Here's an interesting heavyweight resume, can you guess who it is? Terry Daniels Cleveland Williams Ron Lyle George Foreman Gregorio Peralta Joe Bugner Ernie Shavers Oscar Bonavena Trevor Berbick Pinklon Thomas Gerrie Coetzee John Tate David Bey Pierre Coetzer Henry Tillman Stan Ward
Not even close. Louis has 30+ wins over currently top 10 ranked comp. Dom't know if Holy makes 20. Also Louis avenged his single prime loss in a very emphatic fashion while Holy just barely edged Bowe before getting KO'd by him in the rubber. Louis actually had more wins over the nr 1 guys besides him than even Ali, by a count that I did. It might have been seven or even more. He beat three consecutive nr 1 contenders just after coming back from the army, clearly past his best. That might as many as Holy had in his career at HW in total. There are levels (well, one at least) between them. Holmes also ranks above Holy in terms of resume imo.
As much as I like Holmes, his resume is a hair weaker than Holy's. Weaver, Berbick, Snipes, Witherspoon,and Smith were all apparent tomato cans when Holmes faced them. While I still thought they were good fighters, and became ever better fighters, they were not the best in the business. Holyfield always (with one or two exceptions) fought the very best.
78-82 he hardly missed anyone, after that it got more spotty. Holy 88-92 has much more holes in it. His defences against Holmes, Foreman and Cooper must be one of the weakest reigns ever. Not his fault that the fight with Tyson fell through or that he only faced Lewis much later, but it is what it is. Also, losses are a part of ones resume, and at the age that Holmes recorded his first loss Holy had already lost to Bowe x 2 and Moorer.
Lewis was much easier to beat tho. Wham, one big shot, and he was counted out. If you beat Holyfield, it's likely that you absorbed a whipping.
Holyfield only lost to Byrd due to age and injury. Holyfield only lost to Moorer because of injury. We saw what happened in the rematch.
Holyfield always blew hot and cold, lost more than he won on the champion ship level.....his entire claim to fame is beating a washed up Tyson who according to Forum gospel looses to everybody in the classic section because all what you have to do is "stand up to him" whatever that means but for Evan Fields or Lewis it is their career defining fight against that killer of all killers, Mike Tyson,according to the same Forum experts, otherwise he is a total bum.
