Larry Holmes would have been a tough out for any heavyweight

Can't argue with any of that.

 

Pretty much dead on ..if he fought today without PED's like Ali he'd be 225 .. not big weight wise but with height, long reaches, skill and speed they'd be fine .. what Holmes had that separated him from many was an incredible heart .. like Ali, like Marciano, like Dempsey or Frazier you'd have to kill him to beat him .. the 11th round uppercut to Weaver, getting up from Shavers .. as an aging fighter the right hand in the 9th that stopped a rampaging Witherspoon in his tracks .. he was full of moxie , that's for sure ..

 

Top 7 heavyweight for me.

 

I didn't even think this was up for debate

 

Prime Holmes be a nightmare for any man to fight, some of the best skills, footwork, could take a punch well, fast hands and the best jab in heavyweight history, not to mention that sharp sneaky cross he could crack on a man's chin at just about any point. That was also one hell of a drop kick that he landed on berbick too lol, Holmes had it all.

 

True enough; his style was built on caution (movement, jab) and hedging bets. He wasn't going to gamble his title away. He fought within himself and his style and had a keen sense of when to press and when an opponent was still dangerous. That's one of the more valuable traits a fighter can have.

 

Total agreement here !Holmes had it all ,Chin ,jab and heart .Larry on his best day beats almost all ATGS .

 

Would take a fighter with a great right hand to beat Holmes. He always seemed vulnerable to it IMO.

 

Thank you, Captain Obvious.

 

He was blessed with great recuperative powers too.Big cojones!

 

Don’t tell anyone, but Schmeling has always been my upset special to beat Holmes!

Having said that Holmes is my #3 ATG HW and 4-5 H2H

 

Hes always been in my top 3 shifting spots from time to time. Most people who have been around a while here know how highly I think of Holmes.

 

Holmes is #3 for me (behind Ali and Louis obviously). I have seen people say Holmes was a better version of Ali. I don't believe that. I think prime Ali was the best pure boxer in heavyweight history. Holmes is probably #2.

Holmes is definitely a tough fight for any great heavyweight from any era. His footwork and movement probably give him an edge against super heavyweights like Lennox, Bowe, and Klitschko brothers. Foreman, Tyson, Ali, Frazier, and Lennox would probably be his toughest fights.

Prime Foreman would cut him off. We know about Holmes durability but we also know of Foreman's power. Holmes had a great jab but Foreman was great at checking the jab. Was Holmes as durable as Ali? Was Holmes as good a counter-puncher as Ali? Just because Ali beat Foreman, it doesn't mean every good boxer could. I think Holmes pulls it off as Foreman gasses but I can also see Foreman stopping Holmes.

Holmes wasn't in his prime when Tyson beat him. But the way Tyson beat the 38 y/o Holmes is exactly how he'd beat a 30 y/o Holmes (imo). Tyson was good at feinting and drawing the jab. He could cut the ring off and he had the ultimate weapon to beat Holmes- a powerful overhand right. Holmes was much faster and sharper when he was younger but he was always susceptible to the overhand right.

Frazier had the right style to trouble Holmes. Frazier was a great ring cutter and had great head movement. I think Holmes has an underrated weapon here and that's his rear uppercut. But then there's Frazier's left hook. Frazier's conditioning and body work might get it done. Holmes will slow down but Frazier won't. Things like heart/willpower don't really matter here. Both were resilient champions.

Lennox Lewis under Steward was a force to be reckoned with. Maybe the most powerful right cross in heavyweight history? An excellent jab but I've seen Manny talk about Lewis' jab and apparently Lewis used to blink every time he threw a jab. That made me think of the times he was outjabbed. Did Mercer/Bruno/Vitali pick up on this? Or did they simply outjab Lewis with superior timing. I know this though. When Lennox and Wladimir were filming their fight in Ocean's 11, Wladimir picked up on the blinking thing and told Steward about it. Steward was amazed that Wlad picked up on something so subtle over a few minutes of play-fighting and he confirmed that it was true. Vitali did outjab Lewis (77-52) over 6 rounds (2 years after Oceans 11). Lewis developed a great jab over time and learned to set up his right hand. A versatile fighter at his best. I don't know how this fight would play out. Lewis had a powerful jab. If the two trade jabs, Lewis does more damage. Holmes had better footwork, defence, and handspeed. Both were excellent ring generals. Lennox was much bigger than Holmes and hit a lot harder. Difficult fight to pick. Speed vs power in a way.

Lastly, prime Ali beats prime Holmes. Don't ask me how. Ali is the goat.

 

Holmes was great no doubt but he NEVER fought any southpaws. I'd love to see him fight Moorer, Byrd and Sanders. Especially Byrd, who would be slapping down Holmes left with his right. You take away Larry's jab and he's in deep $hit.