The best punch trackers on the market
3rd November 2020
By: Noah Abrahams
The only man to stop Muhammad Ali mid-fight, the ‘People’s Champion’s’ former house mate and sparring partner Larry Holmes, turns 71-years-old today!
Holding the record for the longest individual heavyweight title streak in modern boxing history, Holmes held the WBC heavyweight title from 1978 to 1983, defending his belt against 19 opponents in that time.
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Holmes began boxing later than most. Kick-starting his career aged 19, the ‘Easton Assassin’ turned professional with only 22 fights under his belt.
Taken under the wings of the very best in the sport, today’s birthday boy sparred regularly with not just Ali, but alongside Joe Frazier, Earnie Shavers, and Jimmy Young.
A prodigy of the best, Holmes quickly released that he could hold his own at the top level. The apprentice eventually became the master and grabbed the attention of the world.
Earning recognition has and will always be an incredibly difficult challenge for any upcoming athlete. Holmes first gained credibility when he beat Shavers by a unanimous decision in 1978. Victorious having only lost two rounds against his former mentor at Caesars Palace, Holmes made light work of arguably the hardest hitting fighter in history.
As a result of Holmes’ dominance against ‘The Acorn Puncher of the Century’, a world title fight was made later that year with the then WBC heavyweight champion Ken Norton.
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A match-up closer than the recent Oleksandre Usyk vs Derek Chisora bout, the clash went 15 rounds, with each of the three judges having scored the fight even after the 14th. A tough and competitive match-up was decided late into the final stages, Holmes winning on two scorecards and snatching the heavyweight crown following a split decision in his favour!
Defending his belt against the likes of Alfredo Evangelista, Ossie Ocasio and future WBA heavyweight champion Mike Weaver, Holmes went on to conclude the 1970’s with a re-match against Shavers.
On the 28th September 1979, the two were at war again. Shavers had earnt the right to a re-match with Holmes, having beaten Norton just a round into their Las Vegas meeting earlier that year.
Full of confidence four months following another victory over Eddie Parotte, Shavers gave Holmes a run for his money. The challenger, determined to win this time around, sent the champion down with a powerful over hand right in the seventh. Holmes got up and survived the round, eventually stopping Shavers in the eleventh.
The Internatonal Boxing Hall of Fame inductee is better known however, for his bouts against Ali, Trevor Berbick, Mike Tyson and even Evander Holyfield.
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In his eighth title defence, Holmes fought Ali. On the 2nd October 1980, the world watched as ‘The Greatest’ was dismantled. At Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Holmes defended his title as his opponent stepped out of retirement in an attempt to become the first four-time world heavyweight champion.
Holmes won every round and was ahead on every score card when Ali’s trainer Angelo Dundee stopped the fight at the end of a devastating tenth. Ali blamed a terrible display on thyroid medication that had left him drained. Holmes cried at having punished Ali (his idol) so badly.
After eight consecutive knockouts following the Ali victory, Holmes was forced to go the distance when he successfully defended his title against future WBC Heavyweight Champion Trevor Berbick in April 1981. In the June of that year, Holmes knocked out yet another former Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion – Leon Spinks. A legacy was creating itself.
A seven-year reign as a heavyweight champion came to an abrupt end when Holmes vacated the WBC title in 1983. Giving up his belts in order to fight the unranked son of Frazier, Marvis Frazier, for a huge pay-out, Holmes went on to beat James Smith in 1984 and became instead, the IBF world heavyweight champion.
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Three Years Of Michael
Ironically, it was the brother of Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, who eventually ended Holmes’ 48 fight winning streak. Holmes fell one short of matching Rocky Marciano’s career record of 49–0. The 1985 upset shocked world boxing.
Spinks joined Bob Fitzsimmons as the only other boxer at the time, to win both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles. Defeating Holmes on points and becoming the first ever reigning light heavyweight champion to win the heavyweight title, Spinks made history as he won again by split decision under a year later in the Las Vegas re-match.
Holmes retired on the 6th November 1986, staying out of the ring for a little under two years before money lured him back into the sport.
Holmes’ 14 years in boxing post-retirement failed to match his displays when in his prime. Most famously losing to both Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, it was ‘Iron Mike’ who handed Holmes a first reality check in the January of 1988.
The bout was coined ‘Heavyweight History’. Tyson breezed past Holmes and beat his opponent in the fourth round of the Atlantic City WBC, WBA and IBF title fight. Holmes’ pre-fight promise to knockout Tyson was unfulfilled.
Holyfield And Beyond
Holyfield had his say on Holmes when the two met four years after Tyson had beaten the ‘Eastern Assassin’.
Between the Tyson loss in 1988 and Holyfield’s victory in 1992, Holmes had won six times consecutively. Beating the likes of Tim Anderson and Jamie Howe by knockout, Holmes went the distance when up against Holyfield.
Dubbed the ‘Class of Champions’, Holyfield earned the victory via unanimous decision with two scores of 116–112 and one score of 117–111. Holmes put up a good fight, but ultimately and unsuccessful one.
The remaining nine years of Holmes’ career saw him beat the likes of Jose Ribalta, Jesse Ferguson and an old Weaver for a second time.
Concluding his time in the ring with a points victory against Eric Esch in 2000, Holmes finished in boxing with a final record of 69-6-0, losing to both Oliver McCall and Brien Nielson after the Holyfield defeat.
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Did You Know…
Holmes’ beliefs resulted in him turning down an offer of $30 million to fight Gerrie Coetzee in South Africa in 1984.
Holmes dropped out of the seventh grade in order to work at a car wash where he was paid just $1.00 an hour during a tough time financially growing up.
Holmes has released an autobiography titled: “Don’t Tell Me I Can’t.”
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