Louis was a freeking boxing miracle, but stats don't make the fighter imo. That said, I do put Joe over Larry, and Ali over both...but not that much over. Holmes was indomitable for years, and I might be wrong but the fighters he didn't fight mostly got beat by fighters he beat. For instance, David Bey beat Page...so why fight Page? Let's not forget how many future champions Larry beat.
I'm guessing 60s Ali would have outpointed him (I also think it would have been one of the most fascinating match ups in boxing history), but I have to question the early 70s Ali. If Norton beat Ali twice (which he did in my book)...I just don't see Ali winning that fight (Zaire or no). And I LOVE ALI! Louis is the fighter whom might have had the best chance of stopping Holmes, but even then...Larry had such a tremendous sense for ring generalship, it's possible I think that he would have simply beaten Joe to the punch again and again. The problem is Joe's right hand (that punch being Larry's Achilles' heel). Joe had the kind of step-right-into-it-with-power-will-and-fury right hand that would have undoubtedly dropped Larry, and Joe could be a scary finisher. So, I have a hard time seeing Larry beat Joe...but hey, that's nothing to be ashamed of.
Larry is top 5 so should be on the cover. Why is Bowe on the cover? To appease Americans who falsely believe he was a great?
Im responding to Janitor's claim Holmes reign was quantity over quality .. the only reigns that could compare are Louis ' and Ali's .. maybe Wlad's or Lewis' ... I'd say Holmes opposition was at lest as good i not better than Louis' .. I'd say it was better than Ali's second reign where it can easily be said he lost to both Young and Norton and fought Wepner, Cooperman and Dunn. I guess who fought more quality title challengers ? Norton, Weaver, Shavers, Berbick, Spinks, Witherspoon, Bey, Williams, Jones, Ocassio, Cooney, Smith and Snipes were all legitimate contenders and good fighters when Holmes fought them. They all brought their A games .. Some like Witherspoon and Williams were young but they were immensely talented, highly motivated and likely had their best career performances in losing .. I"m not saying Holmes was the all time best but he's certainly in the top half dozen predicated on the match up based on H2H.
George never got to be two-time champ by standing on the street corner handing out free gifts and chocolate bars to people he felt sorry for. I am not suggesting he is a horrible man who wants to inflict bad things on the whole world and his wife, but you have to be of a certain mind and a certain type of individual to get to where he did in his life. The fact he is a God fearing man is neither here nor there, and I am sure he is a strong thinking family man who has always wanted the best for his children and grandchildren alike. I am sure deep down he has a heart of gold, but saying that, I wouldn't want to push my luck and wind him up for something to do. Professional or not, you might regret messing with him. This could be said about the vast majority of pro fighters, however nice they come across on TV.
Nothing super bad. Just that he's apparently been standoffish with some fans and isn't as nice and jovial as his public persona. Now, I've never met the man; these are only things I've read on various boxing forums by people who say they have met him.
What the hell are you talking about? Why would it be to appease Americans to have Bowe instead of Holmes? Isn’t Holmes an American as well and he’s probably more popular with American boxing fans than Bowe is.
Holmes was a legendary boxer but a dirty fighter. The reason he gets no respect is because of his disrespectful statements, comments, utterances and a sense of frustration/resentment outside the ring. A true champion carries no insecurities
did you ever see Larry in his first fight with Shavers? He looked very fast and is the best I've ever seen him was also very impressive against Bobick
I love the brilliance of Larry's performance against Shavers 1! I'm not sure Shavers was able to land a single shot completely flush throughout the fight. I'd pit that Holmes against the 60s Ali (though of course I see Ali winning), would have been an awesome fight imo. To me Larry looked best when he started stepping in more with his right hand. That happened just after the Norton fight, you can see the immediate difference in the weight of Larry's punches in the Evangelista defense (who'd never been knocked out before...so much for Larry being an average puncher, not to mention Ocasio getting practically demo'd by a jab).
I feel like a gushing fanboy and I don't care. I never get tired of watching Larry fight from the 70s into the 80s. Sometimes I wish he'd have retired after the Tex Cobb fight...to me it just didn't seem at the exact point in time anyone whom could definitely beat him. And I mean that having a first hand experience with that era of heavyweights (I mean as far as loving that era and having savored that division's fights a million times...there are tons of people here with so much more boxing knowledge that make me look like really dumb).
