Former WBC and IBF heavyweight champion Larry “The Easton Assassin” Holmes was 19-3. He was from Easton, Pennsylvania, and his coach Ernie Butler was taking him to Muhammad Ali's camp in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania. When Holmes went pro, he was in Muhammad Ali's camp fighting with him. Promoter Don King convinced Ali Holmes to sign a contract if he changed coaches to Richie Giacchetti.
In June 1978, Holmes won a split decision over Ken Norton, 40-4, to capture the WBC title. “Neither of them wanted a rematch because of the brutality of the fight,” Norton's trainer, Eddie Futch, told me years later, while at “Smokin' Joe Frazier's” gym in Philadelphia. Holmes was 28-0.
After three defenses, Holmes stopped Ernie Shivers, 59-7-1, in eleven rounds after coming off the canvas in the seventh round.
In Holmes' eighth defense, he will meet Ali with a score of 56-3. He won every round before stopping Ali for the first and only time in his career in the tenth round.
Holmes met Gerry Cooney, 25-0, and there was a lot of racist pre-fight talk before the fight, calling Cooney a “white hope!” The Cooney administration made the mistake of not putting up a fight for him for a year after the destruction of Norton. Holmes stopped Cooney in the thirteenth round.
Holmes met Philly's “Terrible” Tim Witherspoon, 15-0, who also brawled with Ali at Deer Lake. It was May 1983 when he won a controversial split decision over Witherspoon, improving to 43-0.
Two fights later, Holmes met Marvis' son, the son of former champion “Smokin'” Joe Frazier, 10-0, in a non-title bout because he was not ranked. Holmes stopped him at the end of the first round and improved to 45-0. After the fight, he said: “It's because of the flogging your father gave me in the gym!”
After two wins, Carl Williams defeated “The Truth” by a score of 16-0, which I felt was controversial, although the recording did not show it.
Holmes was now 48-0 in his next fight against light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks, 27-0. It was the 1975 Ring Magazine “Surprise of the Year” as Holmes lost for the first time by one round on two cards. It felt like Spinks won the final round to take the decision, making him the first light heavyweight champion to win the heavyweight title. After the fight, Holmes said: “Marciano couldn't wear my jockstrap!”
Holmes lost a split decision in the rematch, and it felt like he was robbed. In his next fight, he faced “Iron” Mike Tyson with a score of 32-0. I remember current US President Donald J. Trump sitting ringside with Ali when the latter was brought into the ring. He tapped Holmes' gloves without saying a word. Then he went to Tyson and whispered something in his ear. “Kick him out?”
After taking one of the first three rounds on two of the cards, Holmes was knocked down three times by future world champion Tyson, landing on his back. After the fight, Holmes said: “I got my arm caught in the ropes!”
After six fights, Holmes defeated newly crowned WBO champion Ray “Merciless” Mercer, 18-0, who relinquished the title before the fight, robbing Holmes of the WBO title.
Holmes' next fight saw him lose to IBF, WBA, and WBC champion Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield, 27-0. He would win his next seven fights before losing to WBC champion Oliver “The Atomic Bull” Mc Call, 25-5.
After winning his next five fights, he would lose by split decision to Danish “super” Brian Nielsen, 31-0, who later in his career was 49-0 when he lost. After winning his next three fights, Holmes finished his run by exiting the canvas in the final round before defeating 334-pound Eric “Butterbin” Esch, 65-2-3. His recent record is 69-6 with 44 knockouts.
I think Holmes was one of the top ten heavyweights, but he was just a champion in the ring. Now you have to decide, “How good is Larry Holmes, 'The Easton Killer'?”
