Earlier thread had Holmes easily beating a '77 version of Frazier. Okay if Holmes got a early shot at Ali in late '77. Could Holmes, still a little green. dethrown World Champ. Ali?
i got holmes/prater from 77......... holmes looked horrid won but not looking good..............in 1977 ali fought shavers and evangalista....both 15 rd decisions....i would say in 1977 a past prime ali beats a not near prime holmes via 15 rd decision
Ali may have had just about enough left to squeeze out a wafer thin decision over a,still evolving,Holmes.
Holmes had the perfect style to beat an aged Ali and he would have won. Too much speed and skill and youth. Ali at that point could not keep up the punch output to deal with Larry. If he thought eeking a decision over Jimmy Young was tough, Holmes would have been a nightmare. Not sure why Cosell and others were so hard on Larry. I thought he looked pretty solid even in his pre-championship fights. And we saw how Holmes was a winner and could step it up. His performance in the first Shavers fight (albeit a different style fighter than Ali) was brilliant.
I think Holmes takes Ali anytime after the thrilla but the Ali of the thrilla or before would beat Holmes.
I'm actually one of the few that think that Holmes had a style that would always trouble Ali, and would have beaten him more times than lost.
The Holmes of Shavers I was a world apart from the immediate predecessor of Arrington. When Holmes and Ali actually did square off in 1980, Larry was far more cautious and respectful in the early going than he should have been, very much in former sparring partner mentality mode. The Ali of 1976 and 1977 made a handsome living off of circumspect opposition. Young, Norton and Shavers were all too timid and conservative to close the show. Leon Spinks was too young and stupid to know any better, went balls to the wall, and became champion where his superior and supposedly wiser elders failed. The Holmes of 1977 would have fallen into the former group. I've said many times over the three and a half years I've been here that while Ritchie Giachetti is a fine trainer, Eddie Futch was Muhammad's kryptonite antagonist strategist. With Eddie in the corner of 1982 Holmes, Larry would have been a live threat to pull off a decision over any version of the GOAT. Had Holmes challenged Ali instead of Evangelista in May 1977, he would have proceeded too tentatively and over paced himself, trying to match smoke and mirrors imagery with the master wizard. Leon still had to settle for a split decision with all the audacity he brought forth. Larry would not exhibit that kind of nerve until Norton. When gut check time arrived at the decisive moment, Muhammad still had the substance to seal the deal. I can't prospect the same for the still developmental Holmes of Prater.
