Holmes vs Ali, your thoughts and expectations before the fight

Me neither. There are fights I don't need to see and those are two of them, definitely.

 

There was nothing tangible left to hold any hope against Holmes. Ali looked awful in Spinks 1 and 2.

All Ali had left was the rep. for being a miracle man. Defying the odds v Liston, defying the odds of making a viable comeback after 3 1/2 years exile and then defying the odds to beat Foreman and sit upon the top of the tree again some 10 years after his first title victory.
Holmes had sparred with Ali for Zaire of course and he looked great but that wasn’t unusual for Ali to be outshone in sparring.
Now Holmes might not have been fooled but I wonder if even Larry held some reserve for any possible tricks Ali might have up his sleeve. Even the way a bowed Ali crept toward Holmes near the end of round 1 and then popped Larry with a right just after the bell was a bit different. Holmes look pissed but Ali duly apologised with a motion of his glove.

I think Holmes was no more than duly cautious in the first few rounds but ramped it up incrementally as Ali’s state of disrepair became quickly obvious. I wouldn’t say Holmes necessarily held off as he claimed. I think he tried to put down Ali at times but only served to beat up further a dead man walking. Not a good look against such a beloved opponent.

If there was genuine holding off on Holmes’ part, aside from literal concern for Ali, it could’ve also been in measure, due deference to and aversion of even worse public fall out than he was facing already.

All said, Holmes had every right to execute the win without reserve. Not in malice but to provide balance, Ali himself didn’t hold back and certainly wasn’t the most respectful victor at times, going all the way back to old Archie Moore.

However you slice it, it was very very sad and a fight one isn’t prone to reviewing too often.

 

I was a teenager completely mesmerized by the image and mythical rep of Ali and convinced myself stupidly that Ali would somehow pull off a close decision win. Dumb with a capital "D". Anyone living in the real world would have known it would be a tragic night.

 

I was a more naive boxing fan, unlike the jaded geezer I've become ... but thought Ali had a chance; right until he took off his robe. He just didn't look like a fighter. He looked like a middle-age guy who jogged a bit and got into shape. Even in his worst fights for conditioning, he still looked SOLID, if flabby. He lacked the look that years of hard training and sparring give a busy fighter.

I still held a glimmer of hope as he looked worse and worse as the rounds went on, maybe he was playing possum and lulling Holmes into a trap ... nope. That ninth round was a nightmare, almost nauseating to watch. What a travesty ...

 

I thought Ali had a chance if motivated. I was wrong, and rather young. I was 15 I think.

 

I distinctly remember that cover as well.

 

If there was one man alive that Ali would have had the most difficult time pulling some trick against, it would have been Holmes. Like, how many tricks had Ali tried to develop and practice on Holmes?

Ali had every conceivable disadvantage going into that fight.

 

Ali captured people's imaginations. Many general sports fans didn't know yet Holmes was a legend coming up. Just another good boxer.

 

Good point. He knew him.

 

He did, he was chief corner man

 

Sure, that’s why I mentioned their sparring history. Conversely, Ali would’ve been well familiar with Holmes also. Ali would’ve tried different stuff across all sparring partners, what he chose to use and how he might combine it wasn’t always apparent and certainly Holmes said he had no idea Ali was going to intermittently lay against the ropes vs Foreman. Of course we know that was an improv strategy on Ali’s part but a tactic that no one foresaw. The SI article on the Last Hurrah noted that Larry’s trainer cautioned him re Ali’s right hand after the first round, the one Ali popped him with a nano sec after the bell. Larry duly replied that he would be more mindful of same.

But really, I’m talking aura, something which even the most rational can fall prey too. I’m not talking being taken in hook, line and sinker but just a smidge of slight wariness. Holmes too might’ve been at least surprised by Ali’s apparent condition, taking it to imply a level of conditioning and associated effectiveness that Holmes might not have thought Ali to be capable of.

i agree with another poster though who noted that although Ali was 217 lb it didn’t look like a hard well conditioned 217. Certainly the Ali that presented in Zaire at the same weight looked much more stream lined, fit and rock hard. He actually looked a bit built up lending to a stiffer than usual punch and striking moments when he literally manhandled Foreman.

Returning to Holmes laying off Ali, I don’t see that so much. Holmes was talking to get Ali out asap, like 5 or 6 rounds but I think there was some caution for 1 or 2 rounds. Also during the fight his trainer told Larry to get Ali off the ropes as it was the only thing holding him up. Too bad no one had the guts to stop it sooner, quite ironical because the courage required to do same was a hell of a lot less than the courage Ali was forced to uphold through 10 rounds.

 

It's kind of a rule that the more someone thinks they can't be tricked, the easier they are to trick.

So I don't think it's implausible that Holmes was weary just in case