Who else would have KO'd Holmes the way Tyson did?

Holmes, by his own admission, was rusty and fought for the money.
Bonecrusher and those others you mentioned that Holmes fought in his latter career were nowhere near Tyson's league.

 

Holmes had waaaaay too much pride to just fight for the money. He fought for history and to reclaim the belt he felt he never should have lost. I mean listen to the guy when he talks...EXTREMELY prideful.

 

And you take his word for it?atsch

 

No it's much better to not take his word for it?atsch

 

Excellent stuff Klompton. I read that D'Amato had a disregard for Holmes bordering on disdain that he drilled into Tyson for years.
When the argument becomes reduced to ''We don't know if Tyson could have done that to Holmes in a rematch'' you know you've presented a pretty good case.

 

That and not to mention Holmes was four years younger and still in the midst of an active reign when he fought Smith. Kinda makes a difference.

 

He also said Tyson didn't hit very hard. You mad?

 

He never said Tyson didn't hit hard at all.

 

Add a young George Foreman to the mix. Larry wins,prime for prime,but the '88 version gets battered.

 

Yeah I think a 1988 Holmes might have lasted a little longer against George than he did against Tyson, but he wouldn't be able to take that hammering that Ali took in Zaire.

 

Read his book.

 

He'd have to be pretty stupid to say that after all Tyson did KHTFO!

 

THAT Holmes? I think a prime Foreman and a focused and aggressive Lewis could have finished Holmes off even earlier than Tyson did. Holmes without his speed and jab isn't really Holmes. Shavers might have been able to do this as well.

 

1988 Holmes was not the same fighter.
You're living in denial if you think Holmes of 1988 was anywhere near the fighter he had been in 1979, or even the same as he had been 1983 or '84 !
He was significantly older and fatter, and had been off almost 2 years.

You're so far off the mark, I wonder whether you would even give Sonny Liston a chance against the Holmes who lost to McCall or the one who fought Butterbean. ??

 

Personally, I can see he was even worse in 1992 against Mercer and Holyfield, but that doesn't change the fact that he was light years off his best in 1988. :good

So what ?
D'Amato was a good psychologist, he wanted the young Tyson to believe he was better than the world champion.
It doesn't mean sh!t.

D'Amato also told Jim Jacobs he could train him (Jacobs) to beat Archie Moore in the '50s. :rofl He had him in training for a year.

Yes, Tyson beat Holmes in 1988, but let's not make it seem that it was an inevitable result of D'Amato's genius master plan.

The fact is Holmes was 38 and past it, Tyson was 21 and hitting a peak. Familiar story in boxing history.