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No heavyweight ever faced the quality of opponents that Ali defeated.Ali had an uncanny ability to slip punches. The first time anyone connected with him was in the first Frazier fight.
OTOH, Tyson had an ability to put punchers on their heels and just fuck them up. So it's impossible to say how those two would have come out, both in their prime.
Larry Holmes was the best "boxer" in the heavyweight division. Despite having a record number of consecutive "knockouts," he never knocked anyone out (for the count). Tap, tap, tap, jab, jab, jab, jab. Nothing else. All arm punches with no power. He would just jab the hell out of his opponents until they were so tired and bloody they couldn't continue. That's OK if you are a flyweight, but as heavyweight champion? Pretty pathetic. Which is why he never got no respect...and it drove him crazy.
Larry Holmes ran up an impressive number of victories (including an aged Ali) But had no marquee victories