Holmes should win it. Thomas has a great jab and a powerful right hand (watch the one-punch KO over Weaver), but tended to get a little lazy from time to time, even in his prime. It would be a close fight but Larry would take it. If they fought in '83 or '84 it would've been a different story though.. Holmes knew that too.
84 or 85 you mean. I think the Witherspoon fight was the obvious start of Holmes decline. He was definitely fading when he fought Smith, in 82 or earlier Smith would have been totally schooled. Peak Holmes would beat any version of Thomas, but i'd put the Bonecrusher version forward even money or even a 6-5 underdog. Around the time Thomas beat Witherspoon and Weaver i think he might have pipped Larry. Larry certainly didn't want to find out.
83 was exactly when Holmes began to slow down. Reflexes were steadily going downhill around then. Not sure how many times Holmes fought in 83, four times I think. From 81 until 85 it was his busiest year. He wasn't quite the same after the Cooney fight, with Cobb more or less a punching bag later in the same year. Page and Thomas might well have stopped Holmes around 84-85.
They may have beaten him, but i doubt they would've stopped him. It took a peak Tyson over a minute to finish an even older, hurt Holmes; it would be a long shot.
Apparently Larry Holmes was lining up James Tillis as an opponent in 1982, but Thomas knocked Tillis out. Thomas expected to get a shot at Holmes, but it never happened. Thomas believes Holmes avoided him from that point onwards.
Pinklon went back to herion and his loss to Berbick and others followed because of his use. Prior to Pinklons decline he was one of the better Heavys out there, he could take a good punch, had a powerfull jab and hook, his right was decent but as good as Renaldo Snipes or better. Holmes did not want this fight and at that stage of Larry's career especially it would have spelled trouble, the fighters that Larry did not fight or rematch were the better fighters of his era, Coetzee,Dokes,Thomas,Page, were better than all of Holmes best opponents Cooney,M.Spinks,Norton at any stage and the fighters Holmes did not rematch Witherspoon,Williams and Weaver were also not as dangerous at the time that they fought Holmes but all 3 improved afterwards. Tyson was Holmes best ever opponent though. I know a lot of people will not like this post but it is the truth in the way i see it.
One thing I disagree with - Tim Witherspon did NOT improve after he fought Holmes. I think it's fair to say no one knew Witherspoon was going to be such a tough opponent, on paper he wasn't the best challenger out there at all, not by a long shot. Anyway, he deserved an immediate rematch, IMO, so did Carl Williams.
Thomas was actually a fill in for Witherspoon i think it was, who pulled out late. Tillis was already out celebrating, i think the fight may have been the next day. I also have a feeling it was likely Holmes was to face the winner of Witherspoon - Tillis, which ended up Thomas. I may be wrong on the last point tho.
I would have liked to have seen Tillis fight Larry, probably may have given him a decent matchup if focused.
