[GIF] Larry Holmes uses the shoulder roll against Mercer

To those discrediting Tyson's performance knocking out Holmes in 1988 need to watch this fight. This was a classic schooling by a veteran boxer of a highly favored fighter at the time. Holmes made sure that Mercer emptied his gas tank in the first half of the fight and then peppered him with punches, jabs and made him miss his ineffective punches. He mentally made Mercer gave up way before the fight ended.

 

The BIG difference in my opinion is the fact Holmes jumped right into the fight with Tyson from a 2yr layoff. No tunes ups, probably not a lot of sparring. By the time he fought Mercer , after another mini lay-off after the Tyson fight ,he had 5 or 6 tune ups , he was better prepared by the time of the Mercer fight. NOTE: I'm not saying he would've defeated Tyson. Even if he was sharp, by that point of his career he didn't have the legs anymore. But the fight would've been a hell of a lot more competitive.

 

More slipping than shoulder roll.

 

The shoulder roll is a minimal movement so as to leave oneself in position to counter well. You often take the punch on the shoulder if it isn't slipped. Holmes shoulder doesn't come into position enough for me to consider it a 100% genuine shoulder roll.

 

Anytime some executes even the lousiest shoulder roll, I score the round 10-6 in their favor.

 

It is debatable, for the first 3 and 4 in a half rounds Holmes was comfortable holding his own, sticking to his plan of taking Tyson into the later rounds, tieing him up everytime he came in but the moment he got hit and dropped by that right hand, everything went south and even in his prime Holmes had been hit, dropped many times but always had tremendous heart and recoverability abilities but he never ever faced a finisher like Tyson. On that night in 1988 when he got dropped, if there was another fighter in there Holmes may have gotten away with it but the difference was he was inside with Mike Tyson

 

There is no shoulder roll

 

So should it more accurately be called a shoulder slip? Because you can't roll your shoulder.

 

This is fair. The only thing i'd slightly alter would be that Holmes was not comfortably holding his own, he was fighting to survive and, i guess, surviving lol. Tyson was all over him like a fat kid on a cupcake and making the fight.

 

This would always be the case even in Holmes prime. He will always be fighting for survival and when hurt Tyson will finish him unlike the likes of Ernie Shavers, Ronaldo Snipes and co.

 

Pure speculation. It may have been the case, it may not have.

Holmes would have been a potentially vastly harder proposition. He had that great hand speed, great jab, great timing and could glide around the ring very effectively when he chose to. He barely had a jab to speak off when they fought and was slow with no timing.

The result may or may not be the same but it's a much much different Holmes. The difference could even be Eddie Futch in his corner. Rest assured Futch is coming in with a solid plan and Holmes is a pinnacle level fighter.

But we've gone over this in the Tyson thread.

 

I have watched Holmes even in his prime, while yes certain attributes he bought to the table would trouble any fighter but he was very susceptible to punchers even in his prime. He had great recoverability abilities and he tried his best to recover in the 1988 bout but Tyson being the legendary finisher gave him something he never ever saw in his prime.