What if tyson had holyfield's heart he would have been the greatest champion ever...

[Brassangel]

While guys like Shavers and Foreman hit harder that Tyson in the purest sense of the word "power," their punches were telegraphed as well. One of the things that made Tyson's power punches so devastating was that they came with speed. An unexpected shot that lands cleanly will have a greater effect on the chemicals in the head of a fighter than would a haymaker from a hard puncher. This is evident in many fights where seemingly weak punchers knocked down guys with great chins.

On a side note: Ali got up on the early counts because he had great presence of mind. Most fighters will take their break on the canvas when they get knocked down to fully recouperate. Ali knew the psychological advantage he could gain over his opponent by standing straight up after a knockdown. It's demoralizing to see a fighter get up quickly after taking your best shot. You should also note carefully how Ali typically had to hold the ropes to brace himself while the referee would count as well. Ali got hurt many times in his career. He didn't have a chin of steel, he had a mind of steel and a bag of wits. He knew how to gain an advantage over an opponent even when the opponent was technically winning.

[supaduck]

Orginally Posted by Yogi
Hmm...along with Ali, I guess both Jimmy Young and Ron Lyle are wrong, as well, considering I have quotes from them where they stated that they both thought Shavers hit them harder than anyone else did, including Foreman, who fought them both.

Speaking of Shavers' punching power;

"Oooh man, that man is always with me. He hit so hard, THE HARDEST. I still feel his punches today." - Jimmy Young

"Shavers hit me so hard that it felt like needles were jabbing the back of my head. Without hesitation, Shavers was the hardest puncher I met." - Ron Lyle

Both can be found in the Oct 2001 issue of The Ring.

Well, i'd never read those quotes, or heard about them. I knew Shavers hit hard, but never knew he hit that hard. harder than Foreman? Jesus Christ.

[XionComrade]

Anyone know what Lyle, Norton, and Holmes said about Cooney's power? Shavers and Cooney hit noticably harder than anyone else in Boxing History. Cooney almost killed Norton(No way Norton would have lived had the ref not stepped in when he did, 2-3 seconds later and it would have been all over...) and Shavers made everyone feel his punches for ever...So did Cooney for Holmes but that was the mother of all low blows lol!

And yes I would say (IMO) that Shavers had twice the power that Tyson did, yes he was telegraphed like heck and Tyson would KO him early, but he still hit a rediculous ammount harder than Tyson could.

Yes Shavers hit harder, it doesn't seem like it because Foreman was a freaking beast, but Shavers "Punched like something from another planet" as Holmes put it so nicely.

[butterfly1964]

ya'll are saying this in the wrong thread.

[Brassangel]

I was going to say the same thing...this really has nothing to do with Tyson having a heart transplant anymore.

Then again, every thread has this happen.

[Yogi]

Anyone know what Lyle, Norton, and Holmes said about Cooney's power?

I might have some quotes from them regarding Cooney's punching power (I'll have a look), but I know of one guy offhand who was impressed with Cooney's power than he was with Tyson's...

Nino Ribalta, who sparred Cooney on occasion and had fought Tyson in '86, is quoted as saying that Big Gerry had a significant edge in pure punching power over Mike.

[Brassangel]

A lot of fighters had more punching power than Tyson. It was style and speed that made Mike's so effective.

Shavers could bring down a house, by the way. A young George Foreman would likely do the same.

[Brassangel]

Tyson's style would have been a nightmare for Ali. In many situations, Mike had the ability to cut off a ring faster than Ali could backpedal (as a fast, forward runner could always out-maneuver someone running backwards). He came at opponents with both hands and often worked behind a jab. His defense was better than Frazier's, his speed was quicker than Patterson's, and he attacked the body like no one Ali had ever faced.

Would Tyson beat Ali? I doubt it. The only chance he would have would have been in fight number one. After that, Ali would have figured something out to take fights two and three. Could Tyson hurt Ali? Yes. A resounding YES! What could have happened if Tyson had Holyfield's heart? That's like asking for Reggie Bush to play at USC his Senior year...yeah right...

[Brockton Lip]

Good post as usual.

If Tyson gets Holyfield's heart, we might as well give Ali the punching power of Marciano. If if if; theres alot of if's that could be said.

[butterfly1964]

ali is my favorite, and i think the greatest fighter of all time, and i dont think i have ever said anything even slightly insulting to ali, but you are one dumb nutthugger.

tyson is not as fast as ali so the few punches that tyson would hit him with would not be enough to take it's toll, is what i'm trying to say.

and name-calling will not bolster your argument nor increase your popularity on this forum, so i don't see your point in doing that.