He may be known by many as "The Baddest Man on the Planet," but even Mike Tyson concedes "The Greatest" title to Muhammad Ali.
A recent heavyweight fantasy tournament conducted by the World Boxing Super Series had Tyson defeating Ali in the finals, but the 53-year-old doesn't agree with the outcome.
"I know it’s a fantasy game. Most likely I would win the fantasy, I wouldn’t win the real fight,” the former heavyweight champion of the world said about the fantasy matchup in an interview with Yahoo Sports. “Ali’s the greatest there’s ever been.”
Tyson is widely recognized as one of the most ferocious punchers the sweet science has ever seen. The prodigy out of Brownsville, N.Y., exploded on the scene as an 18-year-old in 1985 and tore through the ranks by knocking out 25 of his first 27 opponents before getting a shot at the WBC heavyweight title. At 20, Tyson destroyed Trevor Berbick inside of two rounds to become the youngest heavyweight champion of all time.
He appeared to be destined to become the greatest heavyweight in boxing history until his life outside the ring began to unravel with a shocking knockout at the hands of James "Buster" Douglas in 1990 and a stint in prison after being convicted on rape charges in 1992. After being released in 1995, he won the WBA and WBC titles, but he wasn't quite the same force he he had been previously and suffered an 11th-round TKO at the hands of Evander Holyfield in 1996.
Many have wondered what could have been when it comes to Tyson's career, which ended in 2005 with a career record of 50-6 (2 No Contests) and 44 wins coming by way of knockout. If in their respective primes, many believe that Tyson would have had a chance to beat Ali.
Tyson appreciated the praise but disagreed. Muhammad Ali's son, Muhammad Ali Jr., agrees that his father would have emerged victorious.
"My father would have kicked his butt. Everybody says Mike Tyson would have kicked your father's butt. I said no," Ali Jr. said in an interview with The Sun.