A weakness, which was also exploited by Tyson and Rooney, was his lack of head movement while throwing the jab. Holmes was a very mobile heavyweight when he wanted to, but he never really moved his head while jabbing. Another weakness Imo is, that Holmes could be very flat footed for longer periods of times. Look at the Cooney, Norton or Berbick fight. Everytime Larry got lazy and flat footed, his opponents always got some good combinations in. But all in all Holmes was a very well rounded boxer he had everything he needed to stay on top of the division for many years. He definitely is a lock for the top 10 greatest heavyweight boxers ever.
Right hand counter over the jab and right hands in general Tended to trade but thanks to his very good chin he got away with it ... Also he was just an ok combination puncher ... Not really a weakness but something he could have improved on
He had a really lame left hook...his jab, whenever he stepped into it, was significantly stronger and far more effective. He lost head movement post-1980 for sure. And he did tend to not get up enough for the "easier" fights. But that goes for most of the heavy champs imo.
So true. He did get tagged a lot at times but luckily for him he had a fantastic chin... And a great fighting heart.
Despite his jab being famously fantastic, he was always open to a good jab himself. He wasn't really much of an inside fighter who could make things happen punching out of a clinch, and could be shut down or moved around there. Also agree with the above comment about his lack of smooth combination punching. He had the classy right cross behind his jab to work good 1-2s, but that was often as adventurous as he got. Still a brilliant all-rounder though. That's what always stands out about Holmes for me, both in terms of his fighting style and on the overall strengths / weaknesses of his record and achievements. Not necessarily outstanding in any one area but, unlike some of his rivals, not notably weak or lacking in any of them either. Very, very solid right across the board.
When we sparred he used to sit still a lot after he threw anything staright and tended to waste a lot of movement to buy time at the end of the round mind you he was about 47-48
Damnit Cork you're already gone!!! I agree with everything you guys said earlier, and Holmes really didn't have any real weakness, he wasn't the strongest fighter to ever enter the ring, but he wasn't weak either, je wasn't the hardest puncher to ever enter the ring but he could bang, just ask Cooney. Other than that, je was a truly generationally great technical boxer, with great hand and foot speed, nimbleness and agility, a legandary chin, a great ring IQ and the ability to adapt on the fly and with the best jab the heavyweight scene has ever seen. time slowing his hand and foot speed, were his only real weaknesses.
Not to mention his lion-sized heart. Only Ali and Frazier could compare in that aspect imo. I think we both know his jab sticks out like crazy, Chris. I don't think anyone in the division EVER was able to dictate and dominate a fight with the jab like Larry. Not quite Foreman or Liston level strength-wise, at its best it wasn't too far away, and it was certainly faster. It was also at times an extraordinarily vicious tool, Larry had a twist and snap to that jab that was undeniably ugly...bad intentions don't do that jab at its best justice. His jab was a marvel even compared to the abovementioned, Ali, Louis.
Well yes, I should have clarified that he was solid and reliable without being spectacular in any one area ASIDE from that jab, @RulesMakeItInteresting. But I'm sure you catch my drift overall.