Holmes vs Ali, your thoughts and expectations before the fight

Nobody, who followed boxing, who I knew at the time, expected to see an Ali victory over Holmes. We all had seen the 2 Leon Spinks fights more than 2 years earlier. I was actually surprised that Ali lasted as long as he did with Holmes.

 

These fights in his later career are why i despise Dundee...

 

The fight turned out exactly as I had expected, even down to the rounds between which it was stopped. Some of my co-workers did predict an Ali victory, figuring that Ali's mind games would intimidate Holmes.

 

It was early in 10th grade for me, I read all about his conditioning routine & there was so much nostalgia + knew nothing about the depth of his physical problems let alone him taking thyroid medication like M & Ms...
So of course I rooted for him & did not know victory was highly implausible.

 

there were the stories from the Mayo clinic about Ali. Lots of people ignored it and thought Muhammad would rise to the occasion one last time. That and at the time, nobody was thinking of Holmes as a long term champion---more of a belt holder

 

As you probably know, that leads to a few questions: If Angelo Dundee had refused to train Ali for the Holmes fight, would Ali have fought Holmes anyway, even with a lesser trainer? What about the 2nd Spinks fight? Berbick?

 

Thats only because Larry Holmes was a decent man.

 

Dundee didn't really have the power in Ali's camp to stop a fight without Herbert giving the order.

 

Jabs: Holmes - Ali
Landed: 205 - 36
Thrown: 444 - 157
Percent: 46.2% - 22.9%

Power Punches : Holmes - Ali
Landed: 135 - 6
Thrown: 207 - 41
Percent: 65.2% - 14.6%

Total Punches: Holmes: - Ali
Landed: 340 - 42
Thrown: 651 - 198
Percent: 52.2% - 21.2%

Source: compuboxonline.com (10 Rounds)

 

I expected but didn't want Ali to lose. I had no idea he'd end up beaten all over the ring, though.

I always thought both Ali and Tyson were kind of ridiculous in their attitude toward Holmes after that fight. Holmes obviously didn't go all out, he carried him for at least two rounds (I'm being kind) because he loved the man. Ali is the one that dumped all over Holmes, both before during the press circuses and most terribly right before the fight, when he took a big, ugly poop all over Larry during the staredown, calling him the most awful things imaginable.

Neither Ali nor Tyson or anyone else should have held it against Larry. Holmes did his job, and he did with as much kindness as can be mustered in a pro boxing match. To me, the fact that Holmes received this borderline despicable enmity for doing his job was as much a crime as putting Ali in that ring in the first place.

Just my opinion...and I love Ali and happen to immensely respect Tyson's prime.

 

Many people (including me) wanted Ali retired especially after the Shavers fight. Why? Well, look what happened one fight later. A loss to
6-0-1 Leon Spinks. After his last spectacular hurah against Spinks the 2nd time, it was a beautiful ending to a beautiful career, he retired. When he announced he would be back against Holmes, many people including me didn't give him a chance, he may have won against Spinks but he looked very aged. I thought he would get finished the entire build up. It was only until the walkouts I thought "Everyone doubted him against Foreman...why not one last upset" and switched to Ali.

Unfortunately, it didn't go as a Foreman upset, and it was the first time I've seen my dad get emotional to a boxing bout, he screamed at the TV during the 9th, "Stop the damn fight! Stop the goddamn fight!".

 

He was finished and I thought Holmes would knock him out. Actually I was hoping Ali would get ko'd but that's another story.

Ali had been given gift decisions and had looked bad for years. He was a shell of the prior Ali and had no business, zero business getting in the ring with Holmes. But his ego was so huge and his nut hugging fans believed he could pull out one more win so not only was this joke of a fight happening but he got in the ring ONE MORE TIME vs Berbick, again his head and ego swelled to huge proportions. So he got what he deserved

 

I have been a giant Ali fan sice 1963. What I remeber about the weeks leading up to the Holmes fight is that I didn't want to think about it. The second Spinks fight had convincved me that Ali was done. I knew Ali was a bit embarrassed by their first fight and really made an effort in training camp to get ready for Spinks. He beat Leon because Spinks wasn't nearly in his class but Ali looked slow, wooden and very ordinary. I have never seen Ali's bouts with Holmes or Berbick and I am perfectly fine with that.