"He’s Just Mean And Evil" Mike Tyson Reveals The Heavyweight Boxer He Couldn’t Have Beaten

Tyson Said Ali Was “Mean And Evil” And Would Drown His Opponents

Iron Mike Said No One Could Match Ali's Fighting Spirit

Tyson’s praise for Ali was both intense and poetic. “He’s just mean and evil, he’ll take you to deep waters and drown you,” Tyson said in the interview, comparing Ali’s fighting spirit to something almost prehistoric. “He’s like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with a pretty face.”

Tyson admitted that Ali lacked some traditional tools like body punches or tight defense but still outclassed everyone.

“He doesn’t have a good defense, his speed is his defense,” he said. “Everything we have, he supersedes us in, even in our arrogance and ego.” For Tyson, Ali wasn’t just a great boxer, he was a one-of-a-kind figure who transcended the sport.

As a child in Brooklyn, Tyson idolized Ali. He was only 14 years old when he saw Ali suffer a punishing loss to Larry Holmes. Tyson would later recall how that fight shook him to his core and how it helped shape his motivation to become the most dominant heavyweight of his era.

Tyson Avenged Ali’s Painful Loss To Larry Holmes

Ali’s fight with Larry Holmes in October 1980 was a sad chapter in boxing history. At 38 and far removed from his prime , Ali returned from retirement to challenge Holmes for the WBC heavyweight title. However, the aging legend struggled to keep up. Holmes dominated the fight from the opening bell, and Ali’s corner mercifully stopped the bout after the 10th round. It was the only time Ali lost via stoppage, and many believed the fight should have never been sanctioned due to Ali’s declining health.

Tyson never forgot that beating. Eight years later, he faced Holmes in the ring with Ali watching from ringside. Tyson, then the undefeated undisputed champion, knocked Holmes down three times in the fourth round, ending the fight by knockout. It was the only KO loss of Holmes’ career.

In 2016, Tyson served as a pallbearer at Ali’s funeral, a final show of respect for the man he called “the best in the world.” Tyson’s words and actions have left no doubt, in his eyes, no fighter, not even himself, could ever surpass Muhammad Ali.