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I read the title wrong
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Larry Holmes, for all his guile inside the ring was rarely tactful outside of it. He made too many enemies and alienated far too many fans. I can understand his ill feeling towards the boxing establishment and us, the journalists.
I was only ever granted one interview with him, some time in 1992 and as we spoke, he became more and more irritated as I mentioned the likes of Ali, Foreman and Norton. He wanted all the credit, he wanted to be the best, he didn't want to hear about Marciano's streak or Ali's charisma. It always struck me as a self defence mechanism, his jab against all those who would defy him and his legacy. It left a bad taste in my mouth but there is no denying his ability as a fighter. In his absolute prime, he could and would beat just about anybody.Comment
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Cheers for that bit of insight. Back then I kind of understood where he was coming from but he always came across like a bitter man. Great HW champ though, one of the best jabs in the sports history and also had a fighters heart showing courage and a good chin in a lot of fights. I thought Snipes had killed him!Comment
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He seems a bit bitter but he was a great fighter who took on ALL (unlike Mayweather) comers. He wouldn't have it any other way. An honorable fighter.
I don't think he liked whitey too much though. Once I asked for an autograph (with no harassment from my end just a 2 second request) from him at the Leonard v Duran III bout and while he begrudgingly did it, his hate was seething.Last edited by Tuavale; 11-26-2014, 10:50 AM.Comment
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Holmes was xcellent fighter would beat every1 today but he's a real
a - hole...totally wrapped up in himself & that's a fact....I still think Norton beat him...Comment
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Norton should be one. Past prime Ali and maybe Shavers are the others?
He does have a lot of title defenses with very few notables names, just like Wlad.
How old is this interview? He says he doesn't know these days who is the real champion, which of the two brothers. The one that is not retired I guess...Comment
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That was a damn great read.Comment
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I pretty much watched Larry's entire career and this is what I think. Norton is in the hall of fame because he broke Ali's jaw and beat him once out of three tries. Kenny was so great that he didn't even win his title in the ring. And to date he is the only heavyweight champ that never won a title fight. And the Holmes-Norton fight was a close one that many thought Kenny actually won.
Ali was pushing forty and way past his prime when he fought Holmes. And that was after two years inactivity. Ali was also coming off the two fights against Spinks. Not the best moments in his career.
Larry also fought six fighters in title fights that had 16 or less career fights. He also fought Marvis Frazier, who was 10-0, and the only reason it wasn't a title fight was that the WBC refused to sanction it as one. He also lost to Carl "The Truth " Williams in every way except on the scorecards. It really was a horrible decision. He also fought some really lame opponents such as Frank Scott and Tex Cobb in title fights. Larry was also stripped of the WBC for not fighting Greg Page.
Also, one of his defining wins, if not the defining win, of his career was against the overprotected as well as over hyped Gerry Cooney. Larry also never unified any belts and was never recognized as the undisputed champ. He then lost to Spinks who didn't even weigh 200 pounds when they fought.
In closing I will say that I believe that Holmes had the skills. But he fought some very lame opponents and didn't fight some he should have. And to my knowledge he never made any real attempts to unify the belts. Therefore, I believe his career to be simply overrated.Last edited by Ravens Fan; 11-26-2014, 03:10 PM.Comment
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Holmes never did and still does not get the credit he deserves when ranked all time. Without a doubt, I would rank Larry in the top five - possible first or second, and certainly well ahead of Ali; however, that's my opinion and I respect other fans who see things differently. Also, Holmes vs Norton is one of my favorite championship (all weight classes) fights. One more point, I really believe that if Holmes were possessed of a more sculpted physique (something that really should not matter), that such a physique along with the Larry's same style and ring record - nothing else different - would have meant that Holmes would have been far more highly regarded than he ever was or ever will be. Add to Larry's skills and ring record all the good that he has done for others fighters - perhaps down on their luck - and as far as I am concerned, Larry Holmes is one of the all time greats.Comment
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