George Foreman 1977 vs Larry Holmes 1978

Well alot of people believe Foreman wasn't anywhere near the same fighter after the Ali loss which I'm not sure I agree with because I recently watched his rematch vs Frazier and I thought Foreman looked quite sharp in that fight.

Whilst I'm not saying Foreman was 100 percent at his absolute best vs Jimmy Young I tend to think it was more a stylistic issue than what people want to believe.

Regardless I think Holmes is a bad style match up against any version of Foreman he's a durable skillful boxer who had good movement and is very good at fighting at range and all those attributes are bad news for Foreman.

Of course Holmes would have to be careful early on as Foreman is by far the best finisher he's ever fought outside of Tyson. But I think Holmes is cautious early on vs Foreman then takes over in the 2nd half of the fight with his superior conditioning and wins a decision.

 

i remember reading Holmes was offered a Foreman fight in 1976 and his team turned it down.

Why We Didn't See Foreman vs. Holmes In The 1970's

It was shortly after Foreman stopped Frazier in June of 1976 that Dick Saddler started accusing Ali of ducking Foreman and fighting wrestlers like Antonio Inoki. Saddler also said that he would like Foreman to fight the Ali wannabe, Larry Holmes, if they can't get the real thing. Saddler said Holmes, who at the time was 22-0 (16), would be a perfect opponent to help Foreman get ready for a rematch with Ali. However, Foreman-Holmes wasn't a draw at the time and there were a few obstacles pertaining to Holmes that quashed the fight.

The first was that Holmes’ trainer at the time, Richie Giachetti, wanted no part of matching his fighter with Foreman. In August 1976, Foreman stopped Scott LeDoux on CBS in a bout that was called by Jerry Quarry and Tom Brookshier. Quarry passed along to Brookshier that he spoke to Giachetti a couple days before Foreman fought LeDoux and asked him what he thought about shutting up Saddler and matching Holmes with Foreman. According to Brookshier, Quarry said Giachetti told him "There's no way I'm putting Larry in there with that Friggin’ Animal Foreman."

 

Yeah Holmes wasn't ready in 1976 infact his professional career was quite forgettable until he dominated Shavers in 1978 that's when Holmes seemed to be starting to peak.

Holmes's best opponent by 1976 was against Rodney Bobick so he wasn't mixing it with upper echelon world class fighters at that point so he wasn't quite ready for Big George.

 

The best version of Holmes beats any version of Foreman for me. He probably has an 'easier' night against seventies Foreman than Big George, but he beats them both for me. Too mobile, too accurate, great engine, great chin. I don't think he gets caught with Foremans winging punches. If anything, this fight might resemble the Ali fight IF Ali still had his mobility. Holmes beats George when his back is to the ropes, he beats him from the outside, hell, he just beats him...

 

Holmes fights the first few rounds like George has the plague, avoiding the power shots.
But his confidence grows as he senses George getting tired.
The latter half of the fight is all Larry, getting his jab drilling in Gs face.
Barring a Shavers type punch hurting him, I can see Larry stepping up the pace and maybe knocking him down, perhaps even stopping him.

 

Earnie was credited by opponents common to himself and Foreman to have faster hands than George. Foreman's face was prone to swelling over longer distances, as was the case in Kinshasa and Frazier II. Holmes had more than sufficient firepower to inflict facial damage on George.

In their rematch, Larry unloaded no less than 60 jabs on Shavers in the second round alone. Holmes won 21 out of 22 completed rounds against Earnie, and under amateur rules, Holmes might've taken round seven of their rematch. George didn't have the long arms, straight punching, hand speed or ring wise experience and intelligence Shavers brought into the ring.


Watching 1977 Foreman against Pedro Agosto, I just don't see it. George can't break through that endless thicket of constant hard jabs to get Larry out before fatigue sets in.

 

This. If Jimmy Young unanimously beat him, Holmes stops him.

 

If Foreman lands on him the fights over.

 

I'd favor Holmes over this less aggressive version of Foreman.

 

I doubt Larry was ready for even that version of George, not yet.

 

Larry got up from the hardest punch in boxing history and went on to stop the challenger who inflicted that punch. George didn't have the hand speed or overhand right necessary to pull it off.

 

Foreman also had the superior timing and accuracy to finish what Shavers couldn't.

But George's post Zaire inhibition greatly reduces the chances of him hurting Holmes in the first place. He didn't have the confidence to throw with reckless abandon or the ring cutting and pressure of 3 years earlier.


Holmes will dance around and sting Foreman with his jab the whole fight.

 

Great boxers beat Foreman. Ali knocked him out for a ten count, Young beat him by decision fairly easily aside from round 7. Holmes knocks Foreman out late, rounds 10-12.