Larry Holmes

Boxer

• Born: November 3, 1949
• Place of Birth: Cuthbert, Georgia

SPORT: Boxing

Early Life

Larry Holmes, born on November 3, 1949, spent the first years of his life with his eleven brothers and sisters in the small southwest Georgia town of Cuthbert. Life was not easy for his mother, Flossie, so she moved the family to Easton, Pennsylvania. During Holmes's early years of school and well into his teenage years, he was continuously in trouble. His mother could not keep track of him, and he was often involved in street fights. He began to receive positive direction in his life when he joined the Easton Police Athletic League. There, he learned to control his anger and take part in supervised boxing matches. He hoped boxing would help him earn a living, as he had dropped out of school in the seventh grade.

The Road to Excellence

After a series of low-paying jobs that included washing cars, pouring steel, and making artillery shells, Holmes decided to become a professional fighter. At twenty-three years of age, he was considered old to become a fighter. He had fought twenty-five amateur bouts and lost only three. He then won two regional amateur heavyweight titles and later became a professional. In 1973, he won a four-round decision but made only sixty-three dollars. From age twenty-three to twenty-eight, he fought only twenty-six times. He earned extra money by acting as a sparring partner for the heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali.

The life of a sparring partner was not glamorous. For Holmes, it helped him to learn his trade against the best fighter of the 1960s. Slowly, he gained respect by winning in the ring. He soon became so capable that many top-rated fighters refused to box him. In 1978, he squared off against Ernie Shavers, who was believed to be the hardest puncher of the past forty years. Holmes—never knocked down during the fight—won a unanimous decision. At the start of 1978, the heavyweight championship was split between two ruling groups. The World Boxing Association (WBA) recognized Leon Spinks as its champion. The World Boxing Council (WBC) decided to match Ken Norton, who had beaten Muhammad Ali in 1973, against Larry to determine its world champion.

The Emerging Champion

On June 9, 1978, Holmes and Norton met in Las Vegas, Nevada. After fourteen close, hard-fought rounds, they touched gloves to start the fifteenth and final round. What resulted was memorable. Norton took the lead by throwing and landing hard blows. On the verge of losing, Holmes came roaring back. At the final bell, he had done enough to win the WBC world championship.

As WBC champion, Holmes was active. During the next five years, he defended his championship two to four times each year. A year after defeating Norton, he met the feared Ernie Shavers for the second time. Once again he came out on top, but this time Shavers was saved by the referee in the eleventh round. In 1979, Muhammad Ali retired after regaining the WBA version of the title from Leon Spinks. Holmes was designated by most boxing officials as the reigning world champion. Because Larry followed the legendary Ali as champion, he had issues gaining public respect. No matter how well he fought, he was compared with Ali.

From 1978 to late 1980, there were few outstanding contenders. Holmes fought the best available and others who were not highly ranked. In 1980, Ali decided to make a comeback. On October 2, 1980, the former sparring partners, Holmes and Ali, met in the ring. Many fans rooted for the old champion, but the years had taken their toll. Larry was in command from the start. A tiring Ali was driven to the ropes in the tenth round. It would have been easy for Holmes to knock out the former champion. He held back and did not throw his heaviest punches. Ali threw in the towel before the start of the eleventh round. Holmes was the undisputed champion of the world.

People who loved the defeated Ali found it difficult to forgive Holmes for ending Ali’s career. However, Holmes was gracious in victory. “There can be only one Ali,” he remarked. Holmes greatly enjoyed his reign as the undisputed world heavyweight champion. It brought him wealth far greater than any other boxer in history up to that time. Of equal importance to the “Easton Assassin,” as he was nicknamed, was the image he conveyed to children. He once wrote, “This title means everything to me. I want children to be able to look at me and say, ’I want to be just like Larry Holmes when I grow up.’”

After eighteen months and three more title defenses, Holmes finally fought another highly-ranked opponent named Gerry Cooney. Cooney was a fan favorite and a great puncher. At thirty-two years of age, many thought Holmes was too old to fight at the championship level. He fought a brave Cooney, who lasted thirteen rounds, but in the end, Holmes was victorious.

Continuing the Story

By 1985, Holmes had fought forty-eight times without a single defeat. The great heavyweight champion of the 1950s, Rocky Marciano, had retired undefeated with forty-nine victories. Holmes wanted to equal and surpass that record before retiring. For his forty-ninth bout, he selected the light heavyweight champion, Michael Spinks. Holmes believed the old saying, “A good big man will defeat a good little man.” In more than ninety years of heavyweight history, no light heavyweight champion had ever defeated a heavyweight champion. History was made on September 21, 1985, as Spinks won a disputed decision. Holmes could no longer retire undefeated. Seven months later, he attempted to regain his championship. Once again a close decision went against him. After thirteen years of boxing and at thirty-six years of age, he announced his retirement.

In 1988, Holmes returned to the ring against the dreaded Mike Tyson. Few people gave Holmes much of a chance, and youth was served. After three close rounds, Tyson caught Holmes along the ropes and knocked him out—the only such time in Holmes's storied career. In retirement, Holmes lived in his hometown of Easton, Pennsylvania. Unlike many former fighters, he was careful with the money he earned. He had learned the value of preparing for his future with his wife and two children. He purchased a large restaurant and motel and invested in numerous local businesses.

Holmes did not stay out of the ring for long. He fought five bouts in 1991, winning three by knockout and two by decision, on his way to a world title fight with Evander Holyfield in 1992. The aging champion could not overpower the younger Holyfield, and Holmes lost a twelfth-round unanimous decision. In the next two years, he put together an impressive string of wins, though against decidedly lesser talents. He once again fought for a heavyweight title in 1995 against Oliver McCall. Although still a potent threat in the ring, Holmes was unable to match speed and accuracy with his younger opponent and lost a twelfth-round decision.

Following the McCall fight, Holmes began a series of retirements and comebacks, though never straying far from the ring. In 1998, the much-anticipated bout between Holmes and George Foreman was set for the following year but was first postponed and then canceled after Foreman’s retirement. Instead, in June of 1999, Holmes fought James “Bonecrusher” Smith and scored an eighth-round knockout.

Although Holmes retired numerous times, he continued to seek opportunities to return for a marquee bout, insisting he still had the skill to compete with younger fighters. Even into his fifties, he lobbied for matches against the likes of Tyson, Holyfield, and Foreman. Nonetheless, Holmes's last professional fight occurred in 2002 when he defeated Eric "Butterbean" Esch. Holmes's victory left him with a career record of 69 –6.

In 2008, Holmes was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In contrast to many athletes who found themselves with little net worth at the end of their careers, he became a successful entrepreneur, media personality, and real estate owner after hanging up his gloves.

Summary

The greatness of Larry Holmes is oftentimes overlooked because his championship followed that of Muhammad Ali. Holmes was less outgoing than Ali, and his ring style was not as flashy. Holmes, however, was excellent as both a boxer and a puncher. As the years pass and records are compared, he stands to gain greater recognition. Winning forty-eight straight bouts over twelve years is a feat few boxers have attained.

Bibliography

Dahlberg, Tim. Fight Town: Las Vegas, the Boxing Capital of the World. Stephens, 2007.

Dalton, Kyle. "Where Is Former Heavyweight Champ Larry Holmes and What Is His Net Worth?" Sportscasting, 20 May 2020, www.sportscasting.com/where-is-former-heavyweight-champ-larry-holmes-and-what-is-his-net-worth/. Accessed 18 June 2024.

Holmes, Larry, and Phil Berger. Larry Holmes: Against the Odds. Robson, 1999.

Mullan, Harry, and Bob Mee. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing. Carlton, 2007.

Sugar, Bert Randolph. Boxing’s Greatest Fighters. Lyons, 2006.

Warrington, Declan. "The Art of the Comeback: How Larry Holmes Defied Both Father Time and the Fat Lady Waiting to Sing." Boxing News, 4 Feb. 2024, boxingnewsonline.net/the-art-of-the-comeback-how-larry-holmes-defied-both-father-time-and-the-fat-lady-waiting-to-sing/ Accessed 18 June 2024.