Muhammad Ali remains the most celebrated boxer of all time but he once admitted that one man would have beaten him.
He took a number of losses in his career, particularly later on when he was towards the end and finished up with a record of 56 wins and 5 defeats.
The first came on points after 15 rounds with Joe Frazier in 1971 in the ‘Fight of the Century.’ He then lost by a split decision to Ken Norton in 1973 but went on to defeat Norton in two subsequent matches.
He lost a split decision to the relatively inexperienced Leon Spinks in 1978, but reclaimed the title in a rematch later that year to become the first three-time heavyweight champion.
In 1980, Ali faced Larry Holmes but was overpowered and Holmes won via a technical knockout when Ali’s trainer, Angelo Dundee, stopped the fight in the 10th round. In his final fight, Trevor Berbick beat Ali on points in 1981.
One fantasy fight that is often talked about is a showdown between Ali and the youngest-ever heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who was just 20 when he lifted his maiden title in 1986.
In a clip shared by BerranLee, Ali and Tyson are sat on a TV sofa together and Ali gives Tyson the eyes.
“I’m scared of him. He’s a real champ.”
He was then asked who would have won had both men met in their prime, and he pointed at ‘Iron’ Mike and credited his fearsome punching.
“[He would have won], I was a dancing master. You are that powerful and so fast, if he hit me [mimes falling over].”
Despite retiring back in 2005, Tyson returns to the ring aged 58 this November when he takes on Jake Paul in Arlington Texas, live on Netflix.
