Remember when Tyson demolished Larry Holmes in 1988?

Silly me, at the time, back in '88, I thought the 38 year old Holmes had a shot at winning.

How do you kats think a younger version of Holmes would have done against Tyson?

i know i hoped he had a shot,just like i hoped every 1/2 decent resumed fighter had,including razor ruddock!a young holmes leaves iron mike in need of a lube job long before we get to the 10th.snarling,growling,glaring & traipsing after a boxer(& bigger man)tyson would be out of ideas & breath

Do you guys think Cuz dying made Tyson slip or was it that he was just never that good?

he was good,but still had much to improve & really to me with or without cus,the outcome wouldn't of been much different.once he became rich,tyson's biggest fight was always going to be with himself.he was a fast,strong,powerful fighter,but with a childlike view of reality.

freakzilla316ftw wrote:Do you guys think Cuz dying made Tyson slip or was it that he was just never that good?

Cus D'Amato died shortly before Tyson became the youngest world heavyweight titleholder in history, so D'Amato never got a chance to see his protégé actually become a champion. Tyson's worst enemy was himself.

For a 38 year old who'd come out of retirement Holmes done pretty well.

Ali wrote:For a 38 year old who'd come out of retirement Holmes done pretty well.

I believe Holmes took the Tyson fight on short notice and only trained for 4-5 weeks, if I remember right, he was offered a shitload of money by Don King to take the fight.

At that time in 1988, Tyson a juggernaut, and even though Holmes was past his prime, nobody had ever walked through him like Tyson did that night. In my humble opinion, Holmes would have had serious problems with Tyson, even in his Prime.

Holmes had the style to beat Tyson - big, long jab, good boxing skills and ring smarts. A prime Larry beats up Tyson over the distance I think. That version of Holmes was way past his prime and not in shape to boot.

holmes was paid 3 million dollars.king went to holmes house and larry wasnt going to let him in but king gave the offer fast and larry said come in..true story..a short notice it was..holmes was the greater fighter and the guy who pitched a shutout in the first fight with shavers would beat mike.

Holmes vs. Tyson is an interesting fight.

Holmes had a great jab and a right hand behind it. Most of the time, he would back an opponent up to get the full power out of the jab. Yes, Larry could fight on his toes, but he was no Ali or Robinson. At no time during his career did I see him exhibit considerable power going backwards. If Larry could get to Tyson consistently, and I believe he could, he'd have a good chance especially in the championship rounds. It's here that Tyson's power is reduced.

Tyson would have to cut the ring off and make Larry take two or 3 steps for his one. He'd have to do this early and often. The advantage Tyson would have would be his speed, being able to load up with every punch and the ability to take advantage of Larry's habit of getting caught with flush shots. Tyson also has some cons in this fight. He telegraphed punches and stood straight up while doing it. Holmes would have to make him pay for that early and often to control the action.

All in all, it's a fight I would pay to see. Not one of my first choices for a dream fight, but it would suffice. The thought here is that the Holmes who fought Shavers and Norton would get tagged early but escape danger rather easily by taming Tyson with the jab and the right hand. As the rounds wore on, I see Holmes taking control after round 7 (Larry's bad luck round) and working on a Tyson eye that would probably be closed by the 9th or 10th round. I don't see Larry taking any chances on going in like Evander. He would settle for an exciting but clear UD. My take.

Larry took the fight on VERY short notice. 4 weeks in training camp after a 2 year retirement. He was in no shape to handle a young, prime Tyson. His timing was terrible and his conditioning is what you would expect a 38 year old fighter coming off a two year party to be. Bad. He was very rusty in the fight, and if you watch with that knowledge, you see him miss with opportunities to land punches that he would not have missed in his own prime. That said, Tyson got him with a right hand, which was always Larry's "danger" punch. Prime vs Prime, there is always a chance that Tyson lands that punch. Its most likely that he does not though. I think larry wins a decision 90 out of 100.

I remember it well. Hard to believe it was that long ago.

Canvas wrote:I remember it well. Hard to believe it was that long ago.

Can you believe Taxi Driver is now 34 years old ?

Ali wrote:

Canvas wrote:I remember it well. Hard to believe it was that long ago.

Can you believe Taxi Driver is now 34 years old ?

I don't remember Taxi driver being out, I was too young. I DO vividly remember watching Tyson vs Holmes. I was a teenager.

A prime Holmes annihilates Tyson.

Of course a prime Holmes annihilates 99.99999999999% of guys who ever walked.

freakzilla316ftw wrote:Do you guys think Cuz dying made Tyson slip or was it that he was just never that good?

It wasn't that he wasn't good or that Cus died. It was that Tyson's mental makeup was NEVER going to permit him to be consistent over a period of time. Cus couldn't change that. In reality, looking back we can say Tyson was Tyson for how long? 18 months? Two years?

Read Jose Torres great book Fire and Fear.