Tough call for me. Zhang is slow and somewhat robotic. But he’s tall, heavy, powerful and throws good strait punches. Has a proven chin too. Larry Holmes at even 70% was still leagues better than Zhang but by 1992 I’m not sure he was even at that level anymore.
Holmes fought one southpaw, Nick Wells 2X, Wells stopped Holmes twice. Both fights were in the amateurs. Holmes might have gotten better later against southpaws but there weren't any/many southpaws around in Holmes' time so he never fought another one. If this fight could happen I'd pick Zhang. I wouldn't pick many people to beat Holmes, but 40+ year old Holmes vs. a 6-6, 285 lb. southpaw...the result might look a lot like Holmes-Tyson.
Zhang by tko. If Holmes survives the first 7 rounds, he wins. I am very reluctant to pick Holmes vs southpaws. Holmes, even prime Holmes, was very hittable. He did not have the reflexes Ali did and was often nailed by lesser fighters. On top of that, his best weapon (jab) is largely negated vs a southpaw. It's not easy for an orthodox fighter to land jabs vs a southpaw. Holmes did not have a strong lead right like Ali did and that is a punch that works well vs southpaws. On top of that, he neither had a strong left hook nor a strong left uppercut so the punching variety wasn't there. We saw Parker getting knocked down twice merely from grazing shots vs Zhang. Zhang isn't slow. Slow of foot? Sure but so was a 41 year old Holmes. Zhang is tall, has long arms, and it will be extremely easy for him to nail Holmes. Can Holmes anticipate and get out of the way of Zhang's huge right hook? Holmes never ever faced a hard hitter who could throw a southpaw right hook. Could Holmes avoid Zhang's left hand? Nope. Does Holmes hit hard enough to deter Zhang from hitting him? Nope. Zhang stops him in the first 6 rounds. If Holmes survives, he can win a decision.
I think Zhang’s a very live dog during the very early rounds - obviously, given his hand speed, power and accuracy. But then, just as obviously, the fight progressively gets away from Zhang the longer it goes due to age/stamina issues and, by association, one of the worst punch output rates per in boxing. Being assigned by CompuBox to tally Big Bang’s punches would be an absolute breeze.
That comment made me instantly visualise myself driving and seeing 6’6”, 290 lb Zhang, dressed in high vis gear holding/leaning on a stop/go slow sign AND me wisely electing NOT to shout out and have a go at him for a being a bludging council worker. Monty Python is outdated. They don’t just come up to our knees anymore - at least some don’t. And Big Bang isn’t always ready to please.
