Mike Tyson to ‘dig deep’ in presenting Muhammad Ali at Hall of Fame gala

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Steve Marcus

Mike Tyson is shown at his home in Henderson on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012.

Fri, Aug 7, 2015 (1:42 p.m.)

Muhammad Ali in Las Vegas

Muhammad Ali in Las Vegas. Launch slideshow »

Mike Tyson doesn’t need long to respond to this hypothesis: If Muhammad Ali and he had squared off when both fighters were at their athletic peak, how would the fight have turned out?

“Nobody beats Ali in his prime. Nobody,” Tyson said during a phone conversation.

Tyson is presenting Ali, an idol even today, during Saturday night’s Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame gala at Caesars Palace. Honorees in the Boxing Hall’s third induction ceremony are Ali, Lennox Lewis, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Felix Trinidad, Marco Antonio Barrera, Roger Mayweather and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is being honored as the fighter of the year, with Sugar Ray Leonard presenting that award. As organizers have touted, the night marks the rare moment where Hagler and Leonard share the same stage.

The gala starts at 6 p.m. at the Palace Ballroom; individual tickets are still available from $75 to $300 at the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame website (click here for details). Ali is unlikely to attend and is to be inducted by his daughter Rasheda, who lives in Las Vegas.

Tyson spoke reverentially of Ali and his own role in the ceremony.

“He’s more than a fighter. He’s a timeless figure,” Tyson said. “He was a real champion who fought everybody. He’s a remarkable human being. I’m just grateful to be mentioned in the same sentence as that man.”

Has Tyson yet fashioned a speech for the event?

“I don’t know what I’m going to say, but I’m going to need to dig deep,” Tyson said. “Listen, they could’ve found someone better than me to do this. I’m totally humbled. I’m not worthy. He’s a legend. I’m a street kid.’

Customarily, Tyson spoke freely about the state of boxing.

Of Mayweather’s efforts to retire undefeated and surpass Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 career mark and claim to be the greatest fighter ever, Tyson said, “There are others who have broken Marciano’s record, in the lighter weights. If that’s the reason (Mayweather) is claiming to be the greatest fighter of all time, then I think Julio Cesar Chavez is the greatest fighter of all time. He made it to 89-0 in modern times (Chavez retired at 107-6-2, winning his first 89 fights with a draw against Pernell Whitaker). So he should be rated the greatest fighter of all time if you’re going by the merit of his record.”

Tyson stepped back and added, “This is just my opinion. Floyd is great, but if you look only at the merit of your record, then Chavez should be the greatest of all time. I’m not trying to instigate anything, but I’ve seen this issue with my own eyes, and that’s how I feel.”

The general state of boxing is lackluster, he said.

“There are great fighters out there, but the personalities have changed. No one wants to take a risk to get hurt to make exciting fights,” he said. “You can still make a lot of money, but there are not great fights. Hey, listen, (Mayweather-Pacquiao) was a bad fight. No doubt about it. It wasn’t what people wanted ... Floyd is a great fighter. (Chuckles) I’m trying to say something nice. They are two great fighters, but it wasn’t a great fight.”

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A poster for the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame's 2015 induction. Notables such as Muhammad Ali and Lennox Lewis will join the Hall.

Like an elder statesman telling the kids how it used to be, Tyson hearkens to his prime.

“When I was fighting, the one thing that we did was fight as much as we could,” he said. “We fought more than we had sex. Isn’t that crazy? That is crazy (laughs). I guess it was because it was easier to get a fight than it was to have sex. ... But I had 15 fights in one year (1985 was that year). Guys today don’t want to fight. I wouldn’t sign a contract unless I was guaranteed to fight at least four fights a year.”

The heavyweight class remains just a hint of its golden era, which many fight fans consider the ‘50s through the end of the ‘70s. Dontay Wilder is the division’s brightest prospect to generate real excitement in the sport in the U.S.

“He’s getting better. He looked better in his last fight (a ninth-round TKO of Eric Molina in Birmingham, Ala.), but he needs to fight some better contenders,” Tyson said. “He needs to get in with Tomasz Ademak and Chris Areola. He needs to fight all the guys that (Wladimir) Klitchko fought, at least five of those guys, and then fight Klitchko.”

The Ukranian heavyweight titlist is nearing 10 years as a champ and age 40, but Tyson said, “He’s a young 40 and has a lot of fights left. The thing is, he’s got the baby (a girl, Kaya, with Hayden Panettiere, born in December), and I don’t think he wants to fight anymore.”

The fighter who draws the most frequent comparisons to Tyson in his heyday is the UFC’s “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey for her frequent swift destruction of opponents.

“She’s good to be compared to,” Tyson said. “She’s good for the sport and good for these times, when we need to see someone who is dedicated and exciting. She came along at the right time. Everything’s about timing, in boxing, in life, right?”

Tyson appreciates the action and excitement of even a 90-second fight and is asked about his own short fights, such as his KO of Michael Spinks in 1988.

“Sometimes you see someone fight a 12-round fight, and it’s miserable, the crowd hates it,” he said. “But you can see a 30-second fight, and everyone’s satisfied. Sometimes short fights are great fights. I know. I fought a lot of short fights, and, you know, there was some excitement in those fights.”

No argument there. In short bursts or over a 35-year career, Mike Tyson is never boring.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.

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