They met up in '88 but nobody would argue too seriously that Holmes was at his best. What if Mike had met the best version of Holmes (late 70s-early 80s?). How does that go?
Holmes is game until Tyson catches him. Mike was a WAY better finisher in his prime than the likes of Renaldo Snipes and Earnie Shavers, and would finish hurt Holmes without hesitation. Tyson TKO10.
Great match. Maybe the greatest heavyweight bout of all time. I admit I'm biased as these guys are my 2 favorite heavyweights. Tyson TKO9 Holmes in a donnybrook!! Tyson gets the winner of Louis-Liston. Other bouts: Dempsey-Marciano, Bowe-Lewis, Holyfield-Frazier. Sorry...
Tyson's style is definitely trouble for any version of Larry Holmes. Larry might outbox Mike and get the decision, or Mike might catch Larry at some point and win by stoppage. I think I'd just sit back and watch this one.
Larry is the overall better fighter but I think Mike is a bad matchup for him and possibly stops him or wins a decision
Tyson would have to work hard tracking him down and it would be a damn awkward fight but his blueprint would be identical to what it was when they actually fought and he'd get there eventually. Plenty of work to the body and camouflaging that right hand with some jabs and he'd eventually find a home for the punch that mattered. Tyson at his best is a hellacious finisher.
Tyson by late KO or UD in a fight that sees Holmes on the canvas or badly shaken up. Holmes would look on fire in stretches, snapping out his jab and keeping Tyson shelled up and forced to bob and weave to prevent getting totally shut down, but sooner or later Holmes would let his guard down (mentally and physically) and allow Tyson to land a big shot, after which he'd have a hell of a time trying to survive while Tyson was bombarding him. He might make it out of there, but it'd depend on how disciplined Tyson was in going for the stoppage.
Tyson who never won the big tough fights in his career against one of the top 3 HWC of all time who met all kinds of adversity and pulled through against a man who never pulled through against adversity. I'll go with the proven Champ who had not only the greatest jab of all time but was one of the toughest most determined Champions in the history of the division. Think Douglas only better and easier
The Holmes who stopped Shavers II would spend the early rounds getting Mike to run into the right hand and then clinching, would get floored in the middle rounds, jab and hold to survive, then roar back to have Tyson a staggering stumble bum by the 10th. Mike stopped in the 11th. Iron Mike was a sensational force in the 80s, but he didn't fight anyone anywhere near the level of prime Holmes.
