Thread: Just how good was Larry Holmes?

1 win short of tying Marciano, Spoiler Spinks Jinx came to Rocky's rescue 🤣.
How good was the Easton Assassin?
Here's some boxers' opinions: [I personally rank him for sure Top 10]
https://youtu.be/PTOD7csVE8w?si=ZsDinUfb9PHsRBDb

Holmes to me is the 3rd best heavyweight in history. He had a fantastic jab, great chin and heart of a lion. He fought huge punchers, record number of defences and was in fantastic contests. Holmes is not appreciated enough for what he achieved because he came after Ali, had controversial opinions and had no huge rivalry.

At his best he was good enough to beat the other greats in the division.

Larry had the toughness to beat Foreman, Lennox, Vitality, or Wlad, jab to keep Rocky, Frazier or Tyson at bay, skills to out box Holyfield, Usyk or Liston.

It depends on who you ask. If you ask Larry, he'll tell you he was one of the greatest ever. He certainly was the biggest whiner in boxing. I'll give him that. He had his signature fights, most notably his war vs Norton, and his beatdown of Cooney. But rarely have I enjoyed seeing someone get KTFO'ed like Holmes was by Tyson. To me, he could possibly sneak into my Top Ten (although I try very hard to look for 10 other fighters to push him out of the list). But that's pushing it.

For the record, I think he loses to a prime Ali, Lennox, Foreman, Wlad, Vitali, and of course the fighter who crushed him... Tyson.

Peak Holmes would have beaten Holyfield and think he would have handled Tyson better than he did when he was old.

Even Titofan would have admired his amazing win against Mercer.

He's top ten all time for me.

It's the opposition in his era that makes me question him more but that's not his fault.

Without looking at what others have put I think a prime Ali, Lewis and Foreman beat him. Trying to think of others that would but struggling. He beats Tyson in his prime.

I don't see Holmes beating a prime Ali, Tyson, either Klitchshko brother, or even Lewis, Bowe or Holyfield... He can sure beat Marciano, Louis and Joshua

Holmes would come in at #8 or 9 somewhere in the ATG Heavyweights.

Now you mention it I agree - he'd struggle with prime Klitschkos.

Also think he may struggle with a prime Fury. Not because they were more skillful but their boxing IQs and size that made them awkward.

Fury could even enter top ten all time with his third coming starting later this year........

…… there is nobody who everybody thinks would beat or crush Larry

That puts him pretty damn high up the list doesn’t it?

Originally Posted by Mark TKO

Fury could even enter top ten all time with his third coming starting later this year........

come on, i know you're a casual these days but this is a really bad take

Originally Posted by zoley

How good was the Easton Assassin?

he was good enough not to be mentioned in the same breath as deontay

Originally Posted by Master

Holmes to me is the 3rd best heavyweight in history. He had a fantastic jab, great chin and heart of a lion. He fought huge punchers, record number of defences and was in fantastic contests. Holmes is not appreciated enough for what he achieved because he came after Ali, had controversial opinions and had no huge rivalry.

At his best he was good enough to beat the other greats in the division.

Larry had the toughness to beat Foreman, Lennox, Vitality, or Wlad, jab to keep Rocky, Frazier or Tyson at bay, skills to out box Holyfield, Usyk or Liston.

Wow! This was a shining praise for Holmes and I wholeheartedly AGREE. He had the heart of a lion for sure. Seen him OUT on his feet against Tim Witherspoon, Mike Weaver, Ronaldo Snipes and Earnie Shavers and yet he came back to win the ROUNDS he was almost knocked out in.

Jab goes without saying. At 38 and short notice, Larry went 4 rounds with PRIME Tyson. At 28 Larry would keep him popped and smacked on the end of that piston jab all night. Unanimous decision for sure.

I put Larry after Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali the same as you at Number 3, Larry is ahead of Marciano, Frazier and Foreman for sure. And ahead of Tyson, Holyfield also. Lennox Lewis is always a big problem for.me to rank. I think Lennox beats Marciano like he beat Tua. I think Lennox beats Frazier in 6 TKO.

I do NOT think Lennox takes Foreman.

Ring magazine round of the year

Larry Holmes almost getting knocked out by Tim Witherspoon but somehow coming back to win the round @Master

https://youtu.be/LeWbaTCbQlo?si=eZYvwDf1FEFQKujn

Originally Posted by TIC

Originally Posted by Mark TKO

Fury could even enter top ten all time with his third coming starting later this year........

come on, i know you're a casual these days but this is a really bad take

Bad take ?

Make no mistake I want Wardley to get Fury first and level level him to put him out of the picture but would you put your house on Fury not coming back and regaining the title ??

I wouldn't - though I do think we've seen the best of him.

He's been written off before and has one of the greatest comeback stories in all sports history.

He lost a razor thin SD to Usyk that could have gone either way (round 9 end the decisive factor) and then a wider than should have been UD in a chess style rematch in which little of note happened.

A lot of Fury haters go on about how he was outclassed in both. I didn't see that.

If he goes for Wardley/Kabayel later in the year and wins then I can see the third Usyk fight happening.

Originally Posted by Mark TKO

Originally Posted by TIC

Originally Posted by Mark TKO

Fury could even enter top ten all time with his third coming starting later this year........

come on, i know you're a casual these days but this is a really bad take

Bad take ?

Make no mistake I want Wardley to get Fury first and level level him to put him out of the picture but would you put your house on Fury not coming back and regaining the title ??

I wouldn't - though I do think we've seen the best of him.

He's been written off before and has one of the greatest comeback stories in all sports history.

He lost a razor thin SD to Usyk that could have gone either way (round 9 end the decisive factor) and then a wider than should have been UD in a chess style rematch in which little of note happened.

A lot of Fury haters go on about how he was outclassed in both. I didn't see that.

If he goes for Wardley/Kabayel later in the year and wins then I can see the third Usyk fight happening.

coming back and regaining the title ??
what do you mean by the title? an alphabet bet belt or all of them, the lineal title? it wouldn't surprise me at all if tyson came back & picked up a belt or even defeated oleksandr to win the lineal. still wouldn't put him in the top ten all time (& i'm going to assume & hope you are just referring to heavies). the fact that fabio holds a belt is all you really need to know, add to that oleksandr is almost 40, with a long amateur career that began over twenty years ago & fights against the top guys at cruiser & heavy as a pro. he's already out the door, a win over oleksandr now is pointless & counts for nothing

one of the greatest comeback stories in all sports history
in your opinion. he was out due to a ban & got drugged up & fat. three fights with deontay won't put you in the top ten all time, that comeback since his win over wlad included a gift over a mma fighter on his boxing debut & two loses to what tyson himself called a middleweight

oleksandr beat tyson clearly both times, stop glazing over tyson, if anything the ref saved tyson in that 9th round

i don't hate tyson, he was competitive in the first half of the first fight before oleksandr took over & should have got a stoppage over him & he was outclassed in the second fight

tyson might go for fabio, i doubt he'll look in agit's direction & a third fight with oleksandr is meaningless. now even if he won all three of those fights he still isn't top ten all time