At the peak of his powers, Mike Tyson was the most dominant heavyweight on the planet.
After entering the paid ranks back in 1985, ‘Iron Mike’ would go on to win his first nineteen bouts via knockout with twelve of these victories coming inside the opening round.
He captured world honours for the first time in 1986, defeating WBC champion Trevor Berbick in a historic win that saw him become the youngest world heavyweight champion of all time.
Tyson followed this up with victories over WBA champion James Smith and IBF champion Tony Tucker, winning the undisputed heavyweight championship just one month after he turned 21-years-old.
In a feature with ThisIs50, Tyson revealed the one opponent that he believes would have prevailed against a prime version of himself, naming none other than the late-great Muhammad Ali.
“There is no man like him, there just isn’t. Everything we have he supersedes us in. He was an animal, he looked more like a model than a boxer.
“He’s like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with a pretty face, he’s just mean and evil, he’ll take you to deep waters and drown you. He’s very special. The best. Nobody beats Ali. I can’t beat that man, hell no. No way.”
Ali remains arguably the most influential figure in the long and storied history of boxing. He racked up legacy defining victories against the likes of George Foreman, Joe Frazier and Sonny Liston throughout his career, and remains the only fighter ever to win the lineal heavyweight championship on three occasions.
