What separates failures from successful people (Mike Tyson vs Mohammed Ali comparison)

There is usually a noisy controversy about who should be regarded as greatest amongst the duo. I’m neither a Tyson fan nor an Ali fan, so I don’t give a damn about whom you eventually consider the greatest. My interest is that you learn the very crucial lessons that this comparison would offer.

Mike Tyson was a brutal and aggressive boxer who had herculean punching power and intimidating persona. Mohammed Ali was swift, cool, calm and collected, and just for the ladies interest, he is tall and cute as opposed to macho and scary-looking Tyson. So, let’s briefly compare stats. Tyson had a total of 58 fights, he won 50 fights, 0ut of which 44 was by knockout (KO). He lost six. Mohammed had a total of 61 fight, he won 56, out of which 37 was by KO. He lost five.

In making the most appropriate comparison, its expedient I consider the following;

·          Style – How does he box?

·          Speed – Can you see his punches coming or do they sneak up on you?

·          Heart – Does he have the desire to peel his sweaty carcass off the canvas and return to battle?

·          Psychology – Can he get inside his opponent's head and nullify his training?

·          Stamina/Endurance – Is he grabbing his knees in the eighth round?

STYLE

Muhammad Ali created his own style and violated every rule of boxing along the way.  His hands dangled loosely by his side. Instead of using his arms to block he leaned back to avoid punches. He threw a variety of looping punches from ridiculous angles. He was a notorious headhunter with little concern for body shots.  Ali is legendary for keeping his opponents at a safe distance while simultaneously landing power punches..

Mike Tyson was a different animal altogether. Tyson moved straight ahead with evil intent. Mike Tyson used the peek-a-boo guard to protect his face and body. When he dropped his guard, he was doing so to unleash weapons of mass destruction. As a result, the opportunity to hit Tyson was a double-edged sword. If you attacked Tyson, you were going to get hit and it wasn't going to tickle! At his most effective Mike Tyson was a combination puncher who unleashed violent body and head quartets that would shorten anybody’s night. Tyson has often said his goal was to punch through his opponent’s head. Sound’s delightful doesn't it? Fighting Mike Tyson was just as bad (if not worse) than fighting Muhammad Ali.

Lessons

1.      Ali created his own style and that made him unpredictable and relatively invincible. Great men don’t copy or imitate, they carve their own niche.

2.      Tyson stuck to the rules but he was focused at doing the damage. He didn't just stick to the rules, he mastered the rules to high professionalism and perfection.

SPEED

Speed in boxing is measured two ways: hand speed and foot speed.

Hand speed measures how quickly a person can get off a punch. Foot speed measures how quickly a person moves around the ring.

Ali is the clear winner when it comes to foot speed. He had speed that a man of his size wouldn't normally possess. Ali had quick hands as well, but his hand speed was nowhere near as lethal as his foot speed.

For years Mike Tyson’s hand speed has been overlooked. He packed such lethal punches that few people noticed his speed. Tyson would whip out five or six hooks and uppercuts in the blink of an eye. It was extremely rare to see a boxer beat Mike Tyson to the punch. Mike Tyson was not the fastest when it came to foot speed, but he used what he had to stalk opponents and punish them.

Lesson

Speed is extremely important in whatever you do. But greats must learn how to develop speed in the most strategic areas. Ali was very speedy on the foot and relied on it for his defense but that failed or delayed him many times as opposed to Tyson. Ali took SEVERE punishment from Max Schmeling, Oscar Bonavena, Joe Frazier and Ken Norton. Anyone who applied a decent amount of pressure to Ali could nullify his quick feet.

HEART

Mike Tyson never displayed great heart. He fought back to win against Razor Ruddock but that was basically it. After taking punishment, he was visibly demoralized in bouts with the “Irish Champion” Kevin McBride, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis. 

Tyson could dominate a fight, but he didn’t possess the will to dig deep and deliver punishment when the chips were stacked against him.

Muhammad Ali was a true warrior with an astounding amount of heart. To some people he showed a little too much. Ken Norton broke Ali’s jaw early in their first fight. Ali fought for at least seven rounds with the pain of a broken jaw that got worse with each round.

Ali was also put down in several fights that he went on to win:

·         Henry Cooper knocked him down in the fourth round. Ali won the fight.

·         Chuck Wepner knocked Ali down in the ninth round. Ali won the fight.

·         Sonny Banks knocked Ali down. Ali won the fight.

Lessons

Life isn't a bed of roses, and outcomes in many cases are the exact opposite of what you expect. The journey is never wholly smooth and gridlocks abound, but you mustn't be discouraged. You need a heart to succeed. cowardice isn't to tolerable on the road to success.

PSYCHOLOGY

Psychology was a major factor for both Ali and Tyson.

Muhammad Ali used psychology as a weapon. Mike Tyson used it as a crutch. It was hard for Tyson to defeat an opponent who didn’t fear him.

In his documentary, Tyson flat out says the following, “I walk around the ring and never take my eyes off my opponent. I’m looking for a sign of his fear. He’ll fight hard for two or three rounds but I KNOW I broke his spirit”. Tyson relied on fear, but he struggled openly when boxers did not fear him.

Muhammad Ali was a psychological machine. He unnerved Sonny Liston by showing up at his training camp and starting a circus. He routinely distracted opponents with pre-fight taunts, poems and jokes.

He predicted the round in which his opponents would fall (Archie Moore in four, Powell in five). He called Joe Frazier (a man who helped bring him back into boxing) names like Uncle Tom, Flat Nose, Gorilla and Moon Cricket.  

His antics angered Frazier so much that it took over 20 years for Frazier to forgive him (even after Ali was stricken with Parkinson’s).

Lesson

 If you must be plausibly competitive. You must on your own build a favourable and independent self-psychology. You must also learn to psychologically intimidate people.Believe or not, this works most of the time even during job interviews. Is this unfair? Yes and that’s because life isn't fair.

STAMINA/ENDURANCE

Tyson was a power fighter who only had 18 fights (32 percent) go past the fourth round. Tyson fans will point to his devastating punching power as the main driver behind this statistic. 

85 % of Ali’s fights went past the fourth round with the majority of them going the distance.  

Tyson’s power and suspect lungs kept him out of long fights, but his lack of endurance was apparent in fights that went long. Tyson lost six fights; five of those losses came after the fourth round.

When you compare the fighters from the rounds fought, perspective things get even worse for Mike. Muhammad Ali fought 56 fights and Mike Tyson fought 58 fights.  Muhammad Ali fought in 541 rounds while Tyson only fought in 211 rounds. That’s an astounding 330 round difference.

Lessons

Muhammad Ali was a boxer who fought to embarrass and outclass his opponents. He found weaknesses and punished opponents in the long haul. 

The case can be made that Tyson would knock Ali out but it wouldn’t hold much weight. Muhammad Ali lost five fights, four were decisions and only one was a TKO at the extreme tail end of his career. Muhammad Ali withstood punishment from heavy hitters like Joe Frazier, Archie Moore, Ken Norton, Ernie Shavers and George Foreman without being knocked out. It’s safe to say that Mike Tyson wouldn’t have knocked him out either.

Very importantly, Tyson had an edge in muscular strength, but Ali had muscular endurance. No matter your strength or intellect, you must learn how to persist, endure and stay committed even if it means for years until success is achieved.

In conclusion, to break the ice of who the greatest is, Marcus Smith once explained thus; Tyson was a physical marvel and it shows in the categories that he has over Ali. Tyson is superior to Ali in Power, Speed and Defense. These are all critical components of boxing. 

Ali was a more complete warrior than Mike Tyson. As a result he takes home six categories…Style, Chin, Heart, Psychology, Key Losses and Stamina/Endurance.

Any opponent who beat Ali did so in a hard fought battle that went AT LEAST 10 rounds.  

·         Frazier won a unanimous decision in 15 rounds.

·         Ken Norton won a split decision in 12 rounds.

·         Leon Spinks won a split decision in 15 rounds.

·         Larry Holmes won a TKO in 10 rounds.

·         Trevor Berbick won a unanimous decision in 10 rounds.

In order for Tyson to beat Ali he’d have to take him down and take him down quick.  Some of the best boxers in American history couldn’t do it and Tyson wouldn't do it either.

By round 10, Tyson would be clearly outclassed and looking for a way out. He’d get it in the form of a unanimous decision for Ali.

Sorry Tyson fans, Mohammed wins it!

Either ways, they both experienced losses, but that didn't stop them from winning tomorrow !

Ezeme Kingsley Chukwuebuka

kingynelsy@gmail.com