what if it was larry holmes instead of the old george foreman that fought moorer?

A super motivated "old" Holmes, if he could put together 12 good rounds, could beat Moorer who sometimes got listless if the fight got
into the same pattern.

That is assuming Holmes can handle a southpaw.

 

I think Larry Holmes would get outboxed and outspeeded and lose a decision. Holmes was able to fight effectively at an advanced age, but he didn't the stamina or the ability to really fight hard for an entire round. Holmes would probably score and win a few rounds, but I think Moorer would be too fast, too sharp, and too busy. And Holmes didn't have the firepower to pull off a miracle punch like Foreman did.

 

Please let it be noted that prime-for-prime, of course, Moorer can't carry Larry's jockstrap.

 

Larry's attitude about boxing a southpaw, as he conveyed to his brother Mark, was "When in doubt, stick it out!" Moorer would not have outjabbed the man with the best jab in heavyweight history, and wound up being confused himself by the skill and experience Holmes brought to the table.

Additionally, Holmes wouldn't have had much difficulty landing his right hand lead on Moorer.

Foreman needed a knockout to win, and got it, after taking as significant a beating as he ever did. With Holmes, it would be Moorer needing the late kayo, without the ability to produce one.

 

Larry would box well, make Moorer look foolish at times, and lose on points.

 

Do you think Larry still was the best jabber at age 45? Holmes' lack of power and stamina would play into Moorer's hands. And his southpaw jab would pose a problem for a 45-year-old Holmes who was much slower and less-mobile than a prime version.

 

I think you are right. I admit, Larry still had a lot of skill at age 45. But, as happened in most of his fights against better competition, he lacked the ability to "fight hard" for any length of time. As most older fighters, Holmes would fight in spurts; he'd score well at times, but the younger fighter would negate most of Holmes' work by simply outworking him. The Holyfield fight was fought at a slow, slow pace, and still Holmes couldn't keep up. He faded against McCall, and in the Nielsen fight, a fight most Holmes' fans thought was a robbery, Holmes tired and allowed Nielsen to outwork him in the later rounds.

 

Keep in mind, Foreman was losing on the cards.

It's not as if he was blowing Moorer out and then KO'ed him.

 

I have a hard time seeing Larry win, but Moorer would know he was in a fight. I think it would be closer and somewhat similar to Larry's fight with Holyfield. Making Moorer look foolish at times and he even might hurt or pull off a flash knock down on Moorer. Larry's jab would more than likely be able to keep Moorer off of him, and his uppercut would play a good part too.

At the end, both are battered and swollen, but Moorer wins a close, clear cut ud.

 

Moorer had good boxing skills and an excellent punch. If it had been an old, used up Holmes then Moorer would win. In fact, I think Moorer at his best vs Holmes at his best would have more competitive than people realize. Holmes got dinged by fighters like Snipes and took his share from Cooney and Weaver. Moorer is better than those guys.

 

Larry fought at a decent pace against Mercer. It's not that he couldn't do that, its just that he wanted to save up his energy. Look how he went at Holyfield in the last round. And against Nielsen, he did enough the first 7-8 rounds to win the fight. All Nielsen really did was lunge at Larry throwing sloppy combos and getting a charge out of the crowd. Larry nailed him with hard jabs and rights and rocked Nielsen multiple occasions.

 

Holmes wins by a UD.

 

Nah, Holmes would just jab the guy to death.

Holmes by UD, easy!

About the only thing I'll grant you is that Holmes couldn't throw a phantom punch that would KO Moorer.

 

I think Moorer's youthful quicknes combined with his south paw syle would keep Holmes off balance and lead to a wide decision for Moorer, especially if this fight took place in November 0f 1994-2.5 years after the Holyfield fight. Holmes comeback peak was in 1992 in his efforts against Mercer and Holyfield. He would not have had the power to comeback and stop Moorer the way that Foreman did.