Should Evander Holyfield Have Beaten Larry Holmes And George Foreman More Emphatically?

The Foreman fight wasn’t particularly close tbh Holyfield was landing at will. He should’ve done way better against a past it Holmes, and I agree that a prime Holmes would’ve been a tough task for Holyfield. I really think Holyfield matches up way better with a prime foreman than a prime Holmes.

 

I think he outboxed both of them pretty convincingly. The fact that he didn’t score knockouts against either of them may have had to do with how he chose to fight them. At times he and Holmes were even clowning a little with each other.

 

I agree about Holmes. I’ve always been undecided about 70s foreman. His stamina and defense weren’t the greatest back then. If a 70s George is going to beat Evander he needs to stop him preferably before the mid point in the fight. And while it’s not impossible, it’s hard for me to envision given the long list of big hitters Evander has faced and never having been stopped early

 

Yes. The takeaway from both fights should be that Foreman and Holmes would have easily won in their primes. It forever subjugates the 90s generation to the 70s. 90s fans don't like this and are in denial.

 

Eh, I think he would always have beaten Foreman. There were whole stretches where he was just teeing off, landing at will, and only Foreman's chin saved him. There's one point where he lands like a 20 punch combo.

Holmes? My takeaway was that Holyfield was lucky that Holmes was 43 and not 33. Only stamina seemed to cost Holmes the fight. What he had left at 43, other than stamina, was fully competitive with Holyfield, able to win rounds. If he had his old stamina back, to say nothing of his legs, I think he'd have won convincingly -- the highly mobile, real quick handed Holmes who fought Norton would have boxed Holyfield's face off. Just a bad matchup.

 

Just imagine a 42 year old Holyfield fighting with a prime Holmes and prime Foreman.

 

Evander got rocked by Foreman multiple times as well, he even admitted that he clinched so much in the 12th round because he thought Foreman could knock him out if they exchanged some more.

 

https://images.app.goo.gl/MxoYChrDSZh629wF6

 

I mean, Foreman always has a puncher's chance against anyone. But still. I think Holyfield would have handled it. Might have taken a different strategy, but he could have done it against a young Foreman.

Ask yourself, honestly -- what did Muhammad Ali do in the Rumble that Holyfield couldn't have done? (other than be disciplined and not brawl)

 

He could defend himself better in the ropes, take the body shots a lot better and exploit the clinches with more success to gas Foreman out.

But I do think Holyfield could win, hell Holyfield can win against pretty much anyone, I'd just favour Foreman.

 

Holyfield stops young George, but might struggle with prime Holmes. Evander LIVES in that pocket that young George dominated. An elite chin ensures he fires back every time George lands and he stops the aggressive young George between 10 and 12, George doesn't have the engine to stay with him in a competitive fight that everyone watching knew had one winner...

 

It’s easier said than done. Holyfield could’ve pressed the issue and maybe got stoppage wins, but Foreman and Holmes despite both being over 40 were former champions themselves and very experienced, so it makes sense that Holyfield didn’t take any unnecessary risks and just go the wins.

Also, even with both Foreman and Holmes in their primes I don’t see either having an easy time with Holyfield.