If you read the above properly Ryan I never said who was the greatest boxer I wrote -'To compare skills as to who was the greatest is not possible as they were both from different generations.
But as a human being? Who was the greatest?......... drug and alcohol fuelled past, rape charges and violence, biting ears, fighting after the bell v the above?'
So not really that stupid, just an opinion, just like which is the greatest Footballer George Best or Pele? you are always going to have an 'intelligent' debate over things like this this, people have their favourites, mines Ali yours is Tyson :-)
So, to enter the 'debate' I have never said that Tyson wasn't a great boxer, but my opinion is that 'hypothetically' a peak and fit Ali v a peak and fit Tyson then I believe Ali would have been all over him based upon his foot work, faster jab and general boxing intelligence. Remember Ali fought 'similar' boxers regarding style, speed and power in the likes of Liston, Frazier, Norton and Foreman and beat them. Tyson peaked real early too, getting mullered by an average Douglas and then never really finding form again. Like Tyson,(although Tyson was in Prison) Ali spent 3 years in exile and came back to re-gain the World title twice more. We will never really know if Tyson was or would have been the greatest because the division he fought in has lacked any real talent for decades and therefore his quality of opponents will always be in question, the good ones, Holyfield & Lewis beat him easily - But hey, For every 1,000,000 Ali fans who'd agree with me there will always be a 1,000 Tyson fans who'd disagree ;-)