When fantasy match ups between heavyweights of yesteryear and today’s crop are mentioned, the champions of the olden days are, more often that not, tipped to defeat the modern generation.
However, 1980s heavyweight kingpin Larry Holmes has bucked that trend when he broke down a potential match up between Mike Tyson and Anthony Joshua.
Holmes, who shared the ring with Tyson back in 1988, predicted back in 2017, when many argue that Joshua was in his prime having just beat Wladimir Klitschko, with absolute certainty that Joshua would have knocked out a prime ‘Iron Mike.’
“If he fought a guy like Mike Tyson, he’d win, he would have knocked out a prime Mike Tyson. There’s no reckon about it. Mike Tyson went down low and then came up and tried to throw roundhouses. But Joshua would just hit him with a straight right hand on the side of his damn chin and Mike wouldn’t get up”
“He never fought anyone who was coming up and trying to make their way in the sport. He just went in there – bang, bang, bang and knocked everyone out. That’s how he got the reputation as a puncher.
“I’m not taking anything away from Mike Tyson, he kicked my a**. But I was out for two years, I had quit boxing, I hadn’t done anything for two years apart from sing with the band and travel.”
With many questioning ‘AJ’s mindset at the moment, perhaps he can take confidence from Holmes’ comments and look to re establish himself as a key player at the top end of the heavyweight division in 2024.
That will not, it seems, be against Deontay Wilder, after plans for them to lock horns in Saudi Arabia fell through last month.