Ali vs. Holmes

225-230 would still have4 been too light, now 235-240 he probably would have gone the distance with Holmes. He still would have lost but not taken such a bad beating.

 

He would have still lost badly.

His speed and reflexes were gone

It wouldn't have mattered what he weighed.

 

If he weighed 254 and used modern day triathlete training and visited Carnera grave he would have won a 7-6 decision with 2 even rds. Because age and wear and tear mean nothing for a fighter. Just get bigger and better.

 

This is it. The guy was shot (or thereabouts) fighting a great Heavyweight at the peak of his game.

 

John, Larry took it easy on Ali that night. As sad as it was Holmes could have made it ugly.

 

Yes it's well documented Holmes took it easy. What i am highlighting is that the medication and style/weight speculation would make no difference. Ali could only reach a certain level at that point of time and it was never going to be remotely good enough. It's like Holmes - Tyson, Marciano - Louis etc no amount of preparation is going to make a difference. Sort of a passing of the torch.

 

If Dundee hadn't stopped it, they'd have given Ali the decision.

 

I'm thinking not -

Chuck Minker 100-90
Duane Ford 100-89
Richard Steele 100-90

 

There were atleast 4-5 "wins" that Ali has on his record, that he actually lost. But that was when he was the big money man in boxing, with the big mouth but not the skill to match.

By the time he faced Holmes he was no longer the big money man and was allowed to lose by then.

 

“At least 4-5”? Name them.

I can think of probably 2 that by most accounts he was considered fortunate to win and they both came in 1976 post-Thrilla in Manila.

 

Parkinsons was beginning to set in. Ali wasn’t going to beat a fighter like Holmes with shot reflexes. He speech even was slurred and delayed by this time. Sad fight to watch

 

Dundee waiting until the 10th to stop it was nothing short of criminal. It was a disgrace. He was more worried about Walid Muhammad wanting the fight to continue or so the story goes than Ali's health. Pathetic. Yet its Holmes who gets a bad rap to this day when he clearly took it easy on Ali and asking Greene to stop it!

 

Ali loses .Even without the Parkinson's and lay off .At that age and his hard fights behind him ,facing a great like Holmes at his best ,he's always getting beat .

 

Name the 4/5 wins he didn't deserve.