Larry Holmes: the Easton Assassin and the jab that ruled the heavyweights | Ultimate Boxing Reunion

Why fans still care

LARRY HOLMES followed Muhammad Ali, Who’s Who number 33 as the man at the top of the heavyweight division, and he stayed there for nearly seven years. He did it with one of the best jabs the division has seen.

He won his first 48 fights and beat his old boss Ali. The Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward called him “probably the most underappreciated heavyweight champion in history”.

Early life

He was born on 3 November 1949 in Cuthbert, Georgia, the fourth of 12 children, and the family moved to Easton, Pennsylvania in the mid 1950s. According to Boxing News, he left school after the seventh grade and worked at a car wash. He started boxing at 19 at an Easton youth centre, which Lehigh Valley Public Media names as the St. Anthony Youth Center. In 1972 he reached the US Olympic Trials, where he was disqualified against Duane Bobick.

The early fights

He turned professional on 21 March 1973 with a four round decision over Rodell Dupree in Scranton. While he built his record he earned money as a sparring partner for Ali and Joe Frazier, Who’s Who number 32, and he also sparred with Jimmy Young and Earnie Shavers.

Career chapters

1. 1973Turns professional
2. 1978Beats Ken Norton for the WBC title
3. 1980Beats Muhammad Ali
4. 1982Stops Gerry Cooney
5. 1983Beats Tim Witherspoon; becomes the first IBF heavyweight champion
6. 1985Loses to Michael Spinks, his first defeat
7. 1986Loses the rematch to Spinks
8. 1988Stopped by Mike Tyson, Who’s Who number 34
9. 1992Beats Ray Mercer at 42, then loses to Evander Holyfield, Who’s Who number 31
10. 1995Loses to Oliver McCall for the WBC title
11. 2002Last fight, against Eric Esch
12. 2008Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame

Ken Norton 9 June 1978

At Caesars Palace he challenged Ken Norton, Who’s Who number 26 for the WBC title. According to BoxingOnly, his jab built an early lead, Norton came on in the middle rounds and cut the inside of his lip in round 8, and Holmes staggered Norton twice in round 13. Norton hurt him in round 14, and the two men traded through the 15th. Two judges scored it 143 to 142 for Holmes and the third 143 to 142 for Norton. Boxing News says he fought with a torn muscle in his left arm.

Muhammad Ali 2 October 1980

At Caesars Palace in Las Vegas he met the man he had once sparred for. The fight ended when Ali’s corner stopped it after round 10. It was Ali’s last big title fight.

Gerry Cooney 11 June 1982

The Cooney fight was one of the richest of its time, with each man reported to earn about $10 million. Holmes dropped Cooney with a right hand in round 2. The referee, Mills Lane, took three points from Cooney for low blows, and in round 13 Holmes trapped him on the ropes. At 2:52 Cooney’s trainer, Victor Valle, stepped in and the fight was stopped. Holmes led on all three cards. The two men later became friends, a friendship Boxing News says has lasted 40 years.

Tim Witherspoon and the IBF 1983 to 1985

On 20 May 1983 at the Dunes he beat Tim Witherspoon on a split decision. Witherspoon hurt him badly in round 9, the round The Ring later named Round of the Year, according to BoxingOnly. That November he stopped Marvis Frazier, the son of Joe Frazier, in round 1, with Eddie Futch in his corner, to go to 45 and 0. The WBC had refused to sanction the fight, so no title was at stake. In December 1983 he left the WBC and became the first IBF heavyweight champion.

Michael Spinks 1985 and 1986

On 21 September 1985 at the Riviera in Las Vegas he took a 48 and 0 record into his fight with the light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks, one win short of the 49 and 0 of Rocky Marciano, Who’s Who number 22. Spinks won a unanimous decision. In the rematch at the Las Vegas Hilton on 19 April 1986, Holmes won the first four rounds, Spinks fought back, and two of the three judges gave it to Spinks.

Comebacks 1988 to 2002

On 22 January 1988 in Atlantic City, Mike Tyson, Who’s Who number 34 put him down three times and stopped him late in round 4.

He came back in 1991, and on 7 February 1992 in Atlantic City, aged 42, he outpointed the unbeaten Ray Mercer, a 4 to 1 favourite, on all three cards. That June he lost to Evander Holyfield, Who’s Who number 31 on points for the heavyweight title, and in 1995 he lost to Oliver McCall for the WBC title.

His last fight was on 27 July 2002 at the Norfolk Scope, a 10 round decision over Eric “Butterbean” Esch, which left him at 69 wins and 6 losses.

Style, technique and the corner

How he fought

He was an orthodox boxer who led with the jab and could punch with it. Boxing News calls it “one of the best jabs in history”, and UPI wrote in 1992 that it was once the best in the sport. Before the Mercer fight he told UPI, “My jab is better than my right hand.”

Gerry Cooney remembered him as patient, waiting and calm. Boxing News also credits him with “superhuman recuperative powers”.

The corner

He learned his trade in Ali’s and Frazier’s camps as a paid sparring partner. Eddie Futch was in his corner in 1983. For the first Spinks fight Futch sat out, because he had worked with both men, and Richie Giachetti came back.

Stories people still tell

1. From sparring partner to champion.

   He was paid to spar with Ali in the 1970s and beat him for the title in 1980.

2. Larry and Gerry.

   Holmes and Cooney fought for the WBC title in 1982 and became friends afterwards.

3. At 42.

   He beat the unbeaten Ray Mercer at an age when most heavyweights have long retired.

Legacy

He held the heavyweight title for nearly seven years, from 1978 to 1985, and went into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008. AP counted 20 heavyweight title defences across his WBC and IBF reigns, second only to Joe Louis, Who’s Who number 21; Boxing News counts 19, because counts differ on which fights were title defences. In 2007 the Hall of Fame referee Arthur Mercante put it simply: “He was underrated.”