There is absolutely no doubting the greatness of Larry Holmes. Not only did “The Easton Assassin” reign as heavyweight king for over seven years, not only did he have arguably the finest left jab in the history of the division, and not only did Holmes have an amazing chin – Larry also took on many tough, unbeaten and young contenders.
Earnie Shavers, Renaldo Snipes, Tim Witherspoon. Three fine fighters who have one thing in common: they each came within a whisker of either stopping or knocking out the great Larry Holmes.
It was a darn good thing for Oliver McCall he wasn’t fighting the Larry Holmes who defeated Ken Norton to win the WBC heavyweight championship.
Like everyone else, heavyweight great Larry Holmes was an interested viewer a week ago, when Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder clashed in their eagerly anticipated but ultimately one-sided rematch.
Forget the “Geezers at Caesars,” this one would be a heavyweight match-up between two stars with a combined 133 years! And it might happen, in exhibition form.
Born 70 years ago today in Cuthbert, Georgia, heavyweight legend Larry Holmes saw a long pro career begin with a points win over a guy named Rodell Dupree in March of 1973 and end with a points win over a guy known as Butterbean in July of 2002.
If you believe in fate, in the alignment of the stars, in destiny, etc, etc, then you will know how the date of September 21st, today’s date, is a very significant one in terms of world heavyweight boxing and the richest prize in sports.
Former heavyweight world champion Larry Holmes is the featured boxer in this edition of the Top 5 Notable Wins series.
The Easton Assassin dominated the heavyweight landscape as the heavyweight world champion for a period that stretched seven and a half years, from 1978-1985.
A big fight that attracted millions almost began before the first bell. Rewind to the early 1980s if you will:
There was a time when Howard Cosell was very much the voice of boxing; the man on the microphone whenever the big, big fights took place.
Imagine if he’d fought him when he was in his prime.
This was the feeling a good number of fight fans had at the conclusion of the heavyweight world title fight that took place in Las Vegas today in 1992.