Prime: Larry Holmes . Vs. Joe Frazier

I would root for Joe.


But my money would be on Larry.

 

If your name wasn't George Foreman then a fight with Joe Frazier was just ****ing torture and this would be no different.

People forget that Joe's head movement allowed him to avoid and take a lot of sting off Ali's lightning jabs (quicker than Larry's though not better) and I'll bet he could do like wise with Holmes.

Larry has a great straight right hand/uppercut and would score frequently with them but Frazier would all the time be banging hooks to Holmes' ribs,hips and biceps.Although well up on points by the halfway point,Larry will be in much worse physical shape than Joe and Frazier begins to switch his relentless body attack upstairs.

Larry's defense was largely based on his arms but after a dozen rounds of Frazier wailing away on them his defense begins to falter and he begins to cop a battering.Holmes has a great chin and a huge heart and I think this alone allows him to remain upright but Joe dominates the last 5 rounds to take a comprehensive UD 9 rounds to 6.

 

Frazier... Great style to beat Holmes. The guy who beat Ali was as good as any HW ever.

 

I cannot see Holmes beating Frazier.

Frazier, by decision, or late KO.

 

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The elusive Joe Frazier.Holmes by dec

 

Joe wasn't in the habit of dominating the later rounds of his fights. Of course, this is largely because he stopped many of his opponents early; still, I don't remember Frazier as one who was in the habit of coming on late in the championship rounds. Ali I, yes, but few others. The longer this fight lasts, the better I like Larry's chances.

 

Holmes wins. Unlike Ali, Holmes did not take many breaks on the ropes or in the corners, which is where Frazier did his best work. Holmes' jab was even better than Ali's, and he also good uppercutting and body punching ability to use during the in-fighting.

 

Out of all the hypothetical match ups,I find this one among the hardest to call. Holmes would win the most of the early rounds with his movement,taking advantage of Frazier's slow start. Joe would start coming on strong around the fifth,backing Larry up,and punishing him to the head and body. The latter rounds would be fought at a ferocious pace,with Joe winning most of them. It would definitely go to the cards. Would Holmes' early advantage pay off,or would Joe's late one ?

 

It goes without saying that the middle rounds would be split.

 

No way.

 

Holmes not really susceptible to left hooks though.

 

I think almost anyone would be susceptible to Frazier's left hooks.
I mean, they are coming thick and fast, high and low, short and long.

Holmes got caught with plenty of lefts from Norton and Weaver.

 

I like Frazier, even though he was a left hooker and Holmes had trouble with right hands. I think Joes work rate and aggressive body head attack slows Larry down around the 10th 11 rd. It could go 15 but I think Joe gets to Larry before...Pace of fight and workrate favor Joe

 

I think everyone would probably root for Smokin Joe here but I see a similar result here as we saw with Frazier-Foreman 1. Holmes jab is better than Ali's and that uppercut...well that uppercut makes all the difference. It's cleaner than Foreman's and , as a result, more accurate.

 

The more I think about it, the more undecided I am. Labotomy made some good points about Holmes' imperviousness to the left hook, and while I agree to some extent, I don't think that he was exactly immune to it either. As another person mentioned, Mike Weaver really nailed Holmes with some nasty left hooks that took noticeable effect, and I don't think Weaver or anyone else had mastered it the way that Frazier did. Additionally, Joe was a man who had both troubled and beaten an even better pure boxer than Holmes himself. Of course, Larry's jab was second to none, and his durability and stamina rates right up there with the best of them. His right uppercut could also prove treachurous to Frazier when Joe tries to lunge into him or pin him against the ropes. Its not an easy pick either way.. I could almost see these guys as having to meet 3 times to effectively decide who is the better of the two.