"Holmes vs. Snipes" 1981...

I'm bringing this up for the consideration of those who may not yet familiar with our divergent views on the subject. (Man, wouldn't this be a dull and dead place if we all agreed on everything?) As you know Bummy, I'm fond of pointing out that even a peaking Tyson had trouble putting away an obviously rusty and misfiring Holmes, will mention yet again that 45 seconds elapsed between the second and final knockdowns, that Holmes came within five seconds of surviving that round, and would almost certainly have survived if his right had not gotten caught in the ropes. Of course Mike would have gotten him sooner or later in that situation, but it does suggest how difficult finishing off a peak Holmes would have been for absolutely anybody at their best.

Prime to prime, I don't see how Tyson pulls it off. Nobody could do it with a single shot (or Shavers wins the title), Larry's survival skills were too good, and his head cleared too quickly at his best for a second shot to extend the effects of the first stunner. Even in 1988, his height, reach and clinching skills presented some early inconveniences for Mike. As I see it, Tyson would have to take him out early, or manage a decision win somehow, as he never stopped anybody with attrition. (Mike was naturally an attrition oriented body punching swarmer as I see it, and needed early tough competition to test him and extend him into later rounds. Instead, he was fed a steady diet of first round knockouts, and ultimately paid the price for it. If he was as hard a puncher as his advocates claim, then it seems to me that his body attack would have been sufficient to get Mitch Green out of there.)

 

I was a fan of Renaldo, ever since he whipped Eddie M. Muhamed's ass. but I have to say besides the knockdown, the fight wasn't even close. Homes was clearly beating him. Even after the knockdown, Holmes still got the best of Renaldo in that round. If anything, Snipes woke Larry up and Holmes stepped up his game.
The stoppage was justified, as Holmes had Mr Snipes hurt and he was already outclassed, so there wasn't much of a chance of him winning the fight.

 

He was never the same after he tried to move up to HW. He would never have been any good at HW, anyway. He was tall or aggressive enough to be any good in an era of bigger HW's.
I always though he had a Larry Holmesish type of body, even though he was in shape, he was never ripped or overly muscular.

 

The only thing Eddie proved by moving up to HW is that he had a great chin.

 

I hear ya. I always thought that Eddie would have been one of the best LH champions ever had he not tried to be a HW. I think he had the skills to beat Qawi or Spinks. I don't know if I would have picked him to beat Spinks, though. The way he beat a prime Johnson proved to me that he had serious skills. He just never seemed to focus on the matter at hand and wanted to do too many things.

 

You don't have to look like Adonis to be in-shape. Actually most guys with less muscle mass have the best careers, i.e. Robinson, Moore, Foreman, Hopkins.

 

Alright! I'm taking my wife picture off my avatar and put my ugly mug on. You can have my two sister-in-laws, but leave the one to the left out of this.

 

Holmes never seemed to carry his weight all that well. His shoulders were sort of narrow, and his legs were kind of skinny. Great fighter though. But he'd never win a body beautiful contest!