It's 1994 and moorer decides to fight Holmes instead of foreman

Moorer edges this, but it doesn't matter much. Michael's chin was not very good, and at heavyweight he could not put up more than one title defense . Anyone with power will knock him out. I liked Michael Moorer, but even Evander stopped him. His chin makes him a very poor champion. He should have stayed at 175, but even there Virgil Hill would have outboxed him.

 

I don't think his power was gone, he just didn't have the speed to land as often as he used to. His biggest fights in the 90s were also against the guys with the 3 best chins in the decade (Mercer, Holyfield, and McCall), which made a lot of hard punches look routine.

He fought fairly busy fights against McCall, Mercer, and Ribalta (he kept up the pace the entire 10 rounds and all but knocked Ribalta out) and was able to still have quicker hands than just about everyone he fought in the 90s.

I think his biggest problem would be his reduced footwork, which would enable Moorer to use lateral movement to make it much harder for Holmes to drive his right down the pipe and would enable Moorer to get his own combinations off easier.

 

Moorer of the Foreman fight would also decisively outjab Holmes. He was circling George excellently before he got too aggressive. Holmes fading speed and snap, and the fact that he'd be the one caught off angle, means that the underrated, sterling right jab of Moorer wins the battle of the sticks. If the Williams and the Spinks I fights are any indication, that tends to make Larry a little confused.

I can see 94 Larry beating the Moorer who took Holyfield's title, if Larry fights a Mercer calibre fight, 100% focused and on. The Moorer who fought Foreman looked amazing. He was not outboxed, he made a mistake, against a monster who could make him instantly pay for it. He was in terrific form. I don't think Larry could beat a young, confident, jabbing and moving and banging champion like that at this juncture.

 

Probably, if the rest came AFTER that first fight.

Moorer wouldn't make the mistake of chasing, or standing in front of, Foreman again.

It's a horrific mental lapse to know for a fact that the one way your larger, more powerful, gorilla strong and desperately hungry opponent can win is to plant his best shot straight down the pipe on your jaw, and then to stop circling, which you had done to amazing success for seven rounds, and start advancing, all the while not moving your head.

Foreman needed a target, Moorer gave him one trying to score a TKO.

 

Who had the ability to outbox that version of Moorer? I think he needed to be knocked out to be de-throned.

 

And I think the best way to do that is one big shot, or furious combinations, ie, Holyfield II.

I just don't see old Holmes as having that sort of stuff, or the mean, take no prisoners aggression Holyfield had to avenge his loss. Evander lost several rounds in that rematch, before finally finding targets and letting it all go.

 

I don't believe that at all. But, I do believe if he got a shot at Foreman after Foreman beat Moorer...

 

I agree and it took something special to outland him in an exchange. Holy went through hell that night, great victory.

He was very good when on song but was too willing to exchange when he was the superior technician. Having a fiery coach like atlas probably didn't help. I feel he'd have benefited more from a calming influence between rounds.

He probably had the quickest hands in the division at that time and quick enough feet to get out of trouble had he wanted to.

 

MM is underrated. Fantastic boxer. Quick, stellar jab, southpaw, which most heavyweights were clueless dealing with.

I don't even think his chin was that awful; He was fighting bigger, heavier men than he should have. He was a lightheavyweight/cruiserweight fighting heavyweights. His attempts to gain in size backfire: He just got dense and fat.

Holmes last hurrah was Mercer. Everything after that, he looks very, very faded.

 

I agree totally it was like he was always trying to prove he belonged in the division by banging with the bangers.

Foreman, Tua and Holy are amongst the hardest hitters around. No shame in losing to them.

 

why was he going to his left and not right?

 

don't know if i would totally say holy was one of the hardest hitters...

good hitter who combos together well....

 

Dropped big daddy

 

No. Foreman stopped Moorer with a huge punch. I run with the consensus that says Holmes never possessed that kind of power.


Moorer via clear decision.


On this note,how would the 1994 George Foreman have done against Oliver McCall whom the ancient Holmes almost beat the following year ?

 

Foreman didn't throw a single right hand with power till the 7th. Moorer took away that great left jab and seemed in no danger.

Circling away from the power hand is a guideline for rookies. It's not, de facto, the right decision. The fight was absolutely unfolding in Moorer's favor in every aspect. He had a couple shaky moments in the 7th that should have altered his tactics. They didn't, and he got OPed.

Larry Holmes isn't OPing anybody in the 90's. The speed to do what he did to Frazier and Weaver was gone.