Who wins?
This is an interesting match up. If you're taking both at their respective best, I'll take the Holyfield who beat Tyson. However, give me the Holmes who faced ALI.
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I realize it was a one-sided fight, as ALI was gravely ill due to Thyrular. However, Holmes never knew what to expect against ALI and he came in in the best shape of his life. I don't think he was ever in better shape.
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This fight is actually not very difficult to call. Holyfield's strengths were from years of practice. You can't fault that. He was also highly competitive. Now, naturally, they already fought but with Holmes well past his prime and Holyfield already champion and quite close to his.
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A Prime battle would be similar with Holmes forcing Holyfield to be the aggressor. Holyfield would try to land combinations and he would have some success in the early rounds. He would move in and out, scoring to the body and bringing his attack to the head.
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Holmes would use his jab to set Holyfield up and lure him in to counter. In round 4, Holmes would shake Holyfield with a solid right to the jaw. Holyfield would battle back and Holmes nearly drops him with an uppercut at the end of the round.
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Never becoming discouraged, Holyfield steps back and patiently works his way back into the fight. In rounds 5 - 9 he forces Holmes to pursue him and counters well. However, Holmes still lands his share of shots and seems in control by round 10.
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By round 12, Holyfield is slowing noticeably and Holmes is forcing him to commit. A solid right to the temple shakes Holyfield in round 13 and, again, he nearly goes down. He remains upright but fights off the ropes. Holmes is sizing him up with he jab and landing solid rights as the bell rings.
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In rounds 14 and 15, Holyfield shows great heart but again, Holmes has the upper hand and takes the final two rounds to secure the win.
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Holmes Win 15 UD
Larry Holmes in his prime wins a decision. He was adaptable and had one of the best jabs in heavyweight history. They fought in June 1992 and Holyfield barely beat a 42 year old Holmes. In1982 this was Holmes at his best Holyfield is good however Holmes is top 5. He is big stronger and that jab would be the equalizer.
A washed up Holmes gave a prime Holyfield a tough fight. Cant see why a prime Holmes cant beat prime Holyfield. Stylistically this favors Holmes
The prime Holmes beats the prime Holyfield.
He is too big and has a better jab.
He would control the fight.
Holyfield (1996) wins by TKO
Prime Homes is not Bowe, Holyfield 1996 using steroids and experience would give a much harder fight than the 92 fight with her
Larry Holmes in his best prime was the nearest comparison to the GOAT Muhammad Ali in terms of physique, skills, speed, mobility, endurance and fighting spirit. He showed that quite distinctively against prime Ken Norton in 1979 and Gerry Cooney in 1982. But Holmes owned without dispute the best jab in the division and one of the meanest uppercuts in the business, weapons he so effectively employed in curving out his signature wins including against the nail-hard Ernie Shavers. One thing great with Holmes that he shared with Ali was that he was not one to force a fight, he usually just allow the opponents to take the fight to him and outjab and outpunch them. But when he had the foe in trouble, he will not hesitate also to go for the kill. Forget about the Holmes in that Tyson fight; if Larry was younger and just had 75 percent of his prime abilities, he would have taken Tyson to school or even stop him late.
Given even prime time Evander's difficulties against capable opponents taller than him who also knew how to employ the jab and with wicked uppercuts to boot, Commander Vander would be at disadvantage against a prime Holmes. Holyfield won the heavyweight title against Buster Douglas who was the nearest comparison to Holmes but that Douglas was already far from the hungry, supremely conditioned Douglas that brutally kayoed Mike Tyson. The Douglas that Vander faced was already a contented cow and hardly in condition.
As his wont, Holmes would allow Holyfield to take the fight to him in the opening rounds as he would be content on sizing and measuring him up and keeping him at bay with his jabs. AS Holy closed the distance, Holmes with mixed jabs with hooks and uppercuts that would prompt Holy to re start his offensive. That would be the tenor of the fight until the middle and later rounds and Holy would lag behind on points as he would find continuing difficulties in pinning Holmes down and consistently landing his own shots. That would heighten Holyfield's desperation and sense of urgency prompting him to be more aggressive and to strat throwing caution to the wind.
That would be his fatal mistake. As Holyfield waded in, Holmes will catch him with a ponderous uppercut to the point of the chin sending him reeling. Holmes would follow up with a hook, another uppercut topped by another hefty hook sending Holyfield crashing to the canvas for the full count. Holmes by late round KO.
I respect the superb workman-like abilities of Holyfield. But, IMHO, he is no match for Holmes, whom I think is the GOAT.
Take Holyfield as he was against Tyson in 1996 against Holmes as he was against Cooney in 1982.
Who wins?
