Larry Holmes vs. Max Baer

For what it's worth, Baer's ghastly, sub-amateurish style was deliberate.

There's a "Learn To Box" newsreel clip where Baer shows his techniques off in slow motion. Nine minutes of step-by-step instructions for how to perform the weird-looking punches, parries, dirty tricks, and other stuff he used.

Whether you believe that Baer got away with it because the style worked for him, or because his era absolutely sucked is your call. But he fights that way intentionally. He practiced looking that bad.

 

Untrue, for the reasons I already explained. Tua got a bit too extended in setting up and throwing his hook but not nearly as awful as the break down in Galento's form.

Possibly harder to land a lead hook on a stationary opponent but it is much, much harder to throw a big hook with decent form while you're stepping forward. No comparison.

 

Both men take one step off their lead foot and throw wide from their hip. The mechanics of the punch are the same.


Both men step forward to throw the punch. The difference in this scenario, Galento feints before stepping in because his opponent is set.

Both mechanics are correct given the situation they are present.

Given I made another gif of Galento also coming under the jab of a retreating opponent with the same mechanics as Tua, what is your point?

It's boiling down to one extra step is the difference between grace and ugliness? Even if the extra step was out of necessity because of the opponents reaction.

 

A promotional tool that was not meant to be literal but rather a play on the trash talk between the men, doesn't change your flawed logic.

As ugly as you think Bear was, he protected himself from counters better than Coetzee. And grappling after an over hand right miss is not amateurish, not sure why you would think that.

 

Why is Baer one of the hardest hitters of all time?

 

Holmes was a 1/2" taller and their reach was the same. Holmes weighed 209 - 223 1/2 Lbs. in HW World title fights that he won. Baer weighed 209 1/2 - 210 1/2 Lbs. in HW World title fights.

Baer stopped Schmeling in the 10th round and Carnera in the 11th. He was outboxed by Braddock and KTFO by Louis, KO4. He also beat Frankie Campbell KO5 (Campbell died from injuries sustained in the fight), Tom Heeney KO3 (controversial stoppage) and W10, Johnny Risko W10, Les Kennedy KO3, King Levinsky W10, Ernie Schaaf W10 (Schaaf went 2-2 (2) after his fight with Baer but somehow Baer killed him), Tuffy Griffiths KO7, Tommy Farr W15, Tony Galento KO7, and Pat Comiskey KO1. He also lost to Les Kennedy, Ernie Schaaf, Tommy Loughran, Johnny Risko, Paulino Uzcudun, and a few others.

Holmes went 21-0 in HW World title fights before his first pro loss. He beat Ali, L. Spinks, Norton, Witherspoon, Berbick, Weaver x2, Smith x2, Shavers x2, C00ney, Williams, Snipes, Ocasio, Cobb, Bey, Mercer, Ferguson, Butterbean, and others.

 

If you threw Baer in a time machine and sent him to 1983 with all things being the same on his end, I'd probably pick Mike Weaver, Tim Witherspoon and even Greg Page to beat him.

 

Agreed.

 

baer would put holmes in Dreamland