Mike Tyson has come clean about his chances against Muhammad Ali. The former heavyweight champ now says he couldn't have beaten Ali, even when he was at his best.
Tyson, once known as "Iron Mike," made a big splash in boxing. He became the youngest world heavyweight champion at just 20 years and 145 days old in November 1986. He beat Trevor Berbick for the WBC heavyweight title.
In his early career, Tyson was a knockout machine. He won his first 19 fights by KO, with 12 of those in the first round. He went on to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, beating guys like Tony Tucker, Michael Spinks, and James Smith.
But Tyson's run at the top came to a shocking end. In February 1990, Buster Douglas handed him his first loss, a result that shook the boxing world.
Now, years after his retirement, Tyson's talking about the man many call the greatest boxer ever. In a chat with ThisIs50, Tyson didn't hold back his admiration for Ali:
"There is no man like him, there just isn't. Everything we have he supersedes us in. He was an animal, he looked more like a model than a boxer. He's like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with a pretty face, he's mean, he'll take you to deep waters and drown you. He's very special. The best. Nobody beats Ali. I can't beat the man, hell no."
Ali, nicknamed "The Greatest," was the only boxer to be lineal heavyweight champion three times. He beat some of the best in the business, including George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston, and Floyd Patterson.
Larry Holmes, who fought both Ali and Tyson, might have something to say about this matchup. But for now, we've got Tyson's take: Ali was just too good, even for Iron Mike at his peak.
