i was tempted to vote holyfield based on the qawi fights , and the tyson fights , and the cooper fight , but : considering the first qawi fight , and some of langford's achievements against much bigger men , i chose the average option. but no way langford stops holyfield , and yes way the other way , so maybe i favor holyfield a little more here.
At 185 - 90 I like Langford ... Holyfield not seasoned or strong enough ... Qwai gave Evander fits i the first bout and Langford hit twice as hard ... the later Holyfield was too big and good ... he'd take a decision ... but not if he got foolish ad brawled ...
Hard to say who stops who here. Langford was one of the hardest punchers for his size, and Holyfield was a heavyweight who punched more like a cruiserweight. It's easy to say based on technology, size and the advancement of the sport that Holyfield should win this matchup. However, many including Holmes, Foreman, Tyson, and Lewis said Evander is a good puncher but not a devastating hitter. He's crisp and sharp, but I think Holyfield's overall power is often overrated. Evander could certainly hurt you with his accuracy and consistency but he brings nothing of the power base that Foreman, Shavers, Lyle, Tyson or any of the other big heavyweight punchers. Comparing how Tyson was knocked out by both Douglas and Holyfield, I'd have to think that there wouldn't be a huge difference in power between Langford and Holyfield. Langford just might have more power overall than Holyfield. Douglas needed a combination of punches to put Tyson down, but Holyfield needed repeated shots, staggering Tyson, not putting him down to have the ref stop the fight. Holmes is adamant that Holyfield would never have existed in the heavyweight division if he was fighting during Larry's championship years. Langford UD over 15, Evander probably UD over 12. I don't think either man stops the other but I'd bet on the knockout, perhaps late, coming from Langford before Holyfield.
