Foreman avoided both Holmes and Jerry Quarry (admittedly and openly in Jerry's case), like the plague, just as Tyson dodged George blatantly. Tyson was peaking and had tremendous speed to use on a rusty and misfiring Holmes. Shavers had an 80 inch reach and underrated hand speed, but just one singular moment of success in a knockdown round which Larry could justifiably have lost only by a score of 10-9. George's big right hand was relatively slow, telegraphed, looping, and it wasn't as hard as Earnie's. He seldom landed it solidly on an Ali stationary against the ropes, and would have had a miserable time trying to connect it on a prepared Holmes. If old Foreman followed treacherous, sneaky, drunken old fart Holmes into the corners the way Mercer did, Larry would have had a picnic. George's talent for cutting off the ring wouldn't help him much with that left fist glued on his face. Neither one of these two is any kind of choir boy. But would Foreman's kidney shots and shoving really be a match for Larry's thumb to the eye? If George did manage to hurt him, he wasn't exactly the greatest finisher around. He was missing an awful lot while Chuvalo appeared to be riding out the storm, and he really shot his bolt wildly after stunning Young early in the key round of their match. Tyson had some trouble putting Holmes away. Foreman would never have been able to complete the job.
Styles mak fights ... the 74 Foreman destroys any forward punching slugger in the Dempsey/Marciano/Frazier/Tyson mold but boxers are a different story ... Georg got taken to school by both a 32 year old Ali and Jimmy Young ... a prime Holmes defeats him.
Holmes is the greater heavyweight, but George's power makes it interesting. I think Larry would be hurt a little but come on and stop George or win a decision. Larry was a greater fighter, but he did not fight the opposition George did that is for sure. At least not when the guys were near prime like Ali and Norton.
I think Holmes is a bad style match up for George and either stops him late or picks up a wide decision in their primes. However I would favour Big George in 92 and 97, I mean come on Larry Holmes was struggling with Butterbean at that point :L
Interesting that you pick Holmes in 1992, 95 and 97 after you previously claimed he had nothing left when he fought Tyson in 88 :huh Ah yes, that was a nonsense statement to suit your agenda again wasn't it...yet you pick Holmes to beat the HW Champion of the world many years later :rofl Personally I wouldn't even try to pick a winner in this fight, Foreman could be out-boxed for sure, but Holmes could also be hurt. Best leave it alone is my instinct, they're both top 5 ATG heavies and which one is above the other is subject to nothing but opinion.