Mike Tyson couldn’t stop complimenting Sugar Ray Robinson’s legacy as one of the greatest boxers of all time. Tyson in his prime was a beast and often regarded as one of the most dangerous fighters ever however, ‘Iron Mike’ believes he’s nothing in front of the likes of Ray Robinson.
During a conversation in his podcast show, Tyson explained Robinson’s impeccable record and he put Tyson’s ego in control. According to Tyson, he considered himself as a destroyer but watching and learning about Robinson made him realize how wrong he was.
He said: “Sugar Ray Robinson had 40 fights. He went 40-0 and then he lost 1 fight. And after he lost that one fight, he went 80 fights undefeated. So, the record was like 174-1 and 85 knockouts….They put people like me in check, they put our egos in check and I about the baddest man on the planet, the greatest fighter god created and then I look in the history books and I said ‘ oh f*** I’m just talking n***’”
Tyson revealed that Robinson was in a league of his own and in his prime he was defending his title multiple times in a single month which is the embodiment of greatness.
Muhammad Ali had similar views as Mike Tyson on Sugar Ray Robinson
Muhammad Ali arguably the GOAT of boxing in the history of mankind but like Mike Tyson, Ali also had a great amount of respect for Sugar Ray Robinson.
He said in an interview: “I would have to admit, I would have to say yes, Robinson is the greatest of all time.I have his fight films, I watched them then, you have them.That man was beautiful. Timing, speed, reflexes, rhythm, his body. Everything was beautiful. And to me, still, I would say pound-for-pound I would say I’m the greatest heavyweight of all time, but pound-for-pound I still say ‘Sugar’ Ray Robinson was the greatest of all time.”
Ali admired Sugar Ray Robinson a lot and learned a lot from him and utilized skills such as speed and rhythm in his own fights which set Ali apart from other heavyweights. Although Muhammad was notorious for declaring himself to be the greatest boxer of all time, his genuine humility for Robinson demonstrated just how amazing the fighter was.
