1985, does Dwight Muhammad Qawi have a chance at any of the three world heavyweight champions?

His best match up is someone like Foreman, Qawi I could see gassing him out with his movement look what a shot Frazier was doing to him… Wilder wouldn’t be a horrible pick? He's primitive, Patterson isn’t very big… Holmes would kill Qawi IMO.

 

Don't put Qawi in with Larry Holmes!
I don't see him beating any of those guys tbh.

 

Tubbs could be interesting, very slick dude with fast hands but no power and not much movement either. Qawi could maybe win via activity and power-differential, but I wouldn’t count on it at all.

Thomas is probably too much for him at 6’3 with a sharp jab and boxing skills that saw him out against Witherspoon. He could be fairly stiff so I see Qawi landing some good shots at times but prime Thomas was tough as hell too.

Holmes is just a class above all these people imo. People really underestimate the gap between him and the rest of the 80s gang. Thomas lost to Trevor Berbick, who lost like 14 rounds to Holmes. Cobb gave tough matches to Dokes before Larry literally obliterated him. Nobody else in that division could make that match look so easy. Greg Page lost to David Bey who got stopped by a declining Larry. List goes on. A young Larry would absolutely school and bust Qawi up imo.

 

I can't see it myself.

 

He doesn't have a chance,,

 

Dwight may have some moments against this version of Holmes in the first half of the fight but Larry’s jab is still too much for him to negotiate. If Dwight slows down a bit (and it’s different fighting a much bigger man who probably leans on you and mauls in the clinches) and Larry catches him with the right clean, it’s probably all over.

The thing Michael had that Dwight didn’t is Michael was able to outjab Larry, although in the second fight I agree with most everyone that Holmes won. The other thing Spinks had was the rangy build to add pounds to without losing anything, whereas DMQ is just going to get slower and rounder.

In 1985, Dwight is a cruiser when the limit was 190. In fact, I saw him live in 1986 vs Evander Holyfield in the best fight I’ve ever seen in person and his punch output was amazing … but Holy was willing to engage him at a distance that Qawi could negotiate and I’m sure Larry wouldn’t.

 

Qawi was as tough as any man whoever lived. But I don’t see him beating Holmes, Tubbs or Thomas.

 

Qawi is one of my favorite fighters, but he just wasn't much of a heavyweight, he didn't have that amazing work rate and stamina that he did at light heavyweight and cruiserweight. At heavyweight he was mainly getting by on ring smarts.

 

Qawi was also drinking a lot at the time, and I think his move up to heavyweight was largely in part to not having to make a weight limit.