Ali vs Holmes: Was it as bad as they say?

[American_Ninja]

First of all, all you cry-baby Ali fans who say it was sad to see, and hard to watch better do your Ali homework! Poor Muhammad had no pity or sympathy on a 47 yr old Archie Moore when he beat him up & took 'em out in 4 rounds!

Secondly, it wouldn't have mattered anyhow the timeframe when Holmes & Ali met in the the ring? Holmes would've beat Ali anyway! Just think about it?

Think of all of Ali's opponents that gave him pur HELL in the ring! People like Norton, whom I dare say in my book actually won 2 out of their 3 fights...and Shavers..he had Ali so scared he was jumping out of his boots from the hard blows...

Now..Larry did way better than Ali on these 2 guy's...He went toe to toe with a still prime Norton, and he wasn't afraid to mix it up with Shavers and took his hardest punches & won both fights!

And also, Ali let a 7-0 Neon Leon beat him, when Larry disposed of Spinks in rather quick fashion by way of TKO.

But getting back to "YOU GUY'S" feeling sad for Ali in the holmes fight..just call yourself lucky that Holmes did have some sympathy & not destry your hero in quicker fashion by way of Knockout, in which he could've easily that night, but chose to carry his idol as long as he could.

Ali is a man..a tough competitor...a pro...And, it may sound like I'm hatin' on The Greatest, but I'm not..I'm a fan..but this whole Boo-Hoo-ing crap about the Holmes-Ali fight makes me laugh...

It happens in all boxing, even when your hero took no pity on aging fighters, it was no big deal then? why is it for him? Holmes is the Best Heavyweight that ever lived in my book

Ali in his prime would have beatin Holmes, no question. Those who were saddened by that fight, had seen him at his best, and had grown to love him. He was 36 when he lost to a young lion in Leon Spinks. The guy Holmes fought was a burned out drug addict. A still prime Norton? Hardly, Norton had been KO'd by Foreman. And to say Ali was afraid of Shavers is just plain ******. Shavers knocked Holmes down and nearly out, He couldn't knock Ali down. Ali passed the torch that night, long ago to Holmes. I was there at ring side, and I saw it happen.

[.Mik.]

Marciano-Louis was harder to watch than this one, because Louis had to fight because he was broke. Watching a legend go take a beating for a few bucks was really sad.

Not to mention the horrible reasons for him being broke. The guy was a hero.

[butterfly1964]

Not to mention the horrible reasons for him being broke. The guy was a hero.

...

[Carolina Bomber]

I consider myself a big Ali fan and I've seen many of his early to mid career fights. But I have not seen the bout between him and Larry Holmes. From what I have heard and read the bout was a total mismatch and Ali took alot of unneccesary punishment before his corner halted the fight. Have any of you guys seen this fight? Is it as bad as everyone says? As a fan of Muhammad Ali's should I watch it or forget about it?

I read somewhere that Ali was sabotaged in the weeks leading up to the fight, one of his trainers or fight doctors or something started giving him these pills to take, and Ali took them thinking they were vitamins or something because he trusted the guy, and shortly after that he went from running 6 miles a day to barely being able to run a mile. At one point in training for the fight Ali sparred 36 straight rounds, but then was barely able to make it for the fight.

[Southpaw Stinger]

I read somewhere that Ali was sabotaged in the weeks leading up to the fight, one of his trainers or fight doctors or something started giving him these pills to take, and Ali took them thinking they were vitamins or something because he trusted the guy, and shortly after that he went from running 6 miles a day to barely being able to run a mile. At one point in training for the fight Ali sparred 36 straight rounds, but then was barely able to make it for the fight.

They were pills to try to corect his thyroid problems but they ****ed up with his body's cooling system. If you watch the fight footage against Holmes you can see Ali doesn't even sweat. I don't know whether it was a sabotage. I heard the doctor gave them to him in his best interests but they just didn't have the right effect.

[BKM-]

Well i can agree with that. Ali at the time definitely could have done better. He barely threw anything and it looked like he didn't know where he was.

[SABBATH]

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=4415

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=4513

This article provides details into Ali's drug use prior to the Holmes fight, the second link in particular.

[bill1234]

Shavers knocked Holmes down and nearly out, He couldn't knock Ali down.

Shavers knocked Ali down, and he also near beat him. Holmes was almost KO'd by one of the best if not the best right hands Shavers ever through and landed clean on the chin.

[butterfly1964]

Shavers knocked Ali down

No, he didn't.

[Boxclever]

No, he didn't.

Didn't Ali fight Berbick after Holmes and put in an improved performance so it must have been down partly to the pills i guess.