Better in their prime

[District303aPastPlayer]

Who was better in their prime? and why?

[District303aPastPlayer]

but why is ali the greatest.... Tyson tore threw everyone he faced... until he got to buster douglas... he had 14 of 20 first round KOs in his first 20 fights...

[sinfan75]

Because Ali was true boxer while Tyson was a brawler. I think if they were able to box each other in their prime Ali would pick tyson apart.

[Gobbla2001]

Ali could rope-a-dope, let you wear yourself out, then come out and beat you when you could hardly move...

Tyson was able to take his two fists, and knock your butt out without any other tactics...

Remember, brawling was what started boxing in the first place...

It is simple... Tyson...

[Gobbla2001]

This kind of reminds be of Babe Ruth vs. the players from our era (the ones who didn't/don't do the juice)...

Ruth was the best of his time... one of the few pioneers who made the game of baseball as popular as it is today... but he is not the best player to ever take the field...

[District303aPastPlayer]

Originally posted by Gobbla2001
Ali could rope-a-dope, let you wear yourself out, then come out and beat you when you could hardly move...

Tyson was able to take his two fists, and knock your butt out without any other tactics...

Remember, brawling was what started boxing in the first place...

It is simple... Tyson...

thank you :)

[LH Panther Mom]

Ali flew like a butterfly & stung like a bee. Tyson bites. ;)

[LHMom]

Good one, LHPM.

[GS#17]

In his prime, Tyson was not only knocking people out, but his defense was super -- he was not being hit with a lot of shots, and that was definitely one of his many strengths as a boxer. He packed an awesome punch, much stronger than Ali's, and had more of an intimidation factor than Ali had. Tyson, hands down, was the better of the two in their prime.

[Gobbla2001]

Remember, folks, this thread is not about who is better, hell, we'll never know and I'd say it's a tie for now...

but who would you rather have fighting by your side...

A guy who gets beat up in the belly for 11 rounds and THEN wins the match by knock-out, or a guy who just goes out there, takes care of business, and goes home...

Remember, we are talking about two things that most of you are prolly not thinking about right now...

#1, BOXING, not ear-biting and how he treated his wife....

#2, we're not talking about what tyson did his last time out, we're talking about these great boxers' PRIME...

Mike Tyson presented your face to hits until you hit the mat... Ali let you hit him until you were tired as hell and he could knock you out, which may be the main reason he's in the shape he is in today...

[Bandera YaYa]

I voted for Ali.....he was a well respected boxer....yeah I know this was about "Boxing" but I will never give any kind of credit to Tyson......he's a dog, not fit for human consumption. :mad:

[Gobbla2001]

Originally posted by Bandera YaYa
I voted for Ali.....he was a well respected boxer....yeah I know this was about "Boxing" but I will never give any kind of credit to Tyson......he's a dog, not fit for human consumption. :mad:

Did you even read my latest reply to this thread??? haha...

[GS#17]

Something a lot of people forget is that Tyson was very well-respected during his prime; Ali, not so much, especially because of his religious conversion, conscientious objection to the Vietnam war, and cocky attitude. Ali has become the object of a lot of affection since his retirement, but in his prime, he certainly wasn't everyone's champ.

During his prime, Tyson was not only recognized in the boxing community as a person who loved and studied the sport and history of boxing, but outside the ring, people admired him. It wasn't until his divorce from Robin Givens that some people started wondering about his mental health, but even at that time, a lot of people felt he was the "good guy" in that relationship and Robin and her mother Ruth were just out to get him. In retrospect, it just shows how much respect and love people bestowed upon him in his prime. Of course, since his prime, I doubt you'll find many people who feel as positive about him now...

Judging prime vs prime, Tyson certainly gets the respect factor in his favor.

[Gobbla2001]

No doubt that Ali was looked down upong more than tyson because of not only his religion, but his political position...

But as I said, leave those things aside, when it comes to boxing, Tyson not only seem to be the better boxer in his prime, but the one with more 'you knows', not just a mouth...

I'd call Ali the smartest boxer in his prime out of the two, but not the better...

[GreenMonster]

Tyson was bad but I think prime vs prime Ali beats him up. He knocked out Big George in George's prime and that big wanker was droppin foo's till well after his AARP card came in the mail.

[Gobbla2001]

Originally posted by GreenMonster
Tyson was bad but I think prime vs prime Ali beats him up. He knocked out Big George in George's prime and that big wanker was droppin foo's till well after his AARP card came in the mail.

But when Ali actually started boxing against George, George was tired from pounding on Ali's stomache the whole match...

What Ali did was not boxing, it was just 'smart', and honestly, I don't care what espn classic says, Ali was being a coward... He could not beat the 'grill master' head to head in 'boxing'...

Either way, I still think it would be a close match between the two... but Tyson was the better boxer...

[GS#17]

Ali couldn't go toe-to-toe with Foreman, he'd have been knocked out, just like Frazier had been when he tried to trade punches with Foreman. Foreman's fighting style was exploited by Ali, and that's how he won that fight.

[chaingang]

Tyson just because you have no idea what the guy might do!!! He might jump in the crowd and bite person's head off.


personally Id pick ROcky:D

[LeonJr]

It has to be Tyson he has a nintendo game named after him!:D

[District303aPastPlayer]

i just think that mike tyson, would, in his prime, punch your head off... ali wouldnt do that... he lost his prime during those years of the draft... Tyson was just an animal... his prime was from teh moment he turned pro... until maybe the fight with James Douglas.... tell me, is Ali, at any point in his LIFE, a better boxer than mike tyson was up until the Douglas fight

[LeonJr]

Originally posted by LeonJr
It has to be Tyson he has a nintendo game named after him!:D

How about Glass Joe?

[PhiI C]

Ali outsmarted Foreman more than he beat him. If Foreman had fought smart I think he could have won that fight. Either way Ali went out of his way to never fight Foreman again. I think if they could have met and Joe Lewis fought smart he would have beat Ali.

[big daddy russ]

Anyone remember Michael Spinks? Of course you don't, but he was the champ before Tyson. Look that fight up.