MUHAMMAD ALI would have “kicked the butt” of Mike Tyson if they had met in their primes.
But the boxing legend would have probably struggled against kung-fu king Bruce Lee!
That is the opinion of Ali’s eldest son — one of his nine children — as the debate was sparked recently about which heavyweight figure was better.
In a virtual simulation run by the World Boxing Super Series, Tyson was victorious against the late, great Ali.
And current heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua reckons Tyson, now 53, would have won a hypothetical fantasy fight — a remark with which Iron Mike later disagreed.
But Muhammad Ali Junior believes his famous father, who died in June 2016 aged 74, would have prevailed.
Ali Jnr said: “My father would have kicked his butt. Everybody says Mike Tyson would have kicked my father’s butt. I said no.
“Tyson can’t go the distance. He couldn’t go fifteen rounds.
“He’s not a boxer. He’s a street fighter. He’s a knockout artist. He can never hold up to my father!”
Earlier this week, after beating Ali in a simulation run by the World Boxing Super Series, Tyson said: “I know it’s a fantasy game. Most likely I would win the fantasy.
“I wouldn’t win the real fight. Ali’s the greatest there’s ever been.”
Tyson may have accepted defeat but Ali Jr reckons his dad might have had trouble against a surprise opponent — martial artist Lee. He said: “That would have been a good fight.
“They were both young, they were both agile and both took it to the limit with their training. They both were the best at what they did.
“He’s like the Muhammad Ali of karate. I think it would have been a good fight between my father and Lee.”
Ali Jnr was born in 1972 in Philadelphia to Ali’s second wife Belinda.
The 47-year-old had an unusual upbringing until his parents divorced in 1977, claiming his mum used to “babysit Michael Jackson”.
He has contributed to a new book about his father called Muhammad Ali: The Life of a Legend, written by British journalist Fiaz Rafiq.
Asked what he thinks when he sees the three-time heavyweight world champion on TV, Ali Jr said: “It seems like a dream.
“But I just look at him as daddy. He’s my daddy. I love him and he’s my father.
“I don’t see him as the ‘Greatest of All Time’. I don’t see him as the great humanitarian. I see him as daddy.
“We had a brother-to-brother relationship. His personality is unlike anybody else’s. I’ve never met anybody who had a better personality.
“He said, ‘I care about people being human and not what colour they are’.
“He said, ‘Look at people and respect them as human beings’.
“Another thing he taught me, he said, ‘I don’t care if it’s a Jew, Christian or a Muslim in the same room, as long as they believe in God’.
“My father believed wholeheartedly in Islam. He was ready to die for it. He said, ‘I’m not going to denounce my religion. If I have to face gunfire, I will’.
“Let me put it this way: if my father was a bomb, he’d be like the Hiroshima bomb. That’s how much impact he had on a lot of people.”
The book involves anecdotes from the Ali family, including the time Saturday Night Fever star John Travolta was invited to Deer Lake training camp.
News
Kanye West’s wife Bianca Censori responds to lawsuit claiming she sent porn to Yeezy staff, including minors
Kanye West‘s wife Bianca Censori has denied claims she sent porn to Yeezy staff, including minors. A federal lawsuit filed in California claimed that Censori, 29, sent an employee a link to ‘hardcore’ sexual content after her husband announced the launch of his adult film business,…
Franck Bruno says the ‘best fighter’ he faced is Mike Tyson: ”Mike Tyson had it all, the hunger to win the belts, to fight, to move and determination to take anybody down that crossed him at his peak. He knew the quicker he could get rid of his opponent the less chance he would get caught and he was determined to get rid of his opponents quickly.”
Former heavyweight world champion and British fan-favourite, Frank Bruno, revealed the best fighter that he has ever stepped into the ring with after a forty-five fight career that spanned over fourteen years. Bruno was recognised as one of the division’s…
Iron Mike’s Secret: The Fear That Lurked Behind Boxing’s Most Intimidating Entrance
Mike Tyson is an enigma is every sense of the word. The guy once known as The Baddest Man on the Planet shot to fame after becoming the youngest ever heavyweight champion in history at just 20 years old. With…
Mike Tyson’s five most incredible knockouts revealed including destroying undefeated Michael Spinks in 91 second blitz
MIKE TYSON was so dangerous in the ring that even he is scared of the man he used to be. The American, 54, dominated the world of boxing after he was crowned the youngest heavyweight world champion in 1986, aged…
George Foreman reveals why he never fought Mike Tyson and wanted nothing to do with the ‘monster’ boxer
GEORGE FOREMAN branded Mike Tyson a “monster” as he revealed why he did not want to step into the ring with his rival. The two-time heavyweight champion was tipped to fight the Baddest Man on the Planet when he made…
Mike Tyson believes a normal person can take his punches if they ‘don’t fear death’ and says he was a ‘nervous’ fighter
BOXING legend Mike Tyson has revealed how a “normal person” could take one of his punches if they had no fear of death. Iron Mike was considered one of the most brutal and hardest hitters in the sport after being…
End of content
No more pages to load