“Had too much pride,” Mike Tyson compares Muhammad Ali’s greatness to pitbulls and roosters

Mike Tyson's deep admiration for Muhammad Ali's relentless competitive spirit and refusal to lose, shaping their enduring bond.

“Had too much pride,” Mike Tyson compares Muhammad Ali’s greatness to pitbulls and roosters

Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali (Image Courtesy - Ring Magazine)

Mike Tyson has consistently drawn inspiration from Muhammad Ali, with Ali undeniably serving as Tyson’s foremost idol. During his early years, Tyson avidly tracked Ali’s journey and even found himself emotionally moved to tears whenever the iconic boxer faced defeat.

Tyson remained close to Muhammad Ali after both fighters retired, and during this time, he got to know even more about the former heavyweight champion. In an interview with GQ magazine, Tyson once described Ali as the most competitive fighter in the history of boxing.

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He said: “Ali is the most competitive fighter ever…He’s just that way. Maybe somebody should talk to him [about] why he’s that way. He’ll fight you to the end. He’s really game, like a pitbull or a fu*king rooster. But he looked like a model in his prime! He looked more like a model than a fighter. He was just a dead game guy. He was dead game. He had too much pride. He refused to lose.” 

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Mike Tyson revealed that Muhammad Ali would do anything to get an advantage and win a boxing bout. According to ‘IronMike,’ Ali never wanted to lose. That’s what made him different from others.

Related: “They’re sh*tting on him!” Mike Tyson learns from Dana White about ‘disgraceful’ HBO Boxing commentators making poor remarks about him during legendary walkout

Mike Tyson comments on how boxing has changed over the years 

Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson (Image Courtesy – WWNY)

Mike Tyson is one of the biggest legends in the sport of boxing and has a huge fan base around the world. During his prime, he was unstoppable and fought a lot of tough opponents to become the youngest-ever heavyweight champion. 

However, the mindset around boxing has changed a lot since the 1990s. In an interview, Tyson revealed how boxing started and how it’s turning into a business now.

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He said: “Boxing and fighting started in the gutter. It is a celebrity now but that’s what it comes from. This is entrepreneurship now, this is a business. This is not about my ego how tough I’m. This is a thinking man sport and you have to look it like a business.”

In boxing days, Tyson was known for being ferocious and wanting to kill his opponents inside the ring. However, according to the legend, boxers now only think of it as a business to earn money.

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