Who else would have KO'd Holmes the way Tyson did?

I'm not being funny but if Earnie Shavers could drop and nearly take Larry Holmes out at his best then Sonny Liston in his prime would finish the Larry Holmes of 88 IMO.

 

I don't know if anybody else could have taken that version of Holmes out so quickly and decisively.

 

Who cares? Tyson's style was all about taking people out quick and decisive. Impressive yeah but it's not the be-all and end-all of boxing.

 

I find that logic silly. I dont think Liston hit any harder than Shavers who couldnt keep Holmes on the canvas and I also dont think was any better as a finisher. Likewise the same logic could be applied to Liston's fight with Machen. If Liston could be frustrated and bothered so much by a one armed Machen in winning a close decision then I think a bigger, faster, better, and more durable Holmes would do just fine with Sonny.

 

Shavers would have beaten him, knocked him out cold most likely, but perhaps not so quick as 4 rounds. Maybe, maybe not. Inside 8 rounds.

 

Yeah, and if Holmes was 9 years older and 15 pounds heavier he wouldn't have gotten up.
And, most likely, he would have been caught sooner and more often by other hurtful punches.

 

Wlad

 

Nine years older he may have been more wary and not as willing to fall into a pattern like he did against Shavers who never saw the day he could he move like Tyson or put up a sustained attack like Tyson. People love to say nowadays that Tyson only fought in spurts and welcomed clinches but go watch Shavers fight to see a guy who really fights in spurts, as in a someone who has one good burst a fight and then runs out of ideas (or stamina). If the best Shavers can do against Holmes is land a lucky punch when Holmes fell asleep at the wheel after dominating their two fights then he better hope for a lot more than to hope he lands another lucky punch. Watch Shavers drop Holmes and the watch what he does after. He has plenty of time to finish and instead starts swinging wild arm punches. That guy, like Liston, was never going to beat Holmes. Neither was Liston.

 

A younger more aggressive Lewis might have. Dempsey may also have a chance, depending on how easily he could walk through Larry's punches. I wouldn't put it past Louis if he came at Larry like he did in the Schmelling rematch

 

holmes was 37. he was going to get stopped at some point, just like all the other post 36 year old ex-champs fighting the next big thing..

 

My feelings exactly, especially if he caught Larry with that right, and he probably could've done it in '83 too.

 

Yeah, Holmes was rusty as hell that night and really didn't want that fight. The money talked.

 

None. But Corrie Sanders is leading the pack.

 

This. Fairly obvious, no?

 

Whatever. Everyone has an excuse. Holmes was rusty against Bonecrusher Smith who was also a big puncher and didnt get taken out, in fact he stopped Smith. Im supposed to believe he was unmotivated going into a fight with a guy who was knocking everybody dead in spectacular fashion? So he just invited getting put into a near coma? Get real. The idea that some are putting forth here that Holmes was so ripe for the taking and that just about anyone was going to cop that KO is beyond ridiculous. Holmes was way more rusty and flabby looking against Tim Anderson, why didnt Anderson blast him out of there if anyone could? Am I supposed to believe that Holmes' steady diet of stumblebums in 1991 prepared him so well that he was able to whip Ray Mercers ass and that had he had the same preparation he wouldnt have been beaten by Tyson? Keep dreaming. As if it didnt have anything to do with the fact that Cus D'Amato had prepped Tyson and drilled him from the time he was 13 to beat Holmes specifically. Im sure it also had nothing to do with the fact that Tyson was extremely adept at slipping in under long jabs and landing blindingly fast dynamite combinations, three things that Sonny Liston couldnt do on his best day. Im not knocking Liston but the guy wasnt the be all and end all that some think he was and fighters like Ali and Holmes were always going to be his kryptonite young or old. They were just too good and more importantly too mentally tough to let Sonny get on track.