Which is the better win, Marciano over Louis or Tyson over Holmes?

Well said! Not only was Holmes old, he was unprepared and his corner was in chaos. It was all the more impressive that Larry was able to step his game up so significantly later.

 

Because I'm smarter than you, that's why.

 

Um no, you're not. You literally favor Tyson over any fighter in the world. It's ridiculous.

 

Tyson beating Holmes is definitely the better victory.

Louis was shot but was very highly ranked.

Holmes had been outboxed by a natural LHW (just as Louis had) but gave a much better account of it than Louis did. Holmes went on to have great success where as Lois did not.

Holmes gave Holyfield a terrific fight. He beat the WBO bauble holder and arguably beat the WBC bauble holder.

You could argue that only Tyson and Holyfield mastered Holmes and that is over a career spanning over 20 years. You could argue he should have lost some fights he won but the point is apart from Tyson and Holyfield the worst it got was very close fights that could go to either man. He gave McCall a much tougher fight than prime Lewis did 7 years after the Tyson loss.

 

No question it was Marciano over an active Louis on a good winning streak.

Larry Holmes and Don King have long since independently confirmed this conversation between them:

Don King came knocking at the former heavyweight champion’s door when he was 38 years old, two years into his retirement and singing with his band Marmalade.

“I said ‘Don, I can’t beat Mike Tyson, I’ve been off two years,’” said Holmes. “‘No I can’t beat Mike Tyson.’ He said ‘but I’m going to give you $3.5 million’ and I said ‘okay, where’s Mike at.’”

Holmes said he was just glad Tyson didn’t hurt him, adding he didn’t feel much because the first time the 21-year-old hit him he went numb.

Tyson was quick to point out their fight didn’t come when Holmes was on top of his game. The fight was similar to when Holmes, as a young boxer, beat an aging Muhammad Ali. Holmes said Ali took the fight for the same reason he did, for the money.

“I never thought that I fought the great Larry Holmes in his prime,” said Tyson. “I was never delusional about that.”

Larry made his second comeback three years later by admittedly following the Foreman template, getting off his toes, setting up his shots, using guile and savvy, a quintet of bouts to sharpen up, including a couple ten rounders to reestablish his stamina, climaxing ten months later in causing Ray Mercer to concede afterwards, "I guess I'd better learn how to box!"

Tyson-Holmes II would have been a lot more interesting, but Mike was incarcerated by then.

Joe Louis came directly out of his own two year retirement to challenge Charles at a career highest 218, but then continued his comeback, steadily improved, adjusted his weight to what was optimal for him, beat some decent opposition with some good wins, and Marciano beat the best post prime edition of Louis which Joe could have brought into the ring, not stale, rusty, overweight or underweight.

 

Both were **** victories

 

The louis that fought marciano knocks 88 holmes out

 

Funny as some idiots make the point " holmes gave mercer and holyfield great fights so he was not that bad in 1988"
Holmes was better in 1992 than he was in 1988, older but trained and less rusty, just like 74 ali was better than 71 ali

 

Tyson over Holmes. Holmes proved he was still viable, coming back and beating Mercer and getting a couple more title shots, where he performed creditably. Louis was finished and never fought again.

 

:rofl:rofl

 

Exactly. Sandra is a biased tyson fangirl

 

Larry Holmes was not in any condition to be fighting when he fought Tyson..and he knew it. He admitted he was scared in his book. Why was this? Because he knew he should not have been in that ring. He knew he was cheating himself.

How ever great a champion has been he cannot cheat himself. Deep down they know what it takes to challenge for a title because they have already been through it. To win a championship fight you need championship or world class rounds going into that challenge.

Joe Louis was still a genuine contender in his own right. He was not a prime fighter anymore but by winning fights with genuine contenders he was not cheating himself. He was as good as he could possibly be at that particular time and was proberbly still the third best heavyweight in the world.