Tyson vs Holmes discussion

Good post

 

People accusing and mocking Tyson for failing to beat a great boxer in his career. Here is one. Larry was boasting and commenting about the fact that his lay off was going to benefit him as it allowed him to get some much needed rest from so many fights in his career. He was planning to beat Mike Tyson and had gone into the fight with a plan.

After he got so comprehensively beaten, he started making excuses about the lay off and the lack of Tune up fights but the reality is he just came across the best version of Tyson who would be very hard to beat for most all time greats at that phase of his career.

Holmes had tremendous heart, great chin and amazing recovering abilities if in case anything went wrong in a fight but that night he just had no answers and that is just the straight forward reality.

To bad Tyson squandered his talent and ability to become the GOAT.

 

Bowe and Lewis i think he would have prevailed. Bowe just got hit too much, his defense was sloppy and his training habits were horrible, he would Tyson a tough fight in the first few rounds but i back Tyson to take his best shots and eventually Tyson because he lands more and more power shots just prevails, Bowe is very easy to floor, Holyfield gave him a tough time and Tyson hits even harder.

A prime Lewis Tyson fight can either be a UD victory for Tyson just like Tucker, Green but Lenni's weak chin can also lead to a possibility of a KO victory for Tyson. If the absolute worst version of Tyson who was not even 1% of what he used to be can survive almost 9 rounds of murder by the best version of Lewis, then you can sure bet its not going to be easy at all for Lewi against the best version of Tyson from 1985-88. Lewi never faced some like Tyson from 1985-88. Tyson had faster hands, equal power, fast feet, the ability to deliver fast furious combinations, he just needs one punch to the chin while Lewi needed 167 punches before knocking him out (where he also pushed him down as well).

Holyfield is the only one i back to win over the Tyson of 1985-88. I personally believe Holyfield intimidated Tyson with his warrior like energy, just never gave up, kept on coming back. He fought the bravest fight against Tyson on the inside, took his best shots, he himself has a warrior chin. A 1985-88 Tyson will put up a better showing but i suspect will suffer a UD defeat.

 

I also think Tyson could have had a much better finish had Cus been around simply because Cus could keep him grounded, Tyson should have easily gotten past Buster and kept it going without all of the outside drama. King was part of his ruination and Givens didn't help and it was bad choice after bad choice

That being said I think Tyson would always beat Holmes it was styles. Holmes did not always fight the best available and navigated around the most potentially dangerous guys. Tyson came into the picture and dominated the guys that were struggling with one another including Larry Holmes and his opponents and some of Larry's avoidance's -Thomas, Berbick,M.Spinks-Tubbs-Williams were dispatched and Bonecrusher was the clutcher to only survive ...Tyson showed them all how its done and took Larry out emphatically, call him old if you want...but I dont see a prime Larry lasting much longer in fact he may have tried to mix earlier and went out earlier...Tyson was a finisher once he had (unlike Shavers and Snipes) you hurt for the most part and he was the best fighter that Larry had ever faced

 

This overwhelming love fest for Tyson is all very well if you like your bullsh it to come in waves, but in the real world it is simply that. BULLSH IT.

All you fan boys do realise that Holmes hadn't been in a competitive ring for 21 months prior to the Tyson fight?

It is bad enough if a 28 year old is out for that long, never mind a 38 year old.

 

Good posts. I've also thought that the Holmes that Tyson fought was no joke at all. Imo, Holmes very well might be the third greatest heavyweight of all-time, and I see him, among very few others, who actually has a good chance of beating a "prime" Ali. Like with Charles (and Louis), Holmes unfortunately continues to be overshadowed by a more popular previous champ in Ali. And it's a damn shame.

 

You are a hypocrite and nothing else, take your Lenni Chinny cant take a punch to the face Lewi nut hugging somewhere else and stay out of the Tyson threads.

You are willing to use Holmes inactivity for 2 years as excuse for his loss to Tyson but are not willing to acknowledge the impact of Tyson's 4 years of incarceration with no access to a boxing gym and training facilities for his decline?

 

Of course the lay off took something out of him but he wasn't exactly looking stellar before his arrest was he?? He struggled badly in the 2nd Ruddock bout and almost certainly dodged some defeats by going to prison.

 

Tyson's performance cannot be faulted.

I'm not sure where this idea that Holmes was "still great" is coming from though.
38 years old, coming off a 21-month lay-off, weighed in heavier than he ever had before, and he had looked like a washed-up fighter in his fights BEFORE that lay-off too.

 

The first time I ever saw Larry Holmes was when he beat Earnie Shavers, and if I remember had him down on one knee in one of the later rounds. The next time I saw Larry, was the epic title fight with Ken Norton in 1978. I always admired Holmes for his efforts in the ring and the way he dispatched many of his opponents. However, styles make fights as we all know, and I am convinced that any age Holmes would not have beaten Mike on the night they fought. Larry always kept his left hand a bit on the low side, making defence from an opponents right a bit limited. A habit of a lifetime which could never be changed. I firmly believe a prime Mike Tyson would KO a prime Larry Holmes fairly quickly. As I said, styles make fights. Although I would not say I was a Tyson fan of any degree, every time I see one of the interviews where Holmes denigrates other pro fighters such as Marciano, Foreman and Spinks, I go back and watch the Tyson-Holmes bout on youtube. Larry is a bitter, bitter ex-boxer.

 

Tyson was indeed in good form that night but Holmes was 38 years old and rusty as hell,imo.

 

Thing is,Lewis was also past his best when he fought Tyson. Just not as past it as Tyson.

Lennox was at his very top form around 1997,I think.