When shavers landed the bomb on Larry holmes he hit the deck so hard it woke him up? But what if holmes doesn't recover? What if Larry got up but earnie managed to catch him again and Holmes was out cold? What then? Does shavers give holmes a rematch . or defend against another contender. Who would he most likely fight at that time if not Larry?. Would ali get a crack at him perhaps. And how would this affect holmes legacy?
Another good thread from you,Fergy. I've a feeling that Earnie's time as champion would be limited. Owing to the fact that Holmes was totally dominant prior to the knockdown,there would have been a strong case for a quick rematch which Holmes would have been eager for. If this came to pass,Holmes would win the title back by being very careful and probably winning the fight by around the time he did in reality or by a points landslide like their first bout together. Larry's legacy being different ? Yes. Simply because,unlike the Michael Spinks fights,he'd have suffered his first loss during his prime years. Another scenario is that Earnie would defend against another fighter first. There were many contenders he could have beaten or lost to. All depending upon whether he could nail them with that right hand.
Shavers was not all that. He had an atomic punch ... WHEN he landed clean, but he's got some horrible losses on his record too. Didn't he lose to Bob Stallings? He might defend a couple of times, but wouldn't be able to hold the belt for very long unless they fed him cans a la Wilder.
He certainly wasn't a great by any means but in seven years as champ is was probably shavers that came nearest to stopping holmes. If perhaps shavers had managed to tag Larry again it would have been a new champion in the ring that night. Comparable in some ways to Lewis v mccall or rahman I suppose. But good answers and spot on.
Winning the title can change a fighter, make him a better fighter, give him confidence and dedication, proud and hard to beat. A champ losing, especially by KO can change him too! Take away his confidence, make him gunshy, although I don't think that would be the case with Larry. Cant say who would win the rematch, but I think earnie would do great win or lose, I think he would have been a better fighter by winning the first fight
I can think of more likely scenarios for Shavers becoming the champion to be honest. Let’s say that the lineal title fell into the hands of Ken Norton, or that Shavers got a title shot against Leon Spinks while he held the title.
Having a different referee in the ring that evening is all it might have taken. There are certainly some officials who may have stopped that bout. My guess is that we'd probably see a Holmes vs Shavers III. But regardless I don't see Earnie reigning for long. By 1980 ( less than a year after he decked Holmes ) Shavers was already losing to Cobb and Mercado level fighters.
Shavers gives Tex Cobb a shot at the title in 1978, and Cobb wins the title after only 8 pro fights. Cobb tells Howard Cosell postfight..."That Shavers hits really hard". LOL !
