As we all know, Holmes went 48-0 before losing to Michael Spinks in a cherrypick-gone-wrong heavyweight title defense against the light heavyweight champion. So let’s say Homes doesn’t fight Spinks in the fall of 1985 and avoids the awkward challenger altogether. Holmes is still an aging champion with a lot of wear and tear who seems to be burnt out (his later comeback saw him rejuvenated I think and a better fighter probably than he was at the end of his championship run). But of course there’s Rocky Marciano’s retirement at 49-0 to chase, and winning two more to get to 50 wins before handing up the gloves is too tempting to pass up. So who could he have fought? I have a couple of ideas: Alfonso Ratliff — He actually lost his cruiserweight championship on the undercard of Holmes-Spinks (to Bernard Benton), so let’s say Holmes chose him. He’s like 20-2 and weighs in the mid-190s. He has stoppage losses to Tim Witherspoon and Pinklon Thomas. Ratliff is relatively durable but nowhere near as awkward or tricky as Michael Spinks, so I say Larry wins a UD. Now it’s time to get that 50th win somewhere in the spring of 1986. I see a couple of possibilities: Steffen Tangstad — He’s got a European title (which he will lose to Horace Notice this spring, but if he fights Larry instead he’s giving up that belt and doesn’t suffer that defeat). There’s no a helluva lot to him, as Spinks proved after beating Homes in the rematch. I think he’s a safe choice and Holmes probably gets him out of there late. Henry Tillman — At this point, Tillman is 8-0 or 9-0 before losing to Bert Cooper midway through the year (he beat Bash Ali in April, so if Holmes fights him after it’s nine wins for Tillman/before that fight, it’s eight). This is in the vein of Leon Spinks for Ali … undefeated but green 1984 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist. (Tyrell Biggs won gold at super heavy, but this is obviously a safer play). Henry wasn’t the most robust or durable guy, so I think Holmes stops him in the middle rounds. So I think a Ratliff and Tangstad or Tillman combination works to get Holmes there. Another possibility is Hughroy Currie, the British heavyweight champ, who is like 12-5-1 at this point. He lost that title in the spring but if he signs to fight Holmes he probably never meets Horace Notice. What do you think, and are there other opponents out there who could get Holmes there that would be realistic?
A well thought out post. I will say Coetzee could be a name too, he's going to beat James Tillis in sept 85, then instead of fighting Bruno, he gets the Holmes fight. Speaking of Bruno, there's another guy I think Larry could of sank in deep waters.
Holmes was supposed to defend against Ratliff after the Spinks defense. He was going to wrap up his career beating the Light Heavyweight Champion (for his 49th win) and the WBC Cruiserweight Champion (for win #50). That seems like a nice, easy way to go out. Both seemingly easy wins. But Spinks beat him. (And Ratliff lost on the Holmes-Spinks undercard to a guy he was supposed to beat, anyway.) So it just wasn't in the cards. Holmes probably should've lost the decision to Carl Williams the fight before that. He was on cruise control at that point. He wasn't working very hard. And he'd gone from fighting guys with only a handful of wins (10 wins for Marvis, 14 wins for Bey and Smith) ... to light heavys and (penciled in) a cruiserweight for his last two. It's a title fight, so the opponents can only be "so" easy. I think Don King picked the right final two opponents. No light heavyweight champ had ever beaten a heavyweight champ. Neither had any cruiserweight champ. Holmes just didn't win #49. So I think 50-0 just wasn't in the cards.
Nicolay Valuev, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman actually got to 50 wins with fewer losses than Holmes. Valuev was 50-1 after he decisioned Holyfield. His lone loss being a majority decision loss to Ruslan Chagaev when Valuev was 46-0. Muhammad Ali went to 50-2 when stopped Jean Pierre Coopman. And Foreman got to 50-2 when he stopped Rocky Sekorski. By the time Holmes got to 50 wins (with a decision over Eddie Gonzales), he had three losses. Not that this has anything to do with the topic. Sorry. It's late. Going to bed now.
I think he should’ve retired at 48-0 as champ. Comeback as an older guy like he did and during the essential build up phase of fighting soft opposition break the record with everyone behind him or mad at him for trying to beat Marciano on the sly either way that 50-0 fight would be a no brainer PPV choice.
I don’t think you should be so critical of the Bey and Smith fights. Don’t forget, The landscape at that time had guys like Tony Tubbs getting a shot at a belt off the back of a win over the same Bonecrusher Smith right off a loss to Larry. And Tybbs had very little else going for him. smith later winds up with a title that was good enough for a Tyson to fight for. And Larry stopped Smith don’t forget. Tyson didn’t and couldn’t do that. David Bey had just beat Greg Page …whom Larry had been unfairly accused of avoiding while he was chasing a unification with Coetzee. Then right after Larry beats Bey, Greg Page as the last man Bey beat, goes on to win a belt from Coetzee. Spinks was probably the biggest money low risk challenge Larry could take for a farewell fight. You’re right about that. But with Larrys best challengers often tied to different titles…even though on merit much of them were no better than Smith or Bey, it gets a little tired blaming Holmes for cherry picking his way to Marcianos record. Page sucked. Coetzee sucked. Thomas Sucked. And they all sucked because they lost fights they were supposed to win before they could fight Holmes. politics made HW unification fights hard to make. History of that time proved it. even if unifications been made, history also shows, as opponents to Larry they each represent no greater threat to him than Williams, Smith, marvis or Bey.
Currie would be the obvious choice. Brit fighter, fights bravely but ends kod. Then Tangstad. He gets his ass kicked in 8 more or less easy rounds. Then he can go.
I don't think he'd have to scrap the bottom of the barrel that much, he could of rematched Berbick after he beat Thomas and got himself another belt. And then theres possibly Tyrell Biggs, or another rematch vs Mike Weaver who was faded by 85 or 86.
I apologize Saintpat in advance. The year is 1985. Larry Holmes has a record of 48:0. What would be the 2 most difficult opponents for Larry Holmes at that moment, so if he beats them he will reach the score of 50:0 and (eventually) change the ATG list.
we could just as easy ask what would be the two most difficult opponents for the other two champions. in 1985 the WBA title was contested just once. Page vs Tubbs. The WBC just once (Thomas vs Weaver). The same year the IBF title was contested three times. Bey Williams and Spinks each challenged their champ Larry Holmes that year. In 1985 Nobody could forecast Spinks being that difficult for Holmes. Nobody could forecast in 1985 that Tubbs would beat Page. Or after Thomas beat Weaver that Berbick of all people would next beat Thomas. could any of those guys that contested for titles in 1985 (Tubbs, page, Thomas, Weaver, Bey, Williams) been any more difficult for Larry Holmes than Michael Spinks? I don’t think so. In hindsight, I think it turned out in 1985 that Williams was probably the freshest contestant and toughest fight for anyone. Only nobody knew it.
