Former WBC and IBF heavyweight champion Larry “The Easton Assassin” Holmes was 19-3. He was from Easton, Pennsylvania, and his trainer, Ernie Butler, would take him to Muhammad Ali’s camp in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania. When Holmes turned pro, he was in Muhammad Ali’s camp sparring with him. Promoter Don King convinced Ali Holmes to sign the contract if he would switch trainers to Richie Giachetti.
In June 1978, Holmes defeated Ken Norton 40-4 by split decision to win the WBC title. Norton’s trainer, Eddie Fach, told me years later, while at Joe Frazier’s gym in Philadelphia, “he didn’t want a rematch because of the hard fight. Holmes was 28-0.
After three defenses, Holmes stopped Ernie Shavers, 59-7-1, in eleven rounds after coming off the canvas in the seventh round.
In Holmes’ eighth defense, he would meet Ali, 56-3. He won every round before stopping Ali for the first and only time in his career in the tenth round.
Holmes met Jerry Cooney, 25-0, and a lot of racial talk before the fight, calling Cooney “The White Hope!” Cooney’s management made the mistake of not fighting him for a year after he destroyed Norton. Holmes stopped Cooney in the thirteenth round.
Holmes met Philly’s “terrible” Tim Witherspoon, 15-0, who also sparred with Ali in Deer Lake. It was in May 1983 when he defeated Witherspoon in a controversial split decision, improving to 43-0.
Two fights later, Holmes faced former champion “Smokin'” Joe Frazier’s son Marvis, 10-0, in a non-title match, as he was unranked. Holmes stopped him at the end of the first round, improving to 45-0. After the fight, he said, “That’s for the whips your dad gave me at the gym!”
Two wins later, he beat Carl “The Truth” Williams 16-0, which I found controversial, even though the scoreline didn’t show it.
Holmes was now 48-0 going into his next fight against light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks, 27-0. It was the 1975 Ring Magazine ‘Upset of the Year’ with Holmes losing for the first time by one round on two cards. I felt that Spinks won in the last round to take the decision, making him the first reigning heavyweight champion to win a heavyweight title. After the fight, Holmes said, “Marciano couldn’t carry my belt!
Holmes lost by split decision in the rematch and I felt he was robbed. In his next fight against “iron” Mike Tyson with 32-0. I remember the current US President Donald J. Trump was sitting ringside with Ali when he was introduced to the ring. He patted Holmes’ gloves without saying a word. He then walked over to Tyson, whispering something in his ear. “Knock him out?”
After taking one of the first three rounds on two cards, Holmes dropped the future world champion Tyson three times, landing on his back. After the fight, Holmes said, “I got my hand in the ropes!”
Six bouts later, Holmes would defeat newly crowned WBO champion Ray “Ruthless” Mercer, 18-0, who relinquished the title before the fight, stripping Holmes of the WBO title.
In his next fight, Holmes lost to IBF, WBA and WBC champion Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield, 27-0. He would win his next seven bouts before losing to WBC champion Oliver “Atomic Bull” McColl, 25-5.
After winning his next five fights, he would lose a 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 would end his career by coming off the canvas in the final round before defeating 334-pounder Eric “Butterbean” Ash, 65-2-3. His most recent record is 69-6 with 44 knockouts.
I believe Holmes was one of the top ten heavyweight champions, but only a ring champion. Now you decide, “How good was Larry ‘Easton Killer’ Holmes?”
