Your Three Favorite Heavyweight Fights of the 1980s

Holmes-Cooney (1982)

Holmes-Berbick (1981)

Tyson-Berbick (1986)

 

Among the three that you listed, the Holyfield-Dokes fight not only the best heavyweight fight of the 80's for me, but possibly one of the best heavyweight fights that I've ever seen period. What a tremendous bout.

 

Holyfield vs Dokes ('89)
Tyson vs Berbick ('86)
Holmes vs Cooney ('82)

 

Holmes-Cobb

Weaver-Coetzee

Marvis Frazier-James Broad (Marvis avenges the fastest amateur knockout loss in boxing history, hurting Broad and outjabbing him from long range. Standing 6'4", Broad was in the best shape of his career at 228, yet 6'2" 198 pound Marvis beat him inside, outside and in between.)

 

Hagler/Whitherspoon of course standing out.

 

Bruno/Whitherspoon: Because I was there.

Tyson/Spinks: The biggest build up to a fight (with no Brits in) in my time.

Holmes/SpinksI: The first time I was old enough to kind of understand what was at stake; parity with Marciano's record or the first reigning 175lbs World Champ, to win The Heavyweight Championship of the World...

 

Very good picks.. Bruno was the uncrowned king of the heavyweights according to many in 84 and Tim came and taught us all not to make judgements on appearences.. Tim had loose fitting physique and a good overhand right , he disposed of Frank in a slick crafty way that i respect to this very day..

Spinks Tyson.. (once and for all) A fight that was hyped as large as any in history, an almost all heavyweight card that was headded by perhaps the most curious someones 0 must go since Ali v Frazier 1.

I remember the undercard. a great card..
Buster Douglas v Mike Williams..
Trevor Berbick v Carl Williams ....IBF Eliminator
Razor Ruddock v Reggie Gross
Mo Blocker and Bruce Johnson also appearing.. great memories..

 

My favorite three, not that I was at any of them, damn it, would be.

1. Holyfield vs. Dokes
just a great fight.

2. Holmes vs. Witherspoon
even knowing the outcome, I still thought that Witherspoon was going to do it.

3. Tyson vs. Berbick
"and we have a new era in boxing"

 

Page - Coetzee
Page - Snipes
Page - Tillis

 

Then again, maybe we've cracked the 'middleweight who knocked Tim out" conundrum at last? :happy

 

Those were nice, especially Page-Tillis, which could have ended in the first round if Page was in the right shape.

 

Nobody really expected that bout to end in a stoppage. Neither was considered to have the necessary firepower to punch the other down and out. But Cobb was a credible challenger, having only lost two split decisions to Norton and Dokes, and had defeated deadly punching Jeff Shelburg, Earnie Shavers and Bernado Mercado. Larry's showing exposed his ridiculous superiority over the rest of the heavyweight division at that stage of his career.

I did not consider the performance of Larry and Tex in the same negative light that Cosell did, but rather in the frame of high praise with which Malcolm "Flash" Gordon described it in his legendary "underground" newsletter, "Tonight's Boxing Program & Weekly Report." (I believe I still have Flash's account stashed away somewhere.)

Holmes was suspected by some to have declining legs and stamina at this stage of his career, despite having just deconstructed the Cooney myth. How would he respond in a situation where he would certainly have to go the 15 round distance?

Going into the championship rounds, Tex was banking on his advancing rope-a-dope to make Larry arm and leg weary. Then, he made his move when LeDoux was earlier planning on making his (in all liklihood). But as he tried to step up the pace, so did Holmes, proving retroactively that LeDoux also would have failed decisively had he gone the scheduled limit.

Tex never stopped trying, never took a backwards step, but Larry's footwork was masterful, and his sustained punching was a tremendous display of muscular endurance. It generallly requires more energy to retreat than it does to advance, and Holmes demonstrated it in spades.

Larry's apparent fatigue at the end of Weaver I and Shavers II was the genesis for the notion that he was rapidly aging prematurely. Cobb gave Holmes the occasion to prove that rumours of his early boxing demise was the true premature assumption. (Likewise, Chuvalo gave Ali the opportunity to establish his character of endurance over the 15 round distance.)

Yes, Holmes had earlier shut out Berbick over 15 rounds, but he was coming off what he has described as his peak performance against Cooney to produce what in my estimation was the most evolved display of boxing skill and endurance during his prime years.

Finally, in a hypothetical matchup between the very best of all-time, I believe such contests will go the distance, romantic fantasies to the contrary. Therefore, Holmes/Cobb is the demonstration of how well Larry could compete over a full 15 rounds. (Likewise, I regard Ali/Terrell in the same context. Ditto for Dempsey/Gibbons, Marciano/Charles I, Louis/Farr, and Louis/Godoy I.)

Coming off his dominant win over Cooney, Larry finally enjoyed complete public acceptance as THE unquestioned heavyweight champion of the world. Mike Weaver was then the WBA titlist, but had the candor to acknowledge Holmes as the number one heavyweight. This was the moment in time when the ESPN desk anchors could say:

"You can take the WBA title, and put it over 'there.' Holmes is the champion. There's no one close, really, and it doesn't look like anybody will be able to mount a serious challenge anytime soon."

Cosell was simply bitter over the fact he wasn't going to be able to spend Thanksgiving with his wife. When he could have been praising the abilities of Holmes and the grit and determination of Cobb, he instead did the unprofessional thing and railed against the sport which made him famous and able to retire in ill intentioned disgrace. By walking away as he did, he also fed his monstrous ego by partially stealing the spotlight for himself which Holmes and Cobb deserved. As I stated before, I eschewed Cosell's rhetoric, and embraced Gordon's plaudits of both participants. (Cosell was hoping it would end quickly so he could catch an early flight home. He really turned against the bout as it became apparent Tex would not cooperate.)

If Holmes/Cobb had been scheduled for that Monday instead (as nearly was done), then he would have been extolling the virtues of both gladiators. (Did it ever occur to Howard that Larry was also missing out on Thanksgiving with his family as well?)

The fact that the acrimony between Holmes and Cooney was totally absent with Larry and Tex made that event as pleasant for me as Holyfield/Foreman would later be. (As long as I ignored Cosell the way "Flash" rightly did.)

Reporter to Cobb: "Tex, will you try fighting Larry on the inside?"
Tex: "No. I'm going to stand outside and throw rocks!"

Cobb, after the decision was announced: "It's party time! Let's party!"

Tex to Larry after the fight: "Larry, I sure would have liked to fight you in a phone booth!" Holmes: "We can do that by telephone! I'll call you!"

Cosell to Cobb: "You know, because of your fight, I may miss Thanksgiving with my wife!" Tex to Cosell: "I know. Your wife sent me a 'thank you' note!"