who did the boxer lose to and why?<\/li>\n
    9. \u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Stamina\/Endurance<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Is he grabbing his knees in the eighth round?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Anything short of this involves too much speculation and emotion. Like I said before, the conversation eventually breaks down into drivel.<\/p>\n

      Point 1 \u2013 Style<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

      It is well known that styles make fights. A world-class puncher can frustrate and defeat the most powerful beast around. A patient fighter can pound a great defender\u2019s arms until they drop, creating the opening that ends the fight. This makes boxing great.<\/p>\n

      Muhammad Ali created his own style and violated every rule of boxing along the way.\u00a0 His hands dangled loosely by his side. Instead of using his arms to block he leaned back to avoid punches. He threw a variety of looping punches from ridiculous angles. He was a notorious headhunter with little concern for body shots.<\/p>\n

      Ali\u2019s natural gifts afforded him the luxury of spitting in the face of boxing\u2019s established rules.<\/p>\n

      In the book\u00a0Ali in Action: The Man, the Moves, and the Mouth,<\/em>\u00a0Ali is described as a heavyweight with the hand speed and reflexes of a welterweight (page 11). He stayed on his toes, gracefully danced around the ring and exclusively targeted his opponent\u2019s head with deadly four-punch combinations. Ali would wear an opponent down and go in for the kill when his opponent couldn\u2019t defend himself.<\/p>\n

      His style was frustrating for another reason. Ali had the reach to land authoritative shots from a distance. Ali is legendary for keeping his opponents at a safe distance while simultaneously landing power punches. Everything he did in the ring served to create and maintain the operating space he desired.<\/p>\n

      Imagine yourself in the ring with Ali. You are fighting a person who is taller AND faster than you. When you approach, he gets on his tiptoes, takes two steps back, then lands three power shots to your face\u00a0during his retreat<\/em>.<\/p>\n

      You stand there bewildered. Surely something is afoot! Dazed and confused you decide to cover your face and attack his body. Your opponent floats to the right and delivers a crushing uppercut to your chin. Your natural defense systems kick in and you unleash a flurry of punches that have no hope of connecting.<\/p>\n

      While you contemplate your next move he decides to hit you with five lightning quick power shots to the face. You go down with no hope of getting up. Take a bow (if you can), you have just experienced 20 seconds of boxing Muhammad Ali.<\/p>\n

      Mike Tyson was a different animal altogether.<\/p>\n

      Tyson moved straight ahead with evil intent. Mike Tyson used the peek-a-boo guard to protect his face and body. When he dropped his guard, he was doing so to unleash weapons of mass destruction.<\/p>\n

      As a result, the opportunity to hit Tyson was a double-edged sword.<\/p>\n

      If you attacked Tyson, you were going to get hit and it wasn\u2019t going to tickle! At his most effective Mike Tyson was a combination puncher who unleashed violent body and head quartets that would shorten anybody\u2019s night. Tyson has often said his goal was to punch through his opponent\u2019s head. Sound\u2019s delightful doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

      Fighting Mike Tyson was just as bad (if not worse) than fighting Muhammad Ali.<\/p>\n

      Imagine yourself standing toe to toe with this monster. You throw two punches at his peek-a-boo guard. The impact is laughable. As your second punch comes back, you see a flash of dark flesh moving.<\/p>\n

      You\u2019re not sure what happened but you know it hurts. Both sides of your stomach recoil in pain. As you bend over you catch two left hooks to your right cheek. Your mouthpiece drops out, you lose your equilibrium and kiss the canvas. Pick you chin up, you\u2019ve just experienced 20 seconds of boxing Mike Tyson.<\/p>\n

      Advantage\u00a0<\/strong>–\u00a0Ali<\/em><\/p>\n

      Mike Tyson\u2019s style is definitely more\u00a0intimidating<\/strong>\u00a0than Muhammad Ali\u2019s. Tyson could stop a fight in a hurry. Ali gets the nod from boxing history on this one though.<\/p>\n

      Boxing has had its fair share of power punchers, but the greatest in the sport have always had the ability to deliver punishment and disorient opponents for an extended period of time. Mike Tyson sorely lacked this ability.<\/p>\n

      Point 2 \u2013 Power<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

      Ali was an effective puncher. He had 37 knockouts in his career. Only 12 of those are what most folks consider a true knockout.<\/p>\n

      He had 25 TKOs in which he outclassed his opponent and the referee stopped the fight.<\/p>\n

      36 of Ali\u2019s wins came in the seventh round or later. In fact, he won more rounds by going the distance than any other way. He won 18 fights in the final round (11 in round 15 and 7 in round 12).<\/p>\n

      Tyson\u2019s goal was to kill you early. Every blow that came from Tyson was explosive. A staggering\u00a041 percent<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0of Mike Tyson\u2019s fights ended in the first round. His next highest total was\u00a012 percent<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0in the second round.<\/p>\n

      Mike Tyson\u2019s first championship victory most adequately displayed this titan\u2019s power.<\/p>\n

      In a truly humorous scene, Mike Tyson chased Trevor Berbick around the ring landing power shot after power shot. The last punch was a precise left hook. That blow led to one of the most humorous knockouts in boxing history. Trevor Berbick lost his composure and crumbled to the ground. Berbick stood up, tripped over his own feet and fell down.<\/p>\n

      For his last trick Berbick stood up and slumped into the loving arms of Mills Lane. Larry, Moe and Curly from the\u00a0Three Stooges<\/em>\u00a0couldn\u2019t have done it better. Everyone laughed\u2026everyone except Trevor Berbick.<\/p>\n

      Advantage –\u00a0<\/strong>Tyson<\/em><\/p>\n

      Tyson\u2019s power and fury was unparalleled. Mike Tyson registered 23 TKOs and 21 KOs. He ended 41 percent of his fights within three minutes. That\u2019s power!<\/p>\n

      Point 3 \u2013 Speed<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

      Speed in boxing is measured two ways: hand speed and foot speed.<\/p>\n

      Hand speed measures how quickly a person can get off a punch. Foot speed measures how quickly a person moves around the ring.<\/p>\n

      Ali is the clear winner when it comes to foot speed. He had speed that a man of his size wouldn\u2019t normally possess. Ali had quick hands as well, but his hand speed was nowhere near as lethal as his foot speed.<\/p>\n

      For years Mike Tyson\u2019s hand speed has been overlooked. He packed such lethal punches that few people noticed his speed. In his documentary, Mike Tyson states that he studied quick exciting boxers and he modeled his style after them.<\/p>\n

      Watch a few clips of Tyson throwing punches and you\u2019ll see what I mean. Tyson would whip out five or six\u00a0hooks and uppercuts<\/strong>\u00a0in the blink of an eye. It was extremely rare to see a boxer beat Mike Tyson to the punch.<\/p>\n

      Mike Tyson was not the fastest when it came to foot speed, but he used what he had to stalk opponents and punish them.<\/p>\n

      Advantage\u00a0<\/strong>–\u00a0Tyson<\/em><\/p>\n

      Mike Tyson faster than Ali?!!??? I can hear the moaning now.<\/p>\n

      That\u2019s right I said it. Tyson was faster in the ring for all practical purposes. Muhammad Ali relied on his foot speed as his main defense. That foot speed failed him SEVERAL times.<\/p>\n

      Ali took SEVERE punishment from Max Schmeling, Oscar Bonavena, Joe Frazier and Ken Norton. Anyone who applied a decent amount of pressure to Ali could nullify his quick feet.<\/p>\n

      Tyson fought from a traditional stance so he didn\u2019t waste nearly as much motion as Ali.\u00a0 When he avoided a punch he did so with a lightning quick snap of the head. When Ali avoided a punch it often involved a lean, a foot shuffle and a trip to the corner store.<\/p>\n

      Tyson\u2019s persistent pressure and precision punching nullify Ali\u2019s foot speed.<\/p>\n

      Point 4 \u2013 Chin<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

      Mike Tyson\u2019s armor came with a major chink. His chin was relatively nonexistent. It was never really tested, but it failed on those rare occasions that he needed it.<\/p>\n

      His chin was put to the test in bouts with Lennox Lewis (Tyson was KO\u2019d), Evander Holyfield (Tyson lost on a TKO in which he admits to blacking out) and Buster Douglas (Tyson\u2019s most infamous KO loss).<\/p>\n

      Ali\u2019s chin is legendary.<\/p>\n

      Ali\u2019s face was used as a punching bag several times. Many people consider George Foreman the hardest hitting man in boxing\u2026EVER. Ali\u00a0invited\u00a0<\/em>punishment against George Foreman in his prime! He took a tremendous beating in his only loss to Frazier and didn\u2019t fall until Frazier landed a picture perfect leaping hook in the 15th<\/sup>\u00a0round.<\/p>\n

      Advantage –\u00a0<\/strong>Ali<\/em><\/p>\n

      Muhammad Ali\u2019s chin is legendary.\u00a0 The only KO of any kind on his record was against Larry Holmes when Ali was 38 years old. Mike Tyson was knocked out five times. There really is no comparison in this category.<\/p>\n

      Point 5 \u2013 Defense<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

      Ali\u2019s theatrics, record and entertaining style are romanticized to the point that they hid a dramatic flaw in his game. His defense was awful.<\/p>\n

      His arms were never in a defensive position and he relied solely on his instincts for defense. Ali\u2019s propensity to headhunt and his refusal to defend his body gave opponents plenty of real estate for contact.<\/p>\n

      Ali\u2019s lackadaisical stance and defense left him open for a Tyson favorite, the left hook (which he absorbed routinely in his career). As a result his chin and heart were tested several times when a good defense would have prevented this.<\/p>\n

      Mike Tyson didn\u2019t have the best defense. However, he wasn\u2019t open for business the entire fight like Muhammad Ali. Tyson (five KO losses) was knocked out more times than Ali (one KO loss) but he didn\u2019t take nearly as much punishment.<\/p>\n

      Advantage –\u00a0<\/strong>Tyson<\/em><\/p>\n

      Tyson wins this category because unlike Ali he made an attempt to defend himself. Ali\u2019s cockiness made it easy for an opponent to land big shot after big shot. Tyson would exploit this opportunity and land several power shots.<\/p>\n

      Point 6 \u2013 Heart<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

      Boxing is often called the sweet science. There is a reason for that. Boxing, more so than any other sport, is a blend of technical ability and desire. It is a primitive sport in which a person\u2019s will (or lack thereof) is apparent.<\/p>\n

      Mike Tyson never displayed great heart. He fought back to win against Razor Ruddock but that was basically it. After taking punishment, he was visibly demoralized in bouts with the \u201cIrish Champion\u201d Kevin McBride, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis.<\/p>\n

      Tyson could dominate a fight, but he didn\u2019t possess the will to dig deep and deliver punishment when the chips were stacked against him.<\/p>\n

      Muhammad Ali was a true warrior with an astounding amount of heart. To some people he showed a little too much. Ken Norton\u00a0broke Ali\u2019s jaw<\/em>\u00a0early in their first fight. Ali fought for\u00a0at least seven rounds<\/em>\u00a0with the pain of a broken jaw that got worse with each round.<\/p>\n

      Ali was also put down in several fights that he went on to win:<\/p>\n