Anthony Joshua vs prime Larry Holmes

Holmes would whoop AJ.

 

Best post on this thread and not even close.

Best jab ever? Well, except that Holmes got his head jabbed off by Lorenzo Zanon, who looked more like Fred Sanford's neighbor Julio than a legitimate professional fighter.

Holmes deliberately avoided anyone with a pulse unless he was goaded into it. Consider Mike Weaver's fights as WBA champion- Tate, Tillis, Coetzee and Dokes (twice really), and all these in three years time. Name one challenger that Holmes fought with any of their pedigrees during his reign. Name anyone that Holmes fought that matches up with AJ's athleticism and skills and sheer power.

You can't.

I'm not saying Holmes can't win. I like him as a fighter. But be serious here, his reign was full of more setups and stiffs than any heavyweight in history and he was risk avoidant to an extreme and using his body of work to "prove" ATG status makes me smile and shake my head everytime somebody does it.

 

I think Larry's several tiers above Joshua. This was never a serious thread in regards to who would actually come out the victor.

Larry needs to be placed up against fellow ATGs for the fight to be competitive in a hypothetical h2h.

 

Wilder's reign was far worse in regards to available competition.

 

He did find a way to win... It was called a rematch!

 

Both based on resume and H2H

 

Fair enough but I don't think Joshua has shown he could beat an elite technician like Holmes. I think alot of people are overrating Joshua's current form the fact is he hasn't beaten a ranked contender in 4 years.

Joshua has also lost 3 times very convincingly in his prime twice to Usyk who is very good to be fair, but still Joshua wasn't really brave enough to go into lions den against a top technician like Usyk and fight aggressive, instead he fought cautious both times and lost two wide decisions.

That for example gives me major doubts on how willing Joshua would be against another highly skilled technician in Holmes and remember Holmes never lost in his prime.

 

Holmes by KO

We are comparing someone in the ATG HW top 8 against someone who is barely top 20. Even AJ's own grandmother would not give him a chance vs Holmes.

 

You're criticizing Holmes's opposition but he beat 15 ranked contenders over a 7 year period as champion, Joshua hasn't beaten a ranked contender for 4 years let that realization sink in for a moment.

 

Otto Wallin was rated as a Top 10 contender by The Ring Magazine and Top 5 contender by TBRB. Pulev was also rated as a Top 10 contender by TBRB and was year away from The Ring Top 10 contender ranking.

 

Holmes .easy peasey

 

Still Holmes and that won't change even when Joshua retires...

 

You guys crack me up.

Zanon, Rodriquez, Evangelista, Cruiserweight Ocasio, Scott Frank, Ledoux, Tex Cobb, Cruiserweight Spinks, Light Heavy Spinks, Plodding Bonecrusher, Brain Damaged Ali, Clumsy Snipes, Clumsy Berbick and Tubbies Leroy Jones and David Bey. Real Murderer's Row of "rated contenders" there. Even his "tough fights" were intended soft touches. Drug-addled Cooney (who admitted throwing the fight with that whole 'I just wanted to go the distance'), Chubby inexperienced Witherspoon who was perceived as no threat, Weaver, who was so lightly regarded that the netwroks laughed at carrying the fight, and Carl Williams, who Holmes admitted he picked because he saw Tillis knock him down early in their fight and turned off the tape.

Larry was a fine fighter, but most risk adverse champion ever. Passed on a rematch with Norton, Weaver, Witherspoon and Williams. Avoided Dokes, Coetzee, Page and Thomas.

He might stop A.J, but not based on his body of work as champion. Larry is probably still upset he didn't get paydays against Bepi Ros, Domingo D'Elia, Roughhouse Fischer, and a comebacking Ron Stander.

 

Anyone from the 60s would be superhuman by today's standards apparently. It just doesn't work like that. I'm no AJ fan but he would punch Holmes' head clean off.