Holyfield/Dokes-Best of the Decade?

Ambling Alp · Post by **Ambling Alp** » 19 Dec 2007, 13:26

ESPN Classic had the 1989 Holyfield-Dokes on again last night. It was a pretty good fight. In some fights Dokes came ready to fight, and sometimes he didn't. He defintley did this time. He used his handspeed,and combination punching and really gave a good effort. Holyfield was at his best, mixing up brawling and boxing.

I have seen this fight before, but it just struck me that this might have been the best heavyweight fight of the 1980's. I keep thinking there had to have been a better heavyweight fight in the entire decade, but I couldn't think of one. You would think Holmes or Tyson would have had one, but none really seemed that great.

So anyway, can anyone come up with a better heavyweight fight in the 1980's?

dempseyfire · Post by **dempseyfire** » 19 Dec 2007, 17:37

Ambling Alp wrote:ESPN Classic had the 1989 Holyfield-Dokes on again last night. It was a pretty good fight. In some fights Dokes came ready to fight, and sometimes he didn't. He defintley did this time. He used his handspeed,and combination punching and really gave a good effort. Holyfield was at his best, mixing up brawling and boxing.

I have seen this fight before, but it just struck me that this might have been the best heavyweight fight of the 1980's. I keep thinking there had to have been a better heavyweight fight in the entire decade, but I couldn't think of one. You would think Holmes or Tyson would have had one, but none really seemed that great.

So anyway, can anyone come up with a better heavyweight fight in the 1980's?

I can't really think of one. Not many great HW fights in the 1980s . . filled with a bunch of coked out and/or overweight underachievers. If Holmes-Weaver had been a few months later I'd put at up top but a las . .

Robinson · Post by **Robinson** » 19 Dec 2007, 19:01

It was a damned good fight. I have this opn my list of fights to re-watch.

I remember how active both guys were and how hard the bodies were getting slammed by each man's fists.

Kym

HomicideHenry · Post by **HomicideHenry** » 20 Dec 2007, 01:48

It was definately a fight that proved Holyfield's heavyweight mettle, thats for sure. I seen the fight years ago on tapes and was amazed on how Dokes was doing. I think had he not went down the road of drugs and kept in focus, he could have been the man to have beaten Holyfield in that period of time. But alas...in the words of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald

"Show me a hero, and I'll show you a tragedy."

It wasnt to be for Dokes, but it was one helluva fight. It gets my vote for the best non-title heavyweight bout of the 1980's.

dempseyfire · Post by **dempseyfire** » 20 Dec 2007, 10:24

HomicideHenry wrote:It was definately a fight that proved Holyfield's heavyweight mettle, thats for sure. I seen the fight years ago on tapes and was amazed on how Dokes was doing. I think had he not went down the road of drugs and kept in focus, he could have been the man to have beaten Holyfield in that period of time. But alas...in the words of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald

"Show me a hero, and I'll show you a tragedy."

It wasnt to be for Dokes, but it was one helluva fight. It gets my vote for the best non-title heavyweight bout of the 1980's.

Was there an 80s HW title fight better? I don't think so . . .

Ambling Alp · Post by **Ambling Alp** » 21 Dec 2007, 10:36

The alphabet soup boys (Witherspoon,Thomas,Dokes,Page etc.) had their ups and downs. Seldom did two of them fight at a high level when fighting each other.

The best Holmes fight of the 1980's was probably Holmes-Cooney. The Holmes-Snipes fight was exciting when Snipes had Holmes down and hurt, but overall the fight wasn't that great. Tyson-Tucker was decent.

But boy, do you have to look hard for good heavyweight fights during that period.
For some reason, I don't remember Witherspoon-Thomas at all. I was wondering if anyone remembered if that was a pretty good fight?

dempseyfire · Post by **dempseyfire** » 21 Dec 2007, 10:47

Ambling Alp wrote:The alphabet soup boys (Witherspoon,Thomas,Dokes,Page etc.) had their ups and downs. Seldom did two of them fight at a high level when fighting each other.

The best Holmes fight of the 1980's was probably Holmes-Cooney. The Holmes-Snipes fight was exciting when Snipes had Holmes down and hurt, but overall the fight wasn't that great. Tyson-Tucker was decent.

But boy, do you have to look hard for good heavyweight fights during that period.
For some reason, I don't remember Witherspoon-Thomas at all. I was wondering if anyone remembered if that was a pretty good fight?

Witherspoon-Thomas was decent. Early in the fight both guys were just standing in front of each other, no angles or movement whatsoever, and trading pretty hard shots. Then Thomas started running away with the fight in the middle rounds as Tim got a little fatigued (he also kept blinking like he had something stuck in his eye).

Holmes-Cooney is the best of Larry's 80s fights, and was more competetive than later summaries of that bout would have you believe. Holmes-Smith was actually a pretty good yet forgotten fight.
But still, for sheer back and forth action, I can't think of any 80s HW fight that I'd rank over Dokes-Holyfield. And Holyfield would eclipse that fight just a few years later with Holyfield-Bowe.

Holyfield/Dokes-Best of the Decade?

Holyfield/Dokes-Best of the Decade?

Re: Holyfield/Dokes-Best of the Decade?