Great fighters who stayed too long

p4p1 · Post by **p4p1** » 03 Nov 2007, 20:46

larry holmes?

bobbyd · Post by **bobbyd** » 03 Nov 2007, 21:39

Decagon wrote:
p4p1 wrote:larry holmes?
Larry Holmes never lost his dignity, even fighting at age 50.

yeah...holmes was really something,even in his much later years,and even though i mentioned duran in my list,mainly because of the joppy fight,i gotta say that he had one last great fight at the age of 46.the return match win against jorge castro.that was a great win for roberto.he should've retired right after that triumph,instead of sticking around to fight joppy.

Goodnight, Irene · Post by **Goodnight, Irene** » 04 Nov 2007, 00:07

Larry Holmes lost his dignity after his behaviour following Spinks. & as a fighter, he would be a great example of a guy going way too far, were it not for the fact that there are just too many others like him for him to stand out. For Holmes, anyone past Tyson in '88 was too long. His last fight ended up being in '02.

Grant · Post by **Grant** » 04 Nov 2007, 08:14

Lionel Rose, very sad.

p4p1 · Post by **p4p1** » 04 Nov 2007, 08:56

i am sure that we could extend on this list every year sadly in boxing most fighters dont learn from other fighters mistakes

bobbyd · Post by **bobbyd** » 04 Nov 2007, 10:38

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Larry Holmes lost his dignity after his behaviour following Spinks. & as a fighter, he would be a great example of a guy going way too far, were it not for the fact that there are just too many others like him for him to stand out. For Holmes, anyone past Tyson in '88 was too long. His last fight ended up being in '02.

i have to disagree.what about that really impressive win over ray mercer in 1992!!....furthermore,it is a crying shame that him and foreman never got to get it on.this would've been a very intriguing fight even if it had taken place as late as 1994.after that,it would have been too slow paced and boring.Alot of clinching probably.

MEISINGER · Post by **MEISINGER** » 04 Nov 2007, 13:17

ALSO LARRY HOLMES PUT IN A GREAT EFFORT AGAINST OLIVER MCCALL
THAT MANY THOUGHT HE WON.
BUT IF YOU LISTEN TO LARRY TODAY HE STILL THINKS HE CAN BE CHAMP TODAY.

Jaybird · Post by **Jaybird** » 04 Nov 2007, 16:00

BOBBY CHACON

Goodnight, Irene · Post by **Goodnight, Irene** » 04 Nov 2007, 18:57

I'm not saying he couldn't still win fights. I'm talking about him as a fighter & what he could get done, relative to his prime. & the Larry Holmes of any time in the 90's (you can pick, it makes little difference) was well & truly on the other side of the mountain. It's one thing if you are a Foreman-type who can still punch (& even then that almost always isn't enough), but Holmes didn't even have that. I'm fairly confident a younger Holmes would have accounted for Tyson, but he was just blown out in their meeting, simply because he was too old. & largely he struggled with/lost to fighters who would have been annihilated by the late 70's/early 80's Holmes.

You can (rightly) point out beating Mercer as evidence he didn't stay too long, but it works in both directions. You must also acknowledge he had many efforts against lesser competition that would never have been so difficult when he was younger. He lost to Oliver McCall, for example!

BoxBuzz · Post by **BoxBuzz** » 04 Nov 2007, 21:12

as we speak....

Evander Holyfield

Flump · Post by **Flump** » 05 Nov 2007, 19:22

Meldrick Taylor
Leon Spinks
Saoul Mamby
Earnie Shavers
Greg Page
Iran Barkley
Matt Saad Muhammad

The list is endless sadly.

Minotauro · Post by **Minotauro** » 05 Nov 2007, 20:06

Wilfred Benitez
Sam Langford
Ezzard Charles
Sugar Ray Robinson
Meldrick Taylor
Ray Mercer
Tommy Morrison
I think James Toney will be on this list soon.

ringsider · Post by **ringsider** » 05 Nov 2007, 22:26

They all fight too long. It is part of their being........that is what makes them fighters

About the only one who comes to mind who stopped when he should have and didn't try to keep fighting was Marvin Hagler. My hats off to him on that.

BigJuicyHog · Post by **BigJuicyHog** » 06 Nov 2007, 01:27

I tihnk Rocky Marciano got out at the right time as well.

Heartbreak_Kid79 · Post by **Heartbreak_Kid79** » 06 Nov 2007, 17:14

The Irish Assassin wrote:Ric Flair

...... and hulk hogan