Larry Holmes: ‘I’m the Greatest, Not Muhammad Ali’

The former heavyweight champion argues his seven-and-a-half-year reign and 20 successful title defenses make him boxing’s greatest heavyweight

Larry Holmes believes heavyweight history has overlooked one of the sport’s greatest championship reigns. The former champion says his longevity and 20 successful title defenses deserve greater recognition than Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson typically receive

In previously published comments resurfaced this week, Holmes argued that his championship reign and title defenses put him ahead of the other heavyweight legends.

“I don’t really get the recognition that I would normally get like a Mike Tyson. I had (nearly) 20 title defenses. Mike Tyson had three or four and then lost,” said Holmes to Sky Sports Boxing.

Holmes pointed to the longevity of his reign, noting that he held the heavyweight championship for seven-and-a-half years and finished with 20 successful title defenses. Only Joe Louis enjoyed a longer reign as heavyweight champion, while Holmes also mentioned Rocky Marciano’s unbeaten record as one of the few accomplishments comparable to his own.

“I was champ for seven-and-a-half years. They don’t want to recognize me. Ali don’t have the fights that I had defending the title. He didn’t hold his title for seven and a half years. Only one guy had that title for longer than seven and a half years, and that was Joe Louis.”

Holmes saved his boldest statement for the end, rejecting the widespread opinion that Ali stands alone as heavyweight boxing’s greatest fighter.

“Why does Muhammad Ali got to be the greatest? He could say he’s the greatest, you could say he’s the greatest, but I know different. I’m the greatest!”

Holmes compiled a 69-6 record during a professional career that stretched from 1973 to 2002. His resume includes victories over Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Gerry Cooney, Tim Witherspoon, Carl Williams and Ray Mercer. He also remains the only fighter to stop Ali, although their October 1980 bout remains controversial because many observers believed Ali should never have been allowed to fight due to his physical condition.

Holmes’ place in heavyweight history continues to be debated. While many fans still rank Ali as the division’s greatest fighter based on his accomplishments and cultural impact, Holmes’ seven-and-a-half-year championship reign and 20 successful title defenses remain among the strongest statistical cases ever assembled by a heavyweight champion.

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