Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
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margaret thatcher
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Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
They must be crazy who would suggest AJ can beat Holmes. Holmes is one of the true all time greats, in fact ranking him as a top 5 heavy of all time would not be too wrong.
Aj can beat Holmes in the sense that he can catch him with a lucky punch, as can any other heavyweight. But Holmes had great heart, a prime Holmes just runs rings around AJ and bleeds him with cuts - eyes, lips, nose. And when he feels like it, and AJ is winded enough, Holmes steps in and finishes it off.
20 pounds extra weight does not matter as much as boxing skills, Usyk showed us all.
Aj can beat Holmes in the sense that he can catch him with a lucky punch, as can any other heavyweight. But Holmes had great heart, a prime Holmes just runs rings around AJ and bleeds him with cuts - eyes, lips, nose. And when he feels like it, and AJ is winded enough, Holmes steps in and finishes it off.
20 pounds extra weight does not matter as much as boxing skills, Usyk showed us all.
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Enlightened-One
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Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
To be fair, Usyk beats Holmes, because I feel Oleksandr is far better than the likes of Carl Williams and Tim Witherspoon (who I feel both beat ‘The Easton Assassin’).567568 wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 07:54 They must be crazy who would suggest AJ can beat Holmes. Holmes is one of the true all time greats, in fact ranking him as a top 5 heavy of all time would not be too wrong.
Aj can beat Holmes in the sense that he can catch him with a lucky punch, as can any other heavyweight. But Holmes had great heart, a prime Holmes just runs rings around AJ and bleeds him with cuts - eyes, lips, nose. And when he feels like it, and AJ is winded enough, Holmes steps in and finishes it off.
20 pounds extra weight does not matter as much as boxing skills, Usyk showed us all.
Larry Holmes was also decked numerous times throughout the course of his career, being floored by the likes of Tyson, Shavers, Butterbean, Snipes, Isaac etc. He was hurt several times by others as well.
So just because Usyk beats AJ, that doesn't necessarily mean it's categorically impossible for Joshua to beat Holmes, because the ‘The Easton Assassin’ was far more orthodox than Oleksandr is.
The peak version of Larry Holmes was slightly smaller than the iteration of Oleksandr Usyk that faced AJ last weekend.
And I feel we both probably agree that Anthony Joshua is a better fighter than Carl Williams and Tim Witherspoon?
Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
Are you serious? Counting Holmes vs. Butterbean, or Tyson? Holmes was 38 when he fought Tyson, and hadn't fought any one in 26 months. When he fought butterbean, he was freaking 53 !
His only serious knockdown was against Shavers, who is widely acknowledged as one of biggest punchers the sport has ever seen (ranked #10 on all time puncher's list by the Ring magazine).
Holmes would toy with AJ, they aren't of the same class. Not even close. AJ would have a puncher's chance, and that's all. Even if he was lucky, I think Holmes would get up (he got up from Shavers) and still school him.
His only serious knockdown was against Shavers, who is widely acknowledged as one of biggest punchers the sport has ever seen (ranked #10 on all time puncher's list by the Ring magazine).
Holmes would toy with AJ, they aren't of the same class. Not even close. AJ would have a puncher's chance, and that's all. Even if he was lucky, I think Holmes would get up (he got up from Shavers) and still school him.
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Enlightened-One
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Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
Larry Holmes was a great fighter that is underappreciated.567568 wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 08:32 Are you serious? Counting Holmes vs. Butterbean, or Tyson? Holmes was 38 when he fought Tyson, and hadn't fought any one in 26 months. When he fought butterbean, he was freaking 53 !
His only serious knockdown was against Shavers, who is widely acknowledged as one of biggest punchers the sport has ever seen (ranked #10 on all time puncher's list by the Ring magazine).
Holmes would toy with AJ, they aren't of the same class. Not even close. AJ would have a puncher's chance, and that's all. Even if he was lucky, I think Holmes would get up (he got up from Shavers) and still school him.
Part of the reason why he wasn’t appreciated by the mainstream masses, was because he was kept away from George Foreman, coupled with the fact the heavyweight division was fairly weak during his title reign.
And ‘The Easton Assassin’ wasn’t responsible for either of those situations. It wasn't his fault.
Larry Holmes was hurt and decked several times during his title reign (as per the Snipes bout).
He was very fortunate to be awarded victories over Carl Williams and Tim Witherspoon.
For sure, Larry Homes was an all-time-great, but he had stylistic flaws that no one should pretend didn’t exist. He was a beatable champion.
Styles makes fights.
Usyk is unorthodox and unpredictable. Larry Holmes was neither of those things.
Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
I am not talking about Usyk vs Holmes at all. I don't know that, Usyk needs a few more fights at the heavyweight level, before I know whether he beats an all time great heavyweight.Enlightened-One wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 08:38Larry Holmes was a great fighter that is underappreciated.567568 wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 08:32 Are you serious? Counting Holmes vs. Butterbean, or Tyson? Holmes was 38 when he fought Tyson, and hadn't fought any one in 26 months. When he fought butterbean, he was freaking 53 !
His only serious knockdown was against Shavers, who is widely acknowledged as one of biggest punchers the sport has ever seen (ranked #10 on all time puncher's list by the Ring magazine).
Holmes would toy with AJ, they aren't of the same class. Not even close. AJ would have a puncher's chance, and that's all. Even if he was lucky, I think Holmes would get up (he got up from Shavers) and still school him.
Part of the reason why he wasn’t appreciated by the mainstream masses, was because he was kept away from George Foreman, coupled with the fact the heavyweight division was fairly weak during his title reign.
And ‘The Easton Assassin’ wasn’t responsible for either of those situations. It wasn't his fault.
Larry Holmes was hurt and decked several times during his title reign (as per the Snipes bout).
He was very fortunate to be awarded victories over Carl Williams and Tim Witherspoon.
For sure, Larry Homes was an all-time-great, but he had stylistic flaws that no one should pretend didn’t exist. He was a beatable champion.
Styles makes fights.
Usyk is unorthodox and unpredictable. Larry Holmes was neither of those things.
I am talking about AJ vs. Holmes, which is the subject of this thread. That is a joke. Holmes is a few leagues above Joshua when it comes to boxing. Joshua can add 100 pounds of muscle to his body and it still won't make a difference.
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Enlightened-One
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Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
I'm drawing comparisons between Usyk and Holmes, since you believe that size doesn't matter, hence your reasoning that Holmes would beat the Brit with consummate ease (since Joshua has just been beaten by a smaller man).567568 wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 08:45I am not talking about Usyk vs Holmes at all. I don't know that, Usyk needs a few more fights at the heavyweight level, before I know whether he beats an all time great heavyweight.Enlightened-One wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 08:38Larry Holmes was a great fighter that is underappreciated.567568 wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 08:32 Are you serious? Counting Holmes vs. Butterbean, or Tyson? Holmes was 38 when he fought Tyson, and hadn't fought any one in 26 months. When he fought butterbean, he was freaking 53 !
His only serious knockdown was against Shavers, who is widely acknowledged as one of biggest punchers the sport has ever seen (ranked #10 on all time puncher's list by the Ring magazine).
Holmes would toy with AJ, they aren't of the same class. Not even close. AJ would have a puncher's chance, and that's all. Even if he was lucky, I think Holmes would get up (he got up from Shavers) and still school him.
Part of the reason why he wasn’t appreciated by the mainstream masses, was because he was kept away from George Foreman, coupled with the fact the heavyweight division was fairly weak during his title reign.
And ‘The Easton Assassin’ wasn’t responsible for either of those situations. It wasn't his fault.
Larry Holmes was hurt and decked several times during his title reign (as per the Snipes bout).
He was very fortunate to be awarded victories over Carl Williams and Tim Witherspoon.
For sure, Larry Homes was an all-time-great, but he had stylistic flaws that no one should pretend didn’t exist. He was a beatable champion.
Styles makes fights.
Usyk is unorthodox and unpredictable. Larry Holmes was neither of those things.
I am talking about AJ vs. Holmes, which is the subject of this thread. That is a joke. Holmes is a few leagues above Joshua when it comes to boxing. Joshua can add 100 pounds of muscle to his body and it still won't make a difference.
Oleksandr Usyk and Larry Holmes are completely different fighters.
Styles makes fights.
You've only chosen to revisit this thread after AJ's loss to Usyk.
Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
We all laugh at that suggestion. Holmes would've boxed his head off. 
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jamesmcdonnell
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Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
Totally agree, Holmes would have smashed Joshua to bits, Holmes was a very quick man, light on his feet, and with the best jab of any heavyweight champ.DrDuke wrote: ↑15 Jul 2020, 04:35 Holmes was better than Joshua. His boxing IQ, movement and jab were superior. He also was better in the exchanges and could take a punch better. I had Joshua losing on points to Klitschko and Povetkin before stoppages. In the exchanges against Ruiz Joshua was crushed. Joshua showed up improved in the Ruiz rematch, but Ruiz seemed too unmotivated. Gotta see more Joshua for being more sure, but with what he has shown up to the date, he isn't of the Holmes' level.
Joshua would have taken a hammering.
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jamesmcdonnell
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Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
Yeah, 50% AJ getting his ears boxed off and 50% Holmes boxing them off.
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Counter-puncher
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Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
To Usyk vs. Holmes I am saying "I don't know, no comments. haven't seen enough of Usyk". You may think he beats Holmes, I choose to reserve my judgement on that.Enlightened-One wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 08:52I'm drawing comparisons between Usyk and Holmes, since you believe that size doesn't matter, hence your reasoning that Holmes would beat the Brit with consummate ease (since Joshua has just been beaten by a smaller man).567568 wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 08:45I am not talking about Usyk vs Holmes at all. I don't know that, Usyk needs a few more fights at the heavyweight level, before I know whether he beats an all time great heavyweight.Enlightened-One wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 08:38
Larry Holmes was a great fighter that is underappreciated.
Part of the reason why he wasn’t appreciated by the mainstream masses, was because he was kept away from George Foreman, coupled with the fact the heavyweight division was fairly weak during his title reign.
And ‘The Easton Assassin’ wasn’t responsible for either of those situations. It wasn't his fault.
Larry Holmes was hurt and decked several times during his title reign (as per the Snipes bout).
He was very fortunate to be awarded victories over Carl Williams and Tim Witherspoon.
For sure, Larry Homes was an all-time-great, but he had stylistic flaws that no one should pretend didn’t exist. He was a beatable champion.
Styles makes fights.
Usyk is unorthodox and unpredictable. Larry Holmes was neither of those things.
I am talking about AJ vs. Holmes, which is the subject of this thread. That is a joke. Holmes is a few leagues above Joshua when it comes to boxing. Joshua can add 100 pounds of muscle to his body and it still won't make a difference.
Oleksandr Usyk and Larry Holmes are completely different fighters.
Styles makes fights.
You've only chosen to revisit this thread after AJ's loss to Usyk.
Size does matter, but it matters less than skill. Holmes may have been 30 pounds lighter than Joshua, but he was a 10 times better boxer. With that much gulf in skill, size does not matter. Joshua does not hit harder than Shavers, or Foreman. Even if he did, his right hand is too slow. An all-time-great like Holmes would see it from a mile. The only sneaky punch he has is his uppercut, and Holmes would have never engaged in an inside brawl unless he saw AJ out of breath. So AJ has pretty much no chance against Holmes.
P.S. Not sure what you mean by "revisit", today is my first day on this forum.
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Enlightened-One
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Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
That's a reasonable stance to hold.
That's another reasonable stance to hold.
That's an exaggeration.
Did you watch Larry Holmes' fights against Carl Williams and Tim Witherspoon?
The physical prime versions of George Foreman and Earnie Shavers were both the equivalent of modern day cruiserweights.
And if you’re referring to the mature version of “Big” George, there are obvious parallels between Tommy Morrison’s winning strategy against Foreman and the method of victory employed by Anthony Joshua when he beat Andy Ruiz Jr.
Did you watch Larry Holmes' fights against Carl Williams and Tim Witherspoon?567568 wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 10:04Even if he did, his right hand is too slow. An all-time-great like Holmes would see it from a mile. The only sneaky punch he has is his uppercut, and Holmes would have never engaged in an inside brawl unless he saw AJ out of breath. So AJ has pretty much no chance against Holmes.
Larry Holmes was a great fighter, but nostalgia is compelling you to believe in things that aren't true.
I don't believe that.
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jamesmcdonnell
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Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
What utter balls as usual.Enlightened-One wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 12:19That's a reasonable stance to hold.That's another reasonable stance to hold.That's an exaggeration.
Did you watch Larry Holmes' fights against Carl Williams and Tim Witherspoon?The physical prime versions of George Foreman and Earnie Shavers were both the equivalent of modern day cruiserweights.
And if you’re referring to the mature version of “Big” George, there are obvious parallels between Tommy Morrison’s winning strategy against Foreman and the method of victory employed by Anthony Joshua when he beat Andy Ruiz Jr.Did you watch Larry Holmes' fights against Carl Williams and Tim Witherspoon?567568 wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 10:04Even if he did, his right hand is too slow. An all-time-great like Holmes would see it from a mile. The only sneaky punch he has is his uppercut, and Holmes would have never engaged in an inside brawl unless he saw AJ out of breath. So AJ has pretty much no chance against Holmes.
Larry Holmes was a great fighter, but nostalgia is compelling you to believe in things that aren't true.I don't believe that.![]()
Foreman's prime weight was between 215-225, Shavers around 205-210 mark sometimes a little higher.
Stop talking shite.
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BroughtonRulesRefuge
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Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
567568 wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 07:54 They must be crazy who would suggest AJ can beat Holmes. Holmes is one of the true all time greats, in fact ranking him as a top 5 heavy of all time would not be too wrong.
Aj can beat Holmes in the sense that he can catch him with a lucky punch, as can any other heavyweight. But Holmes had great heart, a prime Holmes just runs rings around AJ and bleeds him with cuts - eyes, lips, nose. And when he feels like it, and AJ is winded enough, Holmes steps in and finishes it off.
20 pounds extra weight does not matter as much as boxing skills, Usyk showed us all.
- Your superior boxing skills evident here:

Lar record vs standing champs having won titles in the ring is 0-6, 0 KO, but of course being up to your eyeballs in PEDs, you can be excused for not knowing that.
Really, you as the new established boxrec drug cheat should stick to U peds. Just don't overdose on clenbuterol or EMS will be hauling your drugged up candya$$ to the hospital like what happened to some dumb kid I worked with wanting to be a body builder
Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
I did not know this forum existed. I don't care if you believe it or not.567568 wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 10:04Did you watch Larry Holmes' fights against Carl Williams and Tim Witherspoon?567568 wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 10:04Even if he did, his right hand is too slow. An all-time-great like Holmes would see it from a mile. The only sneaky punch he has is his uppercut, and Holmes would have never engaged in an inside brawl unless he saw AJ out of breath. So AJ has pretty much no chance against Holmes.
Larry Holmes was a great fighter, but nostalgia is compelling you to believe in things that aren't true.I don't believe that.![]()
Larry was a great fighter. Every fighter has his chinks, even Ali and Joe Louis had weaknesses (relative). But no matter how glaring his weaknesses were, just looking at the two fighting shows Holmes is just a different class of fighter than AJ. AJ has a decent jab, some power, a good uppercut, and that is about it. Holmes is better at just about everything except raw power, perhaps. Jab, defense, movement, ring IQ, heart, chin, speed - Holmes is just better in every area of boxing.
If AJ tried to box with Holmes, he would get out-jabbed. If he tried to brawl (unlikely, since Holmes had the power to hurt him), Holmes would stick and run rings around him until he tires (probably round 5 or 6). And then Holmes would just pick him apart at will with right hands and upper cuts, until referee would come and save AJ from further punishment and embarrassment.
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Enlightened-One
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Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
Remember what I was precisely referring to... word-for-word: "The physical prime version of George Foreman..."jamesmcdonnell wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 12:43What utter balls as usual.
Foreman's prime weight was between 215-225, Shavers around 205-210 mark sometimes a little higher.
Stop talking shite.
George Foreman’s mathematical average weight was 217lbs from the start of his career through until the end of 1973 (spanning 39 fights). He was 217½lbs when he faced Joe Frazier in 1973 (his physical prime). He was also only 6’ 3.5” in height.
From the start of his career through until 1973, the average George Foreman opponent was typically 6’ 0” in height, weighing around the 206lbs mark.
This isn't an opinion piece, extract Foreman's resume, put it in a spread sheet and review the numbers. You're not entitled to have an opinion on mathematical averages - the numbers and calculations are what they are..
Therefore, Foreman was the physical equivalent of a rehydrated cruiserweight.
So you agree with my claim that Ernie Shavers was the physical equivalent of a rehydrated cruiserweight?
Surely you appreciate most fighters will gain roughly 15lbs+ in weight after the official weigh-in, or are you new to the sport?
Last edited by Enlightened-One on 27 Sep 2021, 13:06, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
Surely you must know that someone naming twice in this thread the Butterbean KD and holding it against Holmes has to be an idiot?
Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
Someone with superior boxing skills can't be cut?
Do you realize how comprehensively Usyk had to beat AJ so that he wasn't robbed in the decision? He beat him so badly that even in UK the judges were compelled to give him a unanimous decision.
Larry has total 6 losses on his resume, 4 of them after he was 38 years old. One of them was Brian Nielsen, surely way worse than some of Larry's 69 victims.BroughtonRulesRefuge wrote: ↑27 Sep 2021, 12:53 Lar record vs standing champs having won titles in the ring is 0-6, 0 KO, but of course being up to your eyeballs in PEDs, you can be excused for not knowing that.
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jamesmcdonnell
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Re: Larry Holmes laughs off suggestions Anthony Joshua would’ve beaten him
An imbecile who ruins perfectly good threads with inane points and farcical facts.