Re: prime Tyson vs. prime Ali
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Ali runs around the ring like a little bitch for 6 rounds, then gets appropriately punished by Tyson.
Ali down in 7.
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Sounds like you've never actually seen Ali fight except for clips on ESPN.
Ali fought some vicious fighters that would make Tyson cry for his mommy - Liston, Norton, Foreman. Tyson never even came close to fighting somebody as fearsome as any of those three (or a great boxer like Frazier for that matter).
Ali had remarkable defensive skills. And Ali could take a real pounding (broken jaw early in the Norton fight; a 15-round fight to near-death against Frazier, etc.). What kind of adversity did Tyson ever face? Oh, that's right. He got befuddled by Holyfield. So he bit his ear off.
Although Tyson had far better skills than Foreman ever did I see the fight going to same way - Ali would take advantage of Tyson's mental weakness by talking him into losing during the fight. Using his vastly superior defensive skills he'd watch Tyson wear himself out by the middle rounds Tyson had never seen before and then lay him out. Ali would've played Tyson like a cheap fiddle.
No hesitation, no doubt, no contest - Ali. Tyson would be exhausted, bewildered and on his back in 8 or 9.
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