Frank Bruno faced Mike Tyson twice and was stopped twice. Does he think the ferocious puncher from Brownsville, Brooklyn could do the same to the late, great Muhammad Ali?
Ali was an enigma in the heavyweight division – fast feet, flashy with lightning quick reflexes. He was the undisputed champion for a four-year stint in the seventies and was beaten just five times in a 61 fight campaign.
Tyson is the division’s youngest world champion in history and was famous for his speed and power, firing fight-ending shots from all angles and striking fear into opponents even before the first bell. He was undisputed champion from 1987 until 1990.
One defence in that time was a stoppage of Bruno and, after a prison stint, he returned to the ring and beat the Brit again for the WBC title. Although fan-favourite Bruno was generations after Ali so couldn’t experience his skill up close, he joins every fighter and fan in holding him in high regard.
Speaking to TNT Sports Boxing, he backed ‘The Greatest’ in the fantasy match-up.
“I gotta go for Muhammad Ali. Tyson at his prime, when he was about 21, was a very, very dangerous human being. But I would never, ever bet against Muhammad Ali because he was the godfather. Opened a lot of doors for a lot of people. Very, very genuine human being and a very special man.
So I’ll go for Muhammad Ali, and if you talk to Mike Tyson I think he would say Muhammad Ali as well.”
Tyson recently returned to the ring for a controversial eight-rounder with Jake Paul. He has retired for a second time in the aftermath.
