Roy Jones Jr has given his opinion on perhaps one of the most intriguing fights that never was in Muhammad Ali versus Mike Tyson.
Ali – commonly referred to as the greatest heavyweight in history – was a world champion involved in some of the most famous boxing bouts of all time. As iconic in the ring as he was out of it, the slick fighter with superb reflexes was 24/7 entertainment.
Tyson – the would-be opponent in this fantasy match up – was relentless and controversial. His aggressive peek-a-boo style gave him enough protection to charge at opponents and search for a knockout from the word go. He retired with 44 of them from 50 wins.
Both magnificent trash talkers, a fight between the pair would have been a mega event. As for how it would unfold in the ring, former four weight champion, Jones Jr, is in no doubt.
A former heavyweight king himself, he told DAZN Ali’s success was unquestionable
“Muhammad Ali beats everybody.”
It’s an opinion many in the sport subscribe to. Age meant a fight never could have been, but the two hall-of-famers did crossover in some ways.
It was four years after ‘The Greatest’ hung up the gloves that the ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ made his debut. Despite the gap, the two had some shared opponents, one being Larry Holmes.
Notorious promoter Don King brought Ali back from a two year break to face Holmes in 1980 – but the heavyweight legend’s health was already in decline. Holmes won in tenth.
Apparently a young Tyson spoke to Ali – one of his heroes – on the phone, promising to avenge the Holmes defeat. ‘Iron’ Mike did just that – knocking him out eight years on.