ttc wrote:
Ali in his prime was unbelievable, and IMO would've won. But Tyson was unbelievable himself and would've had a great chance, with Ali holding his hands low. Tyson's fists in his prime was 98% as quick as Ali's. Tyson was also very fundamentally sound.
Deviating a bit, but the biggest travesty in boxing is all the holding allowed. Remember Klitchko-S.Peter?? Guaranteed Peter would've KO'd Wlad in 1 round, if Wlad wasn't allowed to hold during EVERY exchange. Guaranteed.
I completely agree. The holding in boxing has gotten out of hand. I'm not going to criticize a strategic move by a boxer but you have to believe that all the holding is why people are turning away from boxing and going towards MMA.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I really think this fight is 60-40 Ali. While I agree with most in regards to Ali being the smarter and more technically sound fighter, you can't overlook Tyson's shear power, speed, and (most importantly) insanity. Also, you have to believe that Tyson was one of the most physically gifted boxer and if he got the right trainer he'd come in to the fight as an even more intimidating beast. If Ali could survive the first five rounds he'd probably win the fight. That, however, is a big if.
Also, as a side note, I do believe that Foreman was a harder hitter, you cannot overlook the insanity and aggressiveness factors with Tyson. When you got in the ring with Foreman, you knew that you were going to get your ass kicked. With Tyson you never knew what would happen to you (see: Holyfield, Evander).