I been watching some old fights on youtube during the lockdown. It got me thinking about some of my favorite dream matches:
1- Marvin Hagler vs James Toney - this one would be one of my first picks. In fact it might be best if we could take the super middleweight version of Toney and have him matchup with a 1983-84 Marvin Hagler. I honestly don't have a clue who would win. Both guys were such old school heavily skilled boxers. Toney might have been slightly quicker but Hagler could fight both southpaw and orthadox.
2- Muhammad Ali vs Mike Tyson - Probably the first fight 95% of the public would bring up. I would have too for many years but I've always believed a prime Ali would easily out point Tyson in a decision.
3- Julio Cesar Chavez vs Roberto Duran - What a fantasy fight! The best match would have been as lightweights or super lightweights. No way this one goes the distance, someone is getting KO'd.
4- Sugar Ray Robinson vs Roy Jones Jr - The two fastest and quickest fighters of all time. Might actually be a bit boring because neither man can be hit if they don't want to. And Roy never wanted to. It would bring out the purists and all ex champions though, everyone would want to see them in the right together.
5- Floyd Mayweather vs Sugar Ray Leonard - Again, this would be a box office smasher. I would have to favor Leonard based on savvy, but these are two of the smartest fighters of all time in the ring.
6 - Joe Frazier vs Evander Holyfield - What an action packed bloody war this would be. Would have been a great trilogy.
7- George Foreman vs Sonny Liston - two of the most intimidating heavyweight champions of all time. Foreman by KO imo.
(This post was last modified: 04-03-2020 03:41 PM by ericsrevenge76.)
(04-03-2020 04:46 PM)holyterror Wrote: From that list, I don’t see anyone having a 50% chance of beating Tyson in his prime other than Ali, Louis, and Foreman.
To beat Tyson you have to back him up. Tyson got those big bombing combinations off by leaping into them from his toes. Look at his highlight reels, when he is getting those bombs off he is always leaning forward on his toes, crouching and lunging upwards with combos. If he is on his heals, backing up or laying against the ropes he can't get those big combinations off.
Evander Holyfield was the first guy to physically crowd Mike inside and force him back. When they would clinch he would push him back on his heels. If Tyson wouldn't back up then he would crowd him and smother Mike from being able to set his feet. Tyson actually needs a little space to set his feet, crouch and explode into his punches, and he always had space because everyone was always moving away from him.
Even if you have seen the fight before, go back and just watch how Holyfield never lets Tyson have space or get his feet set to throw those combinations. He is forcing him backwards or smothering him at all times.
(04-03-2020 05:34 PM)holyterror Wrote: Brilliant strategy.
Ali might have had too much reach to pull that off.
Ali in his prime (21-25 years old) was the fastest heavyweight ever. He is probably the one heavyweight EVER who could actually duck and dance circles around Tyson.
If you watch his highlights/fights from the mid 1960's no other heavyweight ever moved like he did. He literally could not be hit.
However, I do think Tyson would have KO'd the 1970's version of Ali. He was older, much more stationary and used that rope a dope stuff. That would have got him killed againt Tyson. You could see early in his comeback in the first Frazier fight (1971) that Ali was WAYYYY easier to hit.
It was the same thing for Sugar Ray Robinson and Roy Jones Jr. In their prime they literally never got hit. As they reached 30 years old they started getting hit cleanly more and more.
(This post was last modified: 04-04-2020 03:19 PM by ericsrevenge76.)
(04-03-2020 04:46 PM)holyterror Wrote: From that list, I don’t see anyone having a 50% chance of beating Tyson in his prime other than Ali, Louis, and Foreman.
To beat Tyson you have to back him up. Tyson got those big bombing combinations off by leaping into them from his toes. Look at his highlight reels, when he is getting those bombs off he is always leaning forward on his toes, crouching and lunging upwards with combos. If he is on his heals, backing up or laying against the ropes he can't get those big combinations off.
Evander Holyfield was the first guy to physically crowd Mike inside and force him back. When they would clinch he would push him back on his heels. If Tyson wouldn't back up then he would crowd him and smother Mike from being able to set his feet. Tyson actually needs a little space to set his feet, crouch and explode into his punches, and he always had space because everyone was always moving away from him.
Even if you have seen the fight before, go back and just watch how Holyfield never lets Tyson have space or get his feet set to throw those combinations. He is forcing him backwards or smothering him at all times.
Watch how many times Tyson headbutts during a clench. It was horrible against Holyfield (mostly because I think he knew he couldn't win), but he did it in every match. That and hitting with elbows when he could. Tyson was dirty, but extremely effective. It's also very hard to catch what he's doing when you aren't watching it on replay.
I would like to see Rocky Marciano vs Jack Dempsey.
Dempsey was one of the most devastating punchers in boxing history. Tyson patterned his basic style after Dempsey who was one of his favorite fighters. His manager Jim Jacobs had one of the most historic fight libraries ever, so Tyson is actually a really good boxing historian.
Many consider this to be the greatest heavyweight championship fight ever. Just an all out war for 14 rounds. Ali was laid up in the hospital for several days after the fight, Frazier's head looked horrifying when they stopped it.
Neither guy was the same after this fight.
Introductions are at the 8:30 mark
(This post was last modified: 04-11-2020 02:59 AM by ericsrevenge76.)