The fallout from a recent poll involving current and past heavyweight champions Anthony Joshua and Larry Holmes has reached a fever pitch.
Joshua and Holmes were pitted together in a fantasy voting tournament by BT Sport last week, and the result was an eye-popping one.
UK fans gave Joshua the edge over Holmes by 53% to 47%, whichperplexed the vast majority of knowledgeable boxing fans.
The outcome also gained the attention of one Lou DiBella, who expressed disbelief when Joshua took the virtual victory.
Larry Holmes vs. Anthony Joshua
“Damn, this is comical. Larry would have PLAYED WITH HIM,” pointed out Hall of Fame promoter DiBella.
“AJ is a very good heavyweight. Larry is a #boxing ALL-TIME GREAT.
“Larry’s jab was a precision weapon. (Joseph) Parker’s style gave AJ problems. Just imagine his utter frustration vs Holmes. I’ve had enough of inane polls & lists!”
Damn, this is comical. Larry would have PLAYED WITH HIM. AJ is a very good heavyweight. Larry is a #boxing ALL TIME GREAT. Larry’s jab was a precision weapon. Parker’s style gave AJ problems; just imagine his utter frustration vs Holmes. I’ve had enough of inane polls & lists! https://t.co/WkWmPUMhme
— Lou DiBella (@loudibella) April 22, 2020
DiBella wasn’t the only one. A massive percentage of responses were condemnation.
One read: “Outrageous knowledge of boxing here. Or lack of it, Larry Holmes getting beaten by Anthony Joshua.”
Another added: “I wonder if Joshua, who got battered by a little chubby Mexican, would get up from that (Ernie Shavers punch)?
“And still, the Matchroom m–gs voted Joshua beating Holmes, haha.”
Others stated: “People haven’t got a clue Larry Holmes is one of the greatest Boxers ever. Anthony Joshua isn’t even the best Heaven of his era. Larry Holmes by KO in the 5th round.”
“Lol, I see the Brits are enormous homers. We’re talking about one of the top 10 heavyweights ever vs. AJ. Come on, guys.”
“Love AJ, but can’t believe people are picking him to beat Holmes. That’s crazy.”
No debate
Holmes reigned supreme during an era when the fantastic four of Ali, Frazier, Foreman, and Norton were coming to an end.
Making the second-record number of title defenses behind Joe Louis, Holmes is considered a top ten in history.
For his part, Joshua still has much to prove in a much weaker two decades, the 2010s into the 2020s.
Barring Wladimir Klitschko, there’s only been Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder on the same radar as Joshua.
Sadly for the Briton, he’s only yet to face one in Klitschko, who was faded when the fight went down.
Furthermore, facing and defeating Fury could potentially be Joshua’s only hope of even making it into an all-time top 50 heavyweights.
