Both very good fighters. But interestingly I believe neither was noticeably better than a prime Joe Bugner who was also a very good fighter of that period.
Interesting observation. Too bad neither Young nor Lyle are still living....otherwise Classic Forum could request them to come out and re-fight 1/2 of the last round for our sake.
Yes, Lyle was a very good fighter, I don't know if he was a thug, from all I've seen of him, he seemed like a real goodhearted guy. I agree though, people who are in trouble are usually the cause of it. But I only know him from what I've seen, fights, interviews, etc. Seemed like a class guy to me, even if he had a troubled past.
I would n't say Lyle was kicking Ali's ass it was just that Muhammad was in one of his lazy moods and allowing Lyle to outwork him.