Ever since Mike Tyson took the boxing world by storm when he became the youngest heavyweight champion and ultimately the undisputed champion, comparisons have been made between Tyson and Muhammad Ali.
Boxing fans salivated at the thought of who would have won if they had been in their respective primes together at the height of their powers. To this day, the talk still occurs. A man who knew Ali well and knows Tyson well to this day, pro wrestling legend Ric Flair, gives a conclusive answer as who'd emerge victorious between the two iconic heavyweights.
"I've just (always) been a fan of Mike Tyson," Flair told DAZN. "I actually knew Muhammad Ali very well. There's always comparisons in sports as there is in business. The only guy I ever thought that could stand in there with Ali was Mike in his prime. Two completely different styles but if Mike hits you, you’re going down.
"I love Mike to death, but I don't think anybody in their primes could have beaten Ali. You look at his earlier fights. He was big. He was rangy. He had length. I don't think he was ever considered knockout artist but he just could outbox you. He could just dance around you and box."
Currently, Flair has a cannabis line, Ric Flair Drip, that is a part of Tyson's cannabis company, Tyson 2.0. "The Nature Boy", who had his last wrestling match in July, has known "Iron Mike" for over 30 years. So working with Tyson was a no-brainer in Flair's mind because of what Tyson represents as a person.
"Mike's just one of those guys that, you know, he grew up tough on the streets," Flair said. "I remember the stories about him fighting Mitch Green on the street. I really followed Mike a lot. So when you get to meet someone that you really admire, you just see what a great athlete they are and how just how tough they are. I’m really a big fan of tough guys that just don't talk but are legitimately tough. Mike just rings that bell really hard."