That's right, folks. The man who called himself the Greatest of all Time lives up to his namesake in this week's match-up. Only question now is: how would the fight have gone? Would Ali knock out Mike Tyson early on or would it be a long and drawn-out fight that would go the distance? Find out here.
As the first bell rings, Ali and Tyson would quickly settle in to their normal and routine strategies, with Tyson's aggression and power being nullified from the onset by Ali's foot speed. Ali would try to establish the jab, but Tyson's head movement would surely get past it. But Ali's foot-speed would serve him extremely well here, since Tyson would not be able to keep up with him and follow up with his own punches. So as the first round ends, Ali and Tyson would likely draw and neither would land a particularly good or noteworthy shot.
In rounds 2-5, Ali's jab would begin to land more due to Tyson's break in concentration. This would be due to the growing frustration of being unable to land his punches in the first round. And if there was one thing Ali could do better than fight, it was talk trash. He knew exactly how to get how to get under everyone's skin, and Tyson would be no exception whatsoever. If anything, Tyson would be more susceptible to Ali's talk more than others, considering his admitted insecurities about himself. With Tyson's fierce concentration being broken, Ali would begin to score and build a small lead on points.
In the opening of round 6, Ali, after being unable to land his more damaging shots and succumbing to his overconfidence after breaking Tyson, would begin getting in closer to land the bigger punches and null out Tyson's head movement. But this would be Ali's big mistake. Fighting in close is Tyson's specialty, and some of his big punches would definitely land on Ali's body, and probably a few to his head. The same would happen in round 7, considering Ali's stubbornness. Tyson would throw his best combination, the right-hook to the body, followed by the big right-uppercut, which would land perfectly. Ali would be seriously stunned here, and perhaps even fall, but his resilience and tough chin would bring him right back up.
In rounds 8-10, Tyson would begin to tire from having to move so much and missing with his large punches earlier on in the fight. To make matters worst, Ali would take advantage of Tyson's aggression by using the Rope-a-Dope tactic, retreating to the ropes and allowing Tyson to expend his remaining energy. Tyson would tire even more, but Ali would still take sever damage to his body. His kidneys would begin to swell, but he wouldn't go down again. Not after the first time.
In the final 2 rounds, 11 and 12, Tyson would be running on empty. Ali would take advantage now and use his lightning-fast jab and powerful right hand to do some serious damage. Tyson wouldn't fall, but Ali would continue to chop him down using the double-jab to right-straight combination. There's no doubt that Tyson would begin to swell and bleed. He may even be stumbled by Ali's uppercut, thrown from either arm, which was also very powerful and effective on shorter fighters.
"And the winner! By unanimous decision! Muhammad Ali!!!!!" So Ali would walk away with the win. However, due to all the body shots taken, he would likely have to be hospitalized with swollen or bleeding kidneys. But Ali would heal in no time and be ready to fight again soon. Tyson, too, would recover quickly and be ready to return to the ring in no time. It would be a hell of a fight, and both men would deserve a standing ovation for their hard work and dedication to the sport they love.
Questions or concerns? Comment below or email us at
AthletesandEras@gmail.com!
Like us on
Facebook.
