Former WBC and IBF heavyweight champion Larry “The Easton Assassin” Holmes was 19-3. He was from Easton, PA, and his trainer Ernie Butler would take him to Muhammad Ali’s camp in Deer Lake, PA. When Holmes went professional, he sparred with Muhammad Ali in his camp. Promoter Don King had Ali convince Holmes to sign a contract if he switched trainers to Richie Giachetti.
In June 1978, Holmes won a split decision over Ken Norton 40-4 to capture the WBC title. Norton’s trainer Eddie Futch told me years later, while at “Smokin'” Joe Frazier’s Gym in Philly, “neither of them wanted a rematch because of the toughness of the 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 face 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 Gerry Cooney, 25-0, and lots of racial pre-fight talk before the fight, which Cooney called “The White Hope”! Cooney’s management made the mistake of not giving him a fight for a year after they 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 May 1983 when he won a controversial split decision over Witherspoon and improved to 43-0.
Two fights later, Holmes met the son of former champion “Smokin” Joe Frazier’s son Marvis 10-0 in a non-title fight as he was not in the ratings. Holmes stopped him at the end of the first round and improved to 45-0. After the fight he said: “That’s for the whippings your father gave me in the gym!”
Two wins later, he defeated Carl “The Truth” Williams 16-0, which I felt was controversial, although the score didn’t show it.
Holmes was now 48-0 going into his next fight against Light Heavyweight Champion Michael Spinks, 27-0. It was Ring Magazine 1975 ‘Upset of the Year’ with Holmes losing by one round on two of the cards for the first time. I felt Spinks won the last round to take the decision, making him the first reigning 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 I felt he was robbed. In his next fight, he defeated “Iron” Mike Tyson 32-0. I remember the current US President Donald J. Trump sitting ringside with Ali when the latter was brought into the ring. He tapped Holmes’ gloves and didn’t say a word. Then he went to Tyson and whispered something in his ear. “Knock him out?”
After taking one of the first three rounds on two of the cards, Holmes was dropped three times by future world champion Tyson, landing on his back. After the fight, Holmes said, “I got my arm caught in the ropes!”
Six fights later, Holmes would defeat 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” McCall 25-5.
After winning his next five fights, he would lose a split decision to Denmark’s “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-pound Eric “Butterbean” Esch 65-2-3. His final record is 69-6 with 44 knockouts.
I believe Holmes was one of the top ten heavyweight champions, but only a champion in the ring. You now decide, “How good was Larry “The Easton Assassin” Holmes?”
