Larry Holmes, who fought both Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, thinks Ali would come out on top in a hypothetical match-up between the two boxing legends.
Holmes faced Ali in 1980 in a fight billed as 'The Last Hurrah'. Ali was past his prime and in poor health at the time. Holmes won clearly, and the fight ended when Ali's corner stopped it after ten rounds. Holmes became the only man to beat Ali by stoppage.
Eight years later, Holmes, then 38, lost to a 21-year-old Mike Tyson. Tyson stopped Holmes in four rounds, fulfilling a promise he made to Ali as a 14-year-old. During the Holmes-Ali fight, Tyson's trainer Cus D'Amato had him call Ali. Tyson told the champ, "don't worry champ, when I get big, I'm going to get him for you."
Despite losing to Tyson and beating Ali, Holmes favors Ali in a potential match-up between the two. In a resurfaced clip from an interview with Sky Sports Boxing, Holmes said:
"I ain't knocking Mike Tyson. No [he couldn't survive in that era]. Ali? He's slap him all day with the jab."
Holmes, who reigned as world heavyweight champion from 1978 to 1983, bases his opinion on his experience fighting both men. Boxing fans often debate this hypothetical match-up, wondering how Ali's defense would hold up against Tyson's powerful attacks.
