Heavyweight legends Larry Holmes and Gerry Cooney are currently touring the UK, primarily to recall and to celebrate their huge June 1982 showdown that took place in Las Vegas.
They’re good friends now and have been for some time, yet back in 1982, Larry Holmes and Gerry Cooney did not get along.
“I’m not Tommy Morrison!”
The above was former heavyweight king Larry Holmes’ rallying cry during his fight with an unbeaten, heavily favoured Ray Mercer.
Former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes says today’s fighters Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Deontay Wilder lack skills. Holmes doesn’t like what he sees from the flawed bunch, and he prefers the talented heavyweights during his era.
Heavyweight legend Larry Holmes celebrates his 72nd birthday today. Arguably the greatest living heavyweight (you may pick George Foreman, or maybe Lennox Lewis), Holmes was a fantastic fighter in his prime, and even beyond.
Though the month of October saw the great Muhammad Ali do many great things – Ali turned pro in October, he began his epic ring return after being banished due to his refusal to serve in Vietnam in October, Ali gave us THE greatest heavyweight fight of all-time in October, and of course, Ali regained the crown by beating the “invincible” George Foreman in the month of October – the tenth month of the year also saw a faded (as in badly, severely damaged as well as faded) Ali try and do the impossible.
Imagine prime George Foreman vs prime Larry Holmes?
This is the debut edition of the Dream Fight series, and a hypothetical fantasy match-up between Big George and The Easton Assassin is one that actually has an interesting backstory.
The biggest heavyweight fight of the 1980s took place on this day in 1982, as heavyweight great Larry Holmes defended his crown against “Great White Hope” Gerry Cooney.
43 years ago, at the sports pavilion at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, heavyweights Larry Holmes and Ken Norton gave us one of the greatest heavyweight title fights of all-time – and arguably THE greatest 15th round in heavyweight history.
It’s somewhat ironic that, in the career of Tim Witherspoon, his finest performance came in his first big fight; a fight plenty of people felt he was, at just 15-0, not ready or equipped for.