Anyone see '79 Larry Holmes losing a classic matchup? I don't!

will do burt! :bbb you might turn me into a dempsey fan yet

 

id pick the ali of 67 against him the tyson of 88 and maybe joe louis thats about it

 

:bart

That kind of logical deduction is horribly flawed. Any kind of speculation discussion proves absolutely nothing factual, especially on an internet forum. There is never a "definitive answer" for this kind of topic.

Holmes never beat an ATG, so to think he should be favored against all of them is unreasonable in my eyes. It's that simple.

 

Then where do you have Mike Weaver and Earnie Shavers ranked all time and how well do they compete against elites?

 

That's incorrect.

Holmes never beat an in his prime ATG.

 

I think Holmes' opposition is better than some give it credit for.... Of course, we can sit here all day and tear apart the second and third rate fighters that he beat like Rodriguez, Evangelista, Ocasio, Cobb, Bey, Ledoux, etc... But his legacy does not rest on the shoulders of these wins....

Ken Norton, though slipping was in great shape and a still very solid opponent in 1978. He was coming off a very good run beating several good fighters, and probably should have gotten the nod in the last Ali fight.. Weaver was unknown and entering the ring with a 19-8 record, but hindisite reveals that he was at the beginning of his prime and would be one of the division's best fighters for the following 2-3 years after facing Holmes.. Cooney was overrated, but a formidable foe and a solid opponent for any defending champion.. Witherspoon may have had only 15 pro fights, but he was far better than the low numbers suggested. Shavers was one of the hardest punchers of all time.. Roy Williams was no slouch... Ray Mercer was a former gold medalist, 18-0, coming off wins over Morrison, Damiani and Cooper.. Holmes beat him 42 years of age. Leroy Jones was a big boy, undefeated in 25 fights.. Smith was a big man who could punch and had just sparked an unbeaten Bruno, then went on to becoming a champ. Berbick was a very good fighter and probably an underrated win for Holmes....Brian Neilson had an overly padded record, but he was 31-0 and had compiled a respectable list over some savvy journeyman, trial horses and aging verterans.. Not a great list, but not all tomato cans either.. Holmes at nearly 50 years of age, was arguably robbed against him. Holmes deserved the nod on the spinks rematch too. Scott Frank was basically a nobody, but hey for whatever its worth, he was 24 years old, undbeaten in 21 fights and had Lou Duva in his corner.. An aging Holmes took him out in 5...