Legendary trainer Emanuel Steward has shared his verdict on the outcome of an intriguing fantasy heavyweight showdown between Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali.
Both Ali and Tyson proved themselves to be two of the greatest heavyweights of all time, taking the sport by storm during their respective eras which came decades apart.
Known as ‘The Greatest’, Ali claimed the world heavyweight championship on three occasions throughout the course of his storied professional career, racking up victories over the likes of Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman.
Tyson exploded onto the scene during the 1980s, establishing himself as a serious contender almost instantly. He wrote his name into the boxing history books just over one year into his career when he became the youngest heavyweight champion ever, a feat he achieved with a victory over Trevor Berbick in 1986.
In a resurfaced interview with RetroBoxingLive, the late, great Steward predicted what he believes would have happened had Ali locked horns with ‘Iron Mike’.
“Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson? Ali, Ali, Ali.
“Mike is one of the most amazing men and why I have so much respect for Mike Tyson is a small guy, I mean Mike is maybe about an inch, inch and a half taller than I am but I’m only 5’9, and the fact that he accomplished what he did was amazing.
“Sometimes he lost when he fought big guys who were talented guys, who wasn’t intimidated by him, he always had a problem because he really was nothing but much more than a cruiserweight fighting these super-heavyweights.
“I think Ali would have won the fight because I thought he had too much boxing skills and physical size and just all around generalship and usually as the fight went on often times Mike as he tired physically and mentally he had problems in later rounds with those big guys and Ali actually fought better in the later rounds.”
Whilst Ali is commended for his exceptional boxing ability and natural talent, the Kentucky-native was perhaps best known for his charming personality and for the way that he inspired generation after generation of young fighters, who all aspired to be just like ‘The Greatest’.