Prime Larry Holmes post 2010.

Top Dog IMO

 

The Homer bashes up AJ, Wilder, Whyte etc… has a great series with Usyk depending on how he does with southpaws, Holmes is a lot better IMO but it’s problematic that Usyk is a leftie here and also genuinely GREAT… guys like Bakole, Parker and Joyce are dead meat - I’m concerned with Wlad, Vitali and Ortiz quite a bit - pretty sure Wlad gets him (sadly) but he beats Vitali but I’d have to see it, ugly bout… may lose to Ortiz because I have no idea how he’d do with a good southpaw that big… we all unanimously agree Povetkin is quite a bit better then Norton so it’d be a hard sell to say Holmes beats him but I reckon “peanut head” would pull the rabbit out of the hat.

 

Of Ali, Frazier and Foreman… I think Holmes is the most versatile, enduring and capable the other three would suffer immensely in todays era as would Norton, Quarry and Lyle etc - I think a case can be made for Holmes being the best heavyweight to come out of the 70s at least H2H @Pat M I’d be curious to hear what you think?

 

Holmes might be the best H2H HW ever alongside Usyk.

 

He'd do very well he's a perfectly sized Heavyweight like Usyk that has the skills and cardio levels to outlast and outpoint some of the big guys.

The only concern is Holmes against southpaws he's a bit of an unknown quantity in that regard he didn't fare too well against a Southpaw in the amateurs but to be fair Holmes improved leaps and bounds as a professional.

I'd certainly pick him to beat the likes of Wilder, Joshua, Fury, Parker, etc with Usyk being a bit of question mark in regards to how Holmes would deal with the southpaw stance.

He wouldn't dominate but he'd certainly be at the top along with Usyk.

 

Holmes showed he could fight agressively vs a taller foe in Cooney. I think he has too much speed and stamina for most giants.

As much as i hate to say it, Wlad circa 2011-2013 would be a tough stylistic match up for Holmes. Holmes could win but style wise Wlad is a hard fight for him.

I think Holmes is too quick and skilled for Fury, Joshua, Parker, Kabayel, Wilder, Ortiz, Whyte, Chisora and Povetkin. Too good although some of these fights would be competitive.

He is a bit unknown vs left handers but i still see him beating Zhang.

So i say he dominates with Wlad and Usyk being 50-50 fights.

 

I agree with you that Holmes is the most versatile and arguably the best heavyweight of the 70s. As much as I like Holmes' left jab and overall fighting I think he showed two vulnerabilities in his time that would indicate that he might have trouble in this era.

1- Holmes got knocked out twice by the only southpaw he ever fought. That was 5'10" Nick Wells as an amateur. Holmes didn't improve after fighting Wells once, he got stopped quicker the second time. That wouldn't give me confidence if Holmes fought Zhang, Usyk, or Ortiz. Holmes would have to beat a southpaw impressively before I would have confidence that he could compete with the better southpaws of today.

2- Carl Williams, who was a little taller and longer than Holmes matched, (maybe even edged) Holmes' with the jab. Holmes pulled out the decision by having a better right hand than Williams. In this era, being unproven against southpaws and taller, longer people would be a concern if Holmes was placed into a time machine and brought to 2025 from 1978.

 

Larry takes the title (or a belt), and successfully defends for many years.
Just like he did in his own time.

 

I don’t really see anyone around that much better or longer than Carl do you? - the younger rKlitschko would get him in positive! - he’d be better off at 200lbs - not that he couldn’t compete but if he wanted to make a run as a long standing champion like his own time… he could do what Usyk did at the right time but that’s my 0.2$ - agreed with the southpaw X factor… Holmes could he champ, I just don’t think he’d be AS dominant.

 

I reckon Holmes would more than hold his own if you dropped him into the modern heavyweight scene. He wasn’t some small guy by any stretch, even if today’s top lads are on average a bit bigger. At 6’3” with that long reach and arguably the best jab in history, he’d cause nightmares for a lot of these big units. His footwork and stamina would help too, especially against the slower, bulkier types like Joyce or Ruiz.

That said, today’s elite aren’t all flat-footed plodders. Fury moves very well for a man his size, and Joshua (when he’s on form) has decent athleticism too. Holmes would need all his nous and adaptability there. Against Wilder I’d fancy Holmes to box smart and use the jab to keep him off balance, but you can’t ignore Wilder’s one-punch power. Holmes survived huge bombs from Shavers and Cooney, but Wilder’s finishing instinct is arguably sharper, so there’s always danger.

Usyk is the one I see as his hardest matchup now. After beating Fury twice, he’s shown he can handle size and adapt to any style. His angles, footwork and southpaw stance could give even prime Holmes real problems. It’s not a fight I’d call either way—Holmes’s jab and length might trouble Usyk, but Usyk’s speed and ring IQ could offset that.

The other thing in Holmes’s favour is the modern schedule. Fighting just twice a year in 12 rounders, with no 15 round wars and far fewer total fights, would probably preserve his prime for longer.

So for me he isn’t coming in and dominating outright, but he’s definitely at or near the top in any five-year stretch from 2010 onwards. He probably picks up a belt and holds it for a while, even if he doesn’t unify or completely clean out the division.

 

He dominates as long as there’s no Renaldo Snipes, nor 19-8 Mike Weavers around.

 

I think he has far more wear and tear. Far more.

He had minimal wear and tear against his opponents during that long title reign. Be a different ballgame in more recent times and wear and tear is a big big subtraction for all fighters.

 

21-5-2 Uncle Jimmy Young says hello two year later he’d be 22-8-2… Mike Weaver was revived that night and became the outstanding contender for a time.