Legendary heavyweight Larry Holmes is one of just two men to have fought both Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali.
Holmes became world heavyweight champion in June 1978, and then fought Ali in October 1980. The bout was controversial, with many believing Ali shouldn’t have been in the ring that night, as Holmes claimed a 10th round retirement win in what proved to be the penultimate fight for ‘The Greatest.’
Holmes went on to hold world honours for a number of years after that, making 20 successful defences, before back-to-back defeats to Michael Spinks. That then led to a bout with Tyson, who knocked out Holmes in the fourth round when they met in January 1988.
While the version of Ali that Holmes fought may have been far past his best, it is safe to say that he took on ‘Iron Mike’ at his ferocious peak, and Holmes has now revealed who he feels would have won a fantasy match-up between the two legends had they met in their prime.
Speaking to TMZ, Holmes claimed that Ali would have been victorious as he would have ‘beat up’ Tyson.
“Mike Tyson would get beat up because he’s a face fighter. He comes in down low, and Muhammad Ali is a jabber. He’d get that jab in there just like he did with Joe Frazier. So, Mike Tyson would have to get around that jab, and he’d have a lot of problems getting around that jab. Mike Tyson would’ve been knocked out by Muhammad Ali.”
The debate on a Tyson vs. Ali fantasy fight will no doubt continue for years to come.
