How spent was Holmes by 1985?

I think Larry was still very capable actually. Of course Larry was better in about 1981. But the fighters he was starting to struggle with probably were about as good as the fighters he met earlier. Smith, Bey, Williams And Spinks in pretty quick succession.

Tim Witherspoon was not considered a good opponent until he gave Larry a hard fight. But Williams pushed Larry just as hard and was just as good.

I think Williams the night he fought Larry would have beaten the Pinklon Thomas that Berbick beat.

The Smith Larry Beat actually did beat Tim Witherspoon. We didn’t know it then, but Smith was a good win. And Larry stopped him. Tyson could not.

David Bey actually did beat Greg Page before Tony Tubbs did.

So I think Spinks always would have been a tricky customer. He fought a brilliant fight. Larry just couldn’t get off in the first fight and he tired badly in the second fight making it much too close to complain.

The younger Larry would have been just as baffled.. although he certainly would have been a lot sharper and kept it up over the championship distance a lot better.

I dont think Larry was that spent. I just think those last few challengers were good.

 

Holmes show signs of slowing down as early as 1983. By September of 1985 he was past his best but still decent. His main problem is he picked a very fast and skilled opponent and wasn't in the type of shape he needed to be the 1st time around. Holmes was 222 pounds for Spinks. 215 would have been ideal, and he needed to be more aggressive.

He won the re-match. It was a robbery.

 

I had Williams losing by two points; like Witherspoon, he threw away too many of the last rounds thinking he had it won. I had Holmes ahead against Tim by three points.

 

Spinks got some fast shots off on Larry in the second fight, but the most troubling thing for me was watching Spinks get hurt by Holmes time and again while Larry just kind of blew off the shots he received.

To me Holmes was the effective aggressor in the second fight, and easily the most effective puncher. Spinks was off balance for so much of the fight, most of the punches he landed had only arm behind them.

I had Holmes ahead 4 points in the second fight. It's as Larry said, he should have kept his big mouth shut. Those were anything but objective judges.

I think I mentioned, to true fan of Larry Holmes, he won the title twice. He probably would have lost to prime Iron Mike anytime between the first Spinks fight and the time he actually fought him though imo. From Shavers I to Leon Spinks, Holmes would have stopped both of them.