How much credit does Holmes deserve for beating Ali when he did?

:good I am not being selective, It applies to them all. as it says in the fighters comandments "Do unto others as they would do to you"...

 

A prime Ray Mercer, only Wlad Klitschko's best win, when Mercer was past it.

 

True. He didn't really get any better. What he might have gained in activity and sharpness, couldn't offset the fact that he was older and fatter.

 

Anyone whose beaten Ali deserves credit imo

 

It's like if Tyson beat Holmes in 1997 of the brian nielsen fight.
Haven't seen that but equivalent.

 

Hauser did nothing more than regurgitate ancient news about his thyroid condition and treatment which was common knowledge for over a decade by then. Ali used his surreptitious double dosing of Thyrolar as the excuse for his poor performance within a few days of that debacle. Everybody knew about that stupid and deceitful attempt to misuse Thyrolar as a PED well before the first week in October 1980 was up. Ted Koppel discussed it on ABC's Nightline with Pacheco, Cosell, and the physician who prescribed them for Muhammad.

Greedy? Absolutely. Stupid? Not so sure. He didn't sustain the kind of beating Jeffries took from Johnson, or the one Ali took from him, then redeemed himself with a stunning comeback candidly modeled on the Foreman template. Three million clams for a dormant former champion off of four rounds of work was handsome compensation. He knew he couldn't win, and was strictly in the ring with Tyson for the payoff.

 

Ali is lucky Holmes was still a little respectful ... a lot of people thought Ali could pull another one out of the hat and Holmes was not so sure himself...until he got in the ring...Ali was totally shot and water-drained..Ali was lucky he was not in there with a real puncher or he may have been killed...Holmes gave him a beating...he did what he had to do but it was like hitting a heavy-bag..a sick one...different than when he lost to Tyson..Holmes still had life to him

 

I give him some credit. Ali didn't look nearly as bad a year later against Berbick. Holmes decisively beat him, leaving no argument, unlike some of Ali's other late opponents.

 

but you said any average joe knocks out zombie muhammad? This same zombie muhammad gave a seasoned rated fighter like berbick a close fight. Holmes took care of business and berbick could not.

 

Holmes did not get beter after tyson, he just looked beter against a weaker level of fighters. he had to be more seasoned by the time he met holyfeild because of the activity.

 

You don't credit Tarver and Johnson for beating him? Not even Tarver's first victory?

 

:deal

 

so what happened with berbick, an ex olmpian, the curent hungry contender in his prime? he cant "whip the balls off" of zombie ali but "average joe" can?

 

That activity was all important though. Even before Tyson decked Holmes the first time, Larry was obviously rusty and misfiring, something the live commentators were making note of. Give Holmes some quality tune up competition, and he does considerably better than getting taken out at the end of four, maybe even lasting the distance like Tillis, Green, Smith and Tucker.

 

A lot of credit for the WAY he beat him, a humiliating ass kicking. I mean, Ali went on to have an ok go at trever berbic. I give him credit for that though.'