Holmes was tough. I think he was stuck in an era of mixed up fans and he was always trying to win over the fan base. Holmes was the bad guy-especially after he beat a washed up Ali. The crowd still wanted the showmanship of Ali and the toughness of Foreman. Holmes peaked at a bad time - immediately following legends and nobody wanted to accept his contenders. After Tex Cobb lost to Norton (questionably) and lasted with Dokes, I thought he had a chance against Holmes. Wrong! That was a classic beating and I actually wanted Cobb to go down and stop the beating.
Hagler was the first "cool" athlete with a bald head that I can remember. Jordan gets the credit for paving the road, but Hagler set the stage. I wonder what Larry Bird (my favorite pro athlete of all time) would have looked like bald?
