Prime Holmes was a great fighter. Fast, granite chin, skilled, strong. Even a past his best Holmes was still formidable. He gave Holyfield a good fight and he was in his early 40's. Such a tremendous boxer.
You are so right. Even millions of kms past his prime, Larry gave a good fight to Holyfield. In my opinion he is the best boxer to ever live, because he was perfect in everything. Massive heart, reach, jab, speed, power, stamina. Literally everything!!! And he even kicked Ali's ass in sparring
@@yotamdude5866 Larry Holmes may have had the best chin in boxing history. To get off the canvas from the shot that Shavers hit him with in the 9th round of their first fight was incredible.
And also, this was at a time when they fought 15 rounds! Two fights that would have been huge draws for Holmes would have been George Foreman and Tommy Morrison.
I think it's interesting how Larry claims he lost to Tyson because he wasn't in proper condition.................yet to this day shoots down the idea that Ali wasn't in condition when they fought. Larry......the entire world knows Ali was a shell of himself, and a weak, sick shell at that......when you beat him. Nothing wrong with admitting it, we know it wasn't your fault.
Ali needed the money! Holmes did not want to fight but that's his job,he was not going to let Ali rope a dope him. Love them both!!! HE was 35 Spinks 29 /Holmes 30 Ali 38
one of the best comments yet, Ali should never have been allowed to fight again after beating spinks, possibly even after the shavers fight. and Holmes was never a sparring partner for Ali when he was in his prime. Nobody actually seen a prime Ali, unfortunately for the world, Ali was robbed of his prime. Personally i believe Holmes was a great fighter but over rated.
In your prime you lost twice to Michael Spinks! What about that?Tyson would have beaten you at any time of your career Larry and remember that no matter what , Mohammed Ali is the greatest of all time!
Norton fought them both when they were both formidable boxers. His take on Holmes was that "We'll never know how good Larry Holmes really is because there's no-one left to push him to his extreme", Ali's prime would have actually been in the middle of his suspension and Holmes' was 7 or 8 years later. Putting both of them in the ring together at their best would have either been one of the greatest fights ever or (because their styles were so similar) or one of the biggest snoozefests ever staged
"Greatest" what? 1 great fight before his suspension and a bunch of losses after his suspension. 2-1 Frazier, 2-1 Norton (should be 0-3), 1-1 Spinks (LOL), 1-0 Young (should be 0-1). Then he got old. I'll agree Greatest talker, Greatest hype for the sport...
@@kantifields3916 I'm really sorry you feel that way. You obviously were not a student of the sport or the era. Most people who have this intense dislike of Ali do so not because of his boxing abilities but because 1) he was brash, 2) he had the audacity to convert to the Muslim religion, or 3) he refused induction into the military service. In response to point #1, yes he was brash as hell but that brashness sold tickets and revived a fading sport. People who knew him said that, when the cameras and microphones weren't around he was a very warm and engaging person. Point #2 is easy to answer. Simply "So what?" His initial choice of following the Nation of Islam and Elijah Mohammed was rather unfortunate. He soon realized that there were differences between what Elijah Mohammed was teaching and the teachings of the main Muslim body. He eventually left this offshoot of Islam and embraced the mainstream Muslim religion as did Malcom X. Point #3 is that Ali was a "draft dodger". Actually he registered as a "conscientious objector" on the basis of his religion, a fairly common stance among young men during that war. The truth is that Ali would probably have done his duty by training and doing PR appearances, taking leave when he had a big fight. No problem. He believed so strongly that he took the path that cost him what were potentially the three best years of his boxing life and who knows how much money instead.
@@kantifields3916I totally agree with your assessment of Ali's career.You could have mentioned the dodgy Liston fights, the fiasco in Zaire, loose ropes etc, or the reluctance to rematch Foreman. The .ost overrated Heavyweight in History.
Don't like the way he says I kicked his ass....first of all Ali wasn't the young Ali,....I guess he forgot Ali was old and had Parkinson's. Ali would've kicked HIS ass...
I don't think he was proud of it, he cried after the fight and begged the referee to stop it. However, I bet Holmes probably gave Ali trouble when they were sparring partners. Good boxers gave Ali trouble, but he did well against power punchers. I love Ali, and I'm not knocking him, but I do think Holmes was underrated for many years
I don't respect his inability to give credit where credit is due: Ali and Tyson were both unequivocally better than he was. Instead, talking about whooping Ali's ass. Low class.
Grew up watching Ali , Frazier , Norton , Foreman but Holmes was easily my favourite Boxer and that jab was something else. The two fights that stand out for me are the Cooney and Mercer fights especially the Mercer fight at age 42 . LEGEND.
Agreed. The win over Mercer was outstanding. Mercer was a beast. I would have liked to seen a fight between Holmes and Tommy Morrison too, but for sure Holmes vs Foreman should have happened...
Ali was mine because I was name after him and he was no joke but Larry was my man after Ali left the game. I only went against Larry when he fought Ali.
Prime Ali was in 1967. Ali was still good in the 70s but had lost some speed both of hand and foot. A prime Holmes vs a prime Ali would have been a great fight.
Lets be absolutely real, Holmes was a better version of Ali… that’s real talk. What made Ali the greatest. Was he pulled off two miraculous victories. One vs Prime Liston And one vs Prime Foreman. It’s basically if Holyfield was an outspoken/flashy/cocky/ fighter and went on to beat prime Tyson then later beat Prime undefeated Wilder. But Holyfield also lost to Ruiz and had many so so fights vs B level fighters. Same for Ali.
@@cvance37 1960s Ali was faster than Holmes and better defensively but Holmes had a harder right hand. 1970s Ali even the one that beat Foreman was a shell of himself but that’s when people learned how good of a punch Ali could take and the type if courage and resolve that he gad.
Big George in his prime or later would have dis-mantled Larry , As much as I like Larrys Jab n right hand, George When he was on his game was a killer , But Larry was a wiley crafty fighter So would have been a good one.
@@johnmccaffrey5942Holmes just started boxing that doesn’t even make sense , Foreman is on record for declining Larry multiple times because he said Holmes can make fighters look bad .
Holmes was a very, very good fighter. However, he barely got past a very much declining Ken Norton (a great fight btw, split decision, AP scored it for Norton), lost two to a blown-up Michael Speaks (at best deserved a split), and was champ during a relatively mediocre period of heavyweight boxing. He continues to have an irritating inability to give others their just due (his brief comments during this video about his Ali fight are particularly tone deaf) and as was once said about him, "If he was half as good as he thinks he is, he'd be twice as good as Joe Louis." Larry, you were very good, maybe even great, but a little humility would do you a world of good.
@Teacher Doug stupid comment only 1 fight was a dodgy decision. The norton 3rd fight. Ali fought everybody in their primes. Who else did that?? Lennox lewis nope. Fought a holyfield and tyson. Tyson fought nobody. Joe louis robbed fighters too robbed Walcott the first fight. You a mf for that.
Larry Holmes had one of the best jabs, but Sonny Liston used his 84-inch jab as an offensive weapon- with tremendous power behind it unique among heavyweights. Liston's jab was described like getting hit with a telephone pole. Watching clips of Liston connecting with that jab in the ring is truly frightening.
20 straight title defenses says it all and then losing a controversial decision to Spinks , really had little chance against a Prime Tyson at 38...great champion
In his prime, he would have been very hard to beat by any fighter who ever lived. His jab was long, fast and hard. I always thought he was the most under-rated Champs in history. That was in his prime though. Later he boxed too long and it hurt his legacy.
I've had the chance to meet Larry Holmes. I feel like he's getting more and more bitter as he's getting older. Deep down he still feels he's not getting the recognition he deserves... Sad
@@denissssss8579 He just wants the respect he rightfully earned as champion and fighting in the ring. I don't blame him for being salty at all. He fought a lot of great boxers and beat them. He should be appreciated more.
You get that way as you get older anyway. Imagine having to answer the same questions continuously about fighting Ali or being knocked out by Tyson. He didn't force Ali to fight and everyone knows he hadn't fought for years before Tyson and did it for a great paycheck. He's just saying he did his job and won the Ali fight. That's what you're supposed to do is win and he won.
There is no doubt in my mind that Larry would have beaten Tyson. He’s got the style,can go the extra mile and lost with Mike cause he hadn’t fought in a while.
@@yotamdude5866 Just a heads up: Unfortunately RUclips now shadowbans comments with swear words. Your comment is not visible on the comment page, only visible under the goolgle bell, and I don't think anyone else can see it. Anyway, I can't think of anyone Tyson ducked before going to prison.
Holmes was an all-time great. IMO the reason his legacy doesn't reflect it, is that he reached his prime in a weird era where all the greats of the previous era were retired, past it or in the case of Foreman, on hiatus, & by the time a crop of new heavyweight greats come along (like Tyson & Holyfield) Holmes was past his best.
@@manosparavida3551 of course he was past his best. Don't bieleve the foolishness of some tyson's fans who try to make people bieleve that Holmes wasn't washed cause he beat Mercer at 42. Larry was one the best ever for sure and unfortunately for him, he fought Tyson holyfiled Mccall and even Mickael while he had already past his best. Like every great, he still bieleved that he could keep up. Lets face it, except that good win vs Mercer, the quality of the opposition of Larry was extremly low in his 40's, he fought exclusively for the money at that time of his career.
Larry was so underrated. In my book the greatest heavyweight champ. Jab was incredible. Plus he had a chin, heart and decent power. Fighters aren't like him anymore.
I recall getting my Sports Illustrated magazine in the mail sometime in the summer of 1978. The article was on Ali preparing for his rematch with Leon Spinks. For only a handful of times in his life Ali was actually training hard for what everyone hoped would be him regaining the Heavyweight title then permanently retiring. The author wrote something like regardless of what happens in the upcoming 2nd Spinks fight that the end is near for Ali and something like Ali had been champ or claimed he was for 15 years. The author talked about possible successors such as Norton, Jimmy Young, etc. Then he threw out a line something like - and everyone is completely looking past 29 year old Larry Holmes who is undefeated. I soon saw Holmes on TV and since his style reminded me of Ali I became a fan through both Michael Spinks’ fights where Larry was robbed both times. Leon Spinks had been stripped of one of the ‘ABC’ titles that now made up the full crown for giving Ali the rematch instead of fighting the top contender. So sometime close to when Ali beat Spinks convincingly there was a tournament of sorts to fill the vacant title that had been stripped from Spinks. That is when the classic 15 round boxing war between Holmes and Norton took place. So I guess technically Ali and Holmes could have met two years earlier in a reunification bout. Holmes probably still wins that fight considering he is 30 and Ali 37. I bet it would have been much closer, probably a 15 round decision for Holmes. But prime versus prime Ali gives Holmes a boxing lesson and probably puts him down like he did Foreman. Ali’s straight right was a vicious punch that few remained upright after getting the full force of it. One thing that does stain Holmes a little to me is he held the title for 8 years and never once fought a reunification bout in an effort to bring all the titles back together and mostly fought bums as Ali would say. If you want to watch three great Holmes fights the Norton fight and his two boxing wars with Shavers are all on RUclips. Shavers puts him down, which is something he couldn’t do to Ali. Verdict: Ali had the better chin.
That's why He ended up a Vegetable. You are not supposed to get hit. Ali got hit far too many times, his defence was pretty awful. You reap what you sow.
Style makes fights. Tyson's style is too advantageous for Holmes. And Holmes' style is advantageous for Foreman. You never hear Foreman talk about Holmes. That's a can of worms he refuses to open. So it makes sense. lol People say prime Holmes would've beaten Tyson. I say Tyson still would've beaten him. It just wouldn't be as quick. But the style is the same.
The condition Muhammad Ali was in at that time there's no way he can get credit for that it should be erased because Muhammad Ali was suffering Parkinson disease at that time
“They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery.”Holmes clearly imitated Ali. He tried to jab like him. He even tried to move like him. For him to say “I whipped Ali’s @$$ makes me lose a great deal of respect for him!!! Ali was old!!! Even as a child I knew he was too far gone to be fighting prior to fighting Homes!!! Then for him to talk about beating Ali up in sparring is another slap in the face! Ali would’ve stomped him in his prime!!! Just like Tyson did!!!
Well there are no excuses in boxing Yes a prime Sugar Ray Leonard easily beats prime Hector Camacho But they did fight when Sugar Ray was 40. He received a beating
Too much politics in boxing at that time, as the WBC champion Larry was part of Don Kings stable. But the WBA champion Mike Weaver and Michael Dokes were represented by New York based promoter Bob Arum. And the two men detested each other. I've always felt that Larry should have pushed harder for a unification bout instead of going along with Kings agenda in the heavyweight division. But we'll never know i guess.
@@deanladue5367 yes. It would have been nice to hear Larry's own opinion. I know about the bitterness between Don King and Bob Arum. Also found out Larry was signed to fight Gerrie Coetze of South Africa when Coetze was the WBA champion . However, some legal red tape put an end to that. Still feel one of the biggest mistakes of Larry's career was fighting Michael Spinks. Especially at 35/36 yrs of age. He could have picked two slower moving heavyweight opponents.
@@gregorybush3224 and also Larry stance on Apartheid was a well known factor as well. He personally didn't like Coetzee because he was endorsed by South African president Peter Botha, whos domestic policies were particularly brutal towards black South Africans.
@@deanladue5367 if Larry had fought Coetze for a unification that fight would definitely NOT have happened in S.A. Greg Page traveled to S.A. and won the title. But Larry would have insisted he and Coetze fight somewhere else.
Unification?lol, Larry Holmes gave up his WBC title after fighting Witherspoon with the then new alphabet soup sanctioning body IBF coming in rescue, eager to recognize an established name as champion, so Larry can handpick his next opponents rather than fighting the WBC mandatory contenders, never mind the mandatory contenders a unified world champion are obligated to fight every year.
I loved Larry when he was coming up and after he won the title because he always said he wanted the public to see the champion fight and all his early fights were on regular tv not any of this pay fer view crap ..... And a lot of people talk about his left jab but if you watch his fights his upper cut was really nasty .... Yeah I loved Larry up until he got to 48-0 then he started running his mouth about Marciano and then we all know what happened after that.
Saw a video of him hitting a heavy bag. His jab was incredible and he was bending that bag in half with his power. Given his height and reach, one of the best jabs in the sport.
Larry Holmes is an all time great boxer-puncher. Had one of the best jabs in HW history. Was one of the greatest boxers. I have him solid 10 and probably in the top 5. At any given day, in his prime, he might have beaten anyone. I also remember that he struggled harder against Norton than a past his prime 3.5 year layoff Ali did in their 2nd meeting. Also struggled harder against Shavers than an old, slow speaking shouldn't have been in there, Ali. That if his beating an old, worn, slurred 37 year old Ali is a victory, then Marciano beating a 38 year Joe Louis is a real victory, and Mike Tyson beating a 38 year old Larry Holmes is the same as beating a prime Larry Holmes. No, it's not... and we know. We admire your skills, Larry. You are an all time great, but, real talk, you never beat Ali just as Tyson never beat you. Maybe you did in a gym war, but Ali wasn't a bully. He rarely showed his greatness in sparring but actually worked on his weaknesses. He gave sparring opponents opportunities and taught them. Didn't take advantage of them, and gave his money away (to worthy and unworthy causes) because of his altruistic nature, which is why he needed money and had to fight in his old age and damaged state. How does Larry rank against Liston, Foreman, or 1971 Frazier? Larry is an all-time great boxer-puncher and that's it.
@@husseinsatar3740 thanks. I have great admiration for Larry Holmes but I don’t think he could have beaten the guys Ali beat, and don’t think anyone beats a mid 60’s Ali. Not even Louis or the giants fighting today.
@@proplayer566 I can see ranking Marciano lower, and I would’ve liked to have seen him fight Sonny Liston and Folley and Cleveland Williams and yes, Joe Louis was old, but I think the wins over Walcott twice and Charles twice and Lastarza twice and Savold and Matthews and Archie Moore were legit
Very difficult to have a Mt. Rushmore of boxers without Foreman and Norton. Norton took Ali to training camp and really won 2 out of there 3 fights. Foreman then crushed Norton. Frazier has to be there also! Without him, the Ali mystique is diminished and he carved up Ali in the first fight and the other 2 were wars and close.
@@chuckurso593 If Mount Rushmore only has room for four people, are you suggesting that we put Ken Norton in place of Joe Louis or the undefeated Rocky Marciano or Holmes or Ali?
Larry Holmes is a class act and top 3 heavyweight champion which includes Ali, Louis then Holmes. He is on my Mt Rushmore for heavyweight champions no doubt. He had stamina, great chin, jab, excellent boxing skills, smarts and speed. He had everything a person could want in a top 3 heavyweight champion. Unfortunately for Holmes, he came after Ali and before Tyson so he gets overlooked time and time again. In his prime, he beats Tyson and Holyfield.
Ill put George forman above him his win over Joe Frazier was amazing only lasted 2 rounds George forman is also the oldest heavyweight champ and fought many difficult challenges for example agruably beating Shannon briggs at old age and let’s not forget Shannon had more first rounds ko then mike along with almost knocking out Lennox Lewis first round
@@joanmjames2495 Lennox Lewis conquered the 1990s which is widely regarded as the 2nd best decade of heavyweight boxing, he conquered it so bad that Riddick Bowe refused to fight him and retired to escape that fight, he beat up everyone in that time with ease. He doesn't get enough credit. if he isn't number 2 then he's number 3
Larry was great no doubt, but he's the last person to admit someone was better than him, he never mentioned that he fault an out of shape and old Ali. There's no denying, Holmes is the most unrecognised boxing great that ever lived. He's symbol of strength, courage, stamina, discipline,consistency and pride of boxing. He's the perfect heir to Muhammed Ali.
This man is shameless, taking credit for whooping a Parkinsons Ali. You aren't on Alis level and never will be. Tyson knocked out a better Holmes than you beat an ALI, Ali already had the Pakinsons
Larry defended his belt many times post ali and was the #1 guy at many points. He has 20 defenses under him and fought some of the greatest ever. Stop it. He did not force Ali to fight him. He didn’t know what Ali did or didn’t have. The fight came up and he accepted the challenge presented. It’s sad that they fought under those circumstances but it wasn’t his fault.
@Ghost nice points then, if he is a honourable man, why is he taking credit from Tysons' win? He was annihilated by Tyson, and that was a fully healthy Larry, past prime but healthy. He isn't really a top 5 but more like a 9 or 10 cause he was beat by Tim Witherspoon in prime and also Norton, and both were robbed .He was also beat by a light heavyweight in Spinks 2ice , and that's our top 5 heavyweight 😀😀😀. Ali and Frazier ate the best of light heavyweights for breakfast.
Holmes, in his prime looked totally mean and very buffed. Larry looked scarier than Foreman in his time. And I love his bantering with Gerry Cooney and Tex Cobb, that still goes on to this day 😃 Glad to see your enjoying your retirement Larry, you are a good man. 🇦🇺
Only thing i don't understand about Larry is why he's so bitter towards the heavyweight scene and any generation of HWs that have come after him. Very strange
He's an egomaniac who always felt dissed by the pundits. Back when he was on the rise, even as an amateur, analysts were saying he'd never be champ. But, geez, when you're heavyweight champion, it's wise to turn on the charm. Look how much money George Foreman made on endorsements. Holmes just has a shitty attitude and always did.
@@presence5426 yes bro, he seems so bitter and not straight forward overall, takes credit for beating a sick Ali and diminishes the credit from Tyson for destroying him. His attitude is terrible
I have Larry Holmes as one of the 3 greatest heavyweight-champions in history,he was a magnificent fighter. However I do wish Larry would ' button ' it when talking about the heavyweights who came after him,it really does spoil peoples' perception of him.
@@joaoii1082 Prime 1960's Ali was so quick with his body that it allowed him to use his jab in many different ways than Holmes, but Larry's bread and butter was his straight jab with that long left arm.
@@joaoii1082 truth be told, you’re wrong, Ali’s jab is quicker and actually just as hard when he wants them to. Sonny Liston’s jab is much harder than Holmes’ and almost as quick, Foreman’s jab is harder than Holmes’ too, but all those fighters did not rely on their jabs as Holmes did.
I would've really liked to have seen a Bowe-Holmes fight. I like Bowe to win, assuming he would have been in shape. I don't think Holmes ever faced a guy that big, with that many skills. The way to beat Holmes was to mug him, overpower him and land big punches. Holyfield and Mercer were not able to do that. But Tyson was. And I think Bowe had the firepower and mean streak to blast Holmes out too.
@@charlesanzalone5846 Old is relative when it comes to Holmes. Shit, he had a whole second career long after the Tyson loss. And beat some good fighters (well, Mercer at least). Holmes is fond of saying that he would have beat Tyson, if he'd had some tune up fights. Truth is, Tyson at that point was so good that he was blowing out most everyone. Not a good matchup for Holmes.
@@presence5426 The Holmes that fought Tyson was retired weeks before fighting Tyson, and was a much sharper fighter in later fights, It's Larry's style that is wrong for Tyson, a in shape Holmes would have a decent chance at keeping Tyson at a distance and out boxing him
@@megsmith596 Tyson weighed as much as Larry in their primes. Tyson easily whipped big muscle guys like Berbick, Bruno and Ruddock. Tyson too strong, too fast, too accurate for Larry.
Larry was one of the greatest, but he is not very humble. He was way past his prime when he fought Tyson. Larry at his age when he fought Tyson could have had a year to prepare and he would have still lost. He would have had an excellent chance in his prime though.
What a weak point, Holmes is no top 5 heavy, that sham beats ALI lol. He was annihilated by Tyson, beat by Tim Terrible Witherspoon and beat by a light heavyweight in Spinks twice. He never beat a significant heavyweight, dropped a version of the belt to duck people. He will be eaten alive by a prime Ali. You saying this shows your level in boxing knowledge.
I can’t believe he says he whipped Ali’s ass….anyone could have whipped Ali’s ass at that time….he was suffering from Parkinson’s he shouldn’t have been in the ring…
Yeah I agree. It goes to where a lot of people say Holmes comes across as angry for some reason. His net worth is “only” $20 mil. He either spends a lot of money or is a terrible business man. Wonder what the odds of Ali never losing ever in his career if not drafted and the three plus years he was not permitted to fight? People should read about Defense Secretary Robert McNamara’s (of the LBJ admin) Folly’s (just one of the names they were given and there were worse names) where they reclassify 100,000 men who had already been excluded from the draft and then proceed to draft them as grunts for the front lines in Vietnam because they are deemed expendable. Ali got caught up in that fiasco or he would never had to relinquish his title to begin with.
Let's correct this. Holmes never sparred a prime Ali. In fact, the world never really got to see a prime Ali. HIs prime would've been from 1967 - 1970 (25-28); the nexus between skill and experience as a fighter. We missed most of 67 thru 1970 due to his forced absence. Larry didn't become Ali's sparring partner until the early 1970s. But he did spar with a still very good Ali.
I would love a mythical matchup between prime Ali and prime Holmes and I am not rooting for either to win or lose. I like them both. It would just be a good fight.
It incredible 2 warriors can go that long. Stamina becomes an issue in later rounds. I boxed a bit and 3 rounds is exhausting! Getting hit and trying to hit them. Wow, what a work out!
Homes did have a excellent jab, seriously that thing was powerful and painful. Larry was a great champion. It was very sad though when he went off on Rocky Marciano, I mean, and Rockys brother I mean that was probably him looking the worst that he looked to people.. I personally love Larry Holmes, because he was a very good champion. He was the second longest reigning champion since Joe Louis, and in the end, Larry got out of the business with his brain intact and money in his pocket he was smart, even though he basically has, I don’t even think a complete high school education. I want time actually called Larry Holmes at his company and he answered the phone. What a nice guy seriously I would have to say that I love Larry Holmes. He is definitely one of my idols.
Larry was a an all time great heavyweight champion who had all the tools in his tool belt. But he smoking something if he thinks Ali was still in his prime when he has Ali's sparring partner. Ali was amazing in that he won several big fights even after he was no longer in his prime. A lot of those fights he won on savy, ring experience and his will to win, rather than pure talent because he was no longer "floating like a butterfly" with his foot movement and foot speed, which is what allowed him to deliver quick, fast, stinging punishment from so many different angles with his blistering hand speed. The years Ali spent in exile (1967 - 1971) WERE the last years he would have been in his physical prime. He was already 25 years old when he was banned, and when he came back he was almost 30 years old. Holmes doesn't come into Ali's training camp until 1973 when Ali was 31 years old. Not saying Ali was completely shot at 31, and Holmes didn't begin getting the best of Ali right away, but as good as Holmes was, Ali would have had to have been at his best to beat him. But at his best, Holmes couldn't see him.
Buster Douglas had a better jab then Holmes he was just a lazy fighter ,trained hard fir one fight in his life against Tyson and lucked out being that was Tyson’s worst prepared fight he ever had , he was actually thinking about fighting Hulk Hogan instead that’s how much he thought of Buster . Lol
Prime Holmes was a great fighter. Fast, granite chin, skilled, strong. Even a past his best Holmes was still formidable. He gave Holyfield a good fight and he was in his early 40's. Such a tremendous boxer.
You are so right.
Even millions of kms past his prime, Larry gave a good fight to Holyfield.
In my opinion he is the best boxer to ever live, because he was perfect in everything.
Massive heart, reach, jab, speed, power, stamina.
Literally everything!!!
And he even kicked Ali's ass in sparring
@@yotamdude5866 Larry Holmes may have had the best chin in boxing history. To get off the canvas from the shot that Shavers hit him with in the 9th round of their first fight was incredible.
And also, this was at a time when they fought 15 rounds! Two fights that would have been huge draws for Holmes would have been George Foreman and Tommy Morrison.
@@tactical1224 Damn right and on of the biggest hearts too
@@yotamdude5866 Agree 100%
I think it's interesting how Larry claims he lost to Tyson because he wasn't in proper condition.................yet to this day shoots down the idea that Ali wasn't in condition when they fought.
Larry......the entire world knows Ali was a shell of himself, and a weak, sick shell at that......when you beat him. Nothing wrong with admitting it, we know it wasn't your fault.
EXACTILY
Ali needed the money! Holmes did not want to fight but that's his job,he was not going to let Ali rope a dope him. Love them both!!! HE was 35 Spinks 29 /Holmes 30 Ali 38
one of the best comments yet, Ali should never have been allowed to fight again after beating spinks, possibly even after the shavers fight. and Holmes was never a sparring partner for Ali when he was in his prime. Nobody actually seen a prime Ali, unfortunately for the world, Ali was robbed of his prime.
Personally i believe Holmes was a great fighter but over rated.
Mike Tyson beat Larry Holmes fair in square. Top physical condition or not. He just can't except it.
In your prime you lost twice to Michael Spinks! What about that?Tyson would have beaten you at any time of your career Larry and remember that no matter what , Mohammed Ali is the greatest of all time!
Not only was Ali's jab far superior, a prime Ali vs a prime Larry , its an insult to even consider who would win ALI the GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Norton fought them both when they were both formidable boxers. His take on Holmes was that "We'll never know how good Larry Holmes really is because there's no-one left to push him to his extreme", Ali's prime would have actually been in the middle of his suspension and Holmes' was 7 or 8 years later. Putting both of them in the ring together at their best would have either been one of the greatest fights ever or (because their styles were so similar) or one of the biggest snoozefests ever staged
"Greatest" what? 1 great fight before his suspension and a bunch of losses after his suspension. 2-1 Frazier, 2-1 Norton (should be 0-3), 1-1 Spinks (LOL), 1-0 Young (should be 0-1). Then he got old. I'll agree Greatest talker, Greatest hype for the sport...
@@kantifields3916 I'm really sorry you feel that way. You obviously were not a student of the sport or the era. Most people who have this intense dislike of Ali do so not because of his boxing abilities but because 1) he was brash, 2) he had the audacity to convert to the Muslim religion, or 3) he refused induction into the military service. In response to point #1, yes he was brash as hell but that brashness sold tickets and revived a fading sport. People who knew him said that, when the cameras and microphones weren't around he was a very warm and engaging person. Point #2 is easy to answer. Simply "So what?" His initial choice of following the Nation of Islam and Elijah Mohammed was rather unfortunate. He soon realized that there were differences between what Elijah Mohammed was teaching and the teachings of the main Muslim body. He eventually left this offshoot of Islam and embraced the mainstream Muslim religion as did Malcom X. Point #3 is that Ali was a "draft dodger". Actually he registered as a "conscientious objector" on the basis of his religion, a fairly common stance among young men during that war. The truth is that Ali would probably have done his duty by training and doing PR appearances, taking leave when he had a big fight. No problem. He believed so strongly that he took the path that cost him what were potentially the three best years of his boxing life and who knows how much money instead.
@@kantifields3916I totally agree with your assessment of Ali's career.You could have mentioned the dodgy Liston fights, the fiasco in Zaire, loose ropes etc, or the reluctance to rematch Foreman. The .ost overrated Heavyweight in History.
@@kantifields3916Hater of Ali spotted...
We never saw Prime Ali...Those years were taken away.
His legacy grew far greater as a result, i.e., he would have always been known as a great fighter, but the years taken away elevated him as a MAN.
Most underrated champions ever. Easily one of the greatest top 10 heavyweights ever.
Top 5 easy
top 5 for me (not in order)
muhammad ali
mike tyson
lennox lewis
larry holmes
joe louis
@@beans3158 Mike Tyson? Wow wh a t a deceive.
@@johnwilkinson4078 if you think mike tyson isn't worthy of being considered a top heavyweight you're smoking something
Most definitely - He is one of the best ever!
10 years untouched Larry, sweetest jab in the business.
10 years untouched? In his first 5 years as a pro he fought nobody, look on boxrec and his first 26 fights are a list of unknown fighters.
“I whooped Ali’s ass” I fuck with Larry but he knows damn well Ali was punch drunk at the time. Not something to gloat about.
Punch drunk, on meds and tons of neuro damage. To his credit, Holmes lightened up on Ali and was calling for the ref to stop it. They were friends.
Should never have took place & he knows it. But maybe he forgot now he is old.
Don't like the way he says I kicked his ass....first of all Ali wasn't the young Ali,....I guess he forgot Ali was old and had Parkinson's. Ali would've kicked HIS ass...
@@surfghost9121 no he didn't which is why Ali told Tyson to get him
I don't think he was proud of it, he cried after the fight and begged the referee to stop it. However, I bet Holmes probably gave Ali trouble when they were sparring partners. Good boxers gave Ali trouble, but he did well against power punchers. I love Ali, and I'm not knocking him, but I do think Holmes was underrated for many years
I respect Larry because he speaks his mind and does not care what people think of him.
I don't respect his inability to give credit where credit is due: Ali and Tyson were both unequivocally better than he was. Instead, talking about whooping Ali's ass. Low class.
Grew up watching Ali , Frazier , Norton , Foreman but Holmes was easily my favourite Boxer and that jab was something else. The two fights that stand out for me are the Cooney and Mercer fights especially the Mercer fight at age 42 . LEGEND.
Agreed. The win over Mercer was outstanding. Mercer was a beast. I would have liked to seen a fight between Holmes and Tommy Morrison too, but for sure Holmes vs Foreman should have happened...
Ali was mine because I was name after him and he was no joke but Larry was my man after Ali left the game. I only went against Larry when he fought Ali.
Prime Ali was in 1967. Ali was still good in the 70s but had lost some speed both of hand and foot. A prime Holmes vs a prime Ali would have been a great fight.
Lets be absolutely real, Holmes was a better version of Ali… that’s real talk. What made Ali the greatest. Was he pulled off two miraculous victories. One vs Prime Liston And one vs Prime Foreman. It’s basically if Holyfield was an outspoken/flashy/cocky/ fighter and went on to beat prime Tyson then later beat Prime undefeated Wilder. But Holyfield also lost to Ruiz and had many so so fights vs B level fighters. Same for Ali.
@@cvance37 1960s Ali was faster than Holmes and better defensively but Holmes had a harder right hand. 1970s Ali even the one that beat Foreman was a shell of himself but that’s when people learned how good of a punch Ali could take and the type if courage and resolve that he gad.
@@cvance37 lets be absolutely realer, Holmes wouldnt have stood a chance against a prime Ali.
@@Jamiesgolfanddroneadventuresexactly.. i scrolled down looking for this comment
Joe Frazier lost 3 times ,once to George twice to Ali. You're leaving off a lot of great fights. And he beat Liston twice
Larry bought some great fighters some real 15 round wars
True. Back when you had to have real stamina and technique. Holmes was a supreme strategist and had strong will.
Love all the old fighters. Amazing people.
Great to hear from the great Larry Holmes - good interview; liked and subscribed. Thanks for uploading.
Larry Holmes verses George Foreman, what would that have been? The best heavyweight match that never happened.
I’m pretty sure Foreman and Holmes were due to meet in 1975/76. Holmes’ management backed out.
They could've faced during their comebacks that would've been a big fight the old legends battling out.
@@blakealtonen9858 👍
Big George in his prime or later would have dis-mantled Larry , As much as I like Larrys Jab n right hand, George When he was on his game was a killer , But Larry was a wiley crafty fighter So would have been a good one.
@@johnmccaffrey5942Holmes just started boxing that doesn’t even make sense , Foreman is on record for declining Larry multiple times because he said Holmes can make fighters look bad .
Awesome interview!!! 🫡
Holmes was a very, very good fighter. However, he barely got past a very much declining Ken Norton (a great fight btw, split decision, AP scored it for Norton), lost two to a blown-up Michael Speaks (at best deserved a split), and was champ during a relatively mediocre period of heavyweight boxing. He continues to have an irritating inability to give others their just due (his brief comments during this video about his Ali fight are particularly tone deaf) and as was once said about him, "If he was half as good as he thinks he is, he'd be twice as good as Joe Louis." Larry, you were very good, maybe even great, but a little humility would do you a world of good.
@teacherdoug4438 What he accomplished boxing-wise is still yet to be matched bruh.
@Teacher Doug Ali is underrated and not overrated. There was no single „gift“ wins for him no matter how close the fights were.
@Teacher Doug stupid comment only 1 fight was a dodgy decision. The norton 3rd fight. Ali fought everybody in their primes. Who else did that?? Lennox lewis nope. Fought a holyfield and tyson. Tyson fought nobody.
Joe louis robbed fighters too robbed Walcott the first fight. You a mf for that.
@Vegan Higler stop talking shit you vegan bum.
well said Joe
Holmes got into boxing later in Ali career, and was sparring partner with Ali after 1973.
Was also Joe Frazier sparing partner him vs George forman would have been a great fight
True, but Larry is Larry. hes gonna say he could beat anybody
Best jab n history 🥊
Larry Holmes had one of the best jabs, but Sonny Liston used his 84-inch jab as an offensive weapon- with tremendous power behind it unique among heavyweights. Liston's jab was described like getting hit with a telephone pole. Watching clips of Liston connecting with that jab in the ring is truly frightening.
Sonny
Joe Louis
Ali
Holmes
It takes much more than ring performance to be a champion, ali inspired the humanity, no human being has achieved to this level than Ali🙌
20 straight title defenses says it all and then losing a controversial decision to Spinks , really had little chance against a Prime Tyson at 38...great champion
seems like he still had tons of life though, after that fight he kept going and still had an impressive career
This interview what’s needed
Was ringside at his win over Mike Weaver at MSG. Insane how hard heavyweights hit each other. One of the greatest ever.
That was a great match. Holmes really showed what kind of courage and guts he really had.
Legend 1 of the best Heavyweights in Top 5 .Best Jab ever
In his prime, he would have been very hard to beat by any fighter who ever lived. His jab was long, fast and hard. I always thought he was the most under-rated Champs in history. That was in his prime though. Later he boxed too long and it hurt his legacy.
Holmes and Shavers.....men of steel.
I'm not sure he's underrated. Certainly not by anyone who knows the sport
His legacy in tack
One of the top 5 heavy weights and one of the best boxers of all times.
Larry was and is awesome! Glad to see he still has his hair. Loved how he out hustled Mercer.
This is why I don’t think anyone should fight a past prime fighter, no credit if ya win
But if the payday is there... Holyfield/Foreman was epic. Every 50-year old baldy was rooting for old man George, lol.
@@presence5426 lol
Mike is beating a 22, 32, and 42 Holmes! No disrespect to Larry Legend.
@@shawnshell5961nonsense
Much Respect Larry Holmes!! Hope you are well.
I've had the chance to meet Larry Holmes.
I feel like he's getting more and more bitter as he's getting older. Deep down he still feels he's not getting the recognition he deserves...
Sad
And he shouldn't be because real boxing fans know how good he was.
@@megsmith596 You're right he shouldn't
I think he is salty and cocky. Never gives Credits to anybody!!!
@@denissssss8579 He just wants the respect he rightfully earned as champion and fighting in the ring. I don't blame him for being salty at all. He fought a lot of great boxers and beat them. He should be appreciated more.
You get that way as you get older anyway. Imagine having to answer the same questions continuously about fighting Ali or being knocked out by Tyson. He didn't force Ali to fight and everyone knows he hadn't fought for years before Tyson and did it for a great paycheck. He's just saying he did his job and won the Ali fight. That's what you're supposed to do is win and he won.
There is no doubt in my mind that Larry would have beaten Tyson. He’s got the style,can go the extra mile and lost with Mike cause he hadn’t fought in a while.
And was very old and fat!
Exactly not to mention was retired for 3yrs and only a month to train not to mention 17yrs older
No doubt? I'd say it's about 60/40 in favor of Holmes, prime for prime.
@@hadronoftheseus8829 Tyson had a shit resume
@@yotamdude5866 Just a heads up: Unfortunately RUclips now shadowbans comments with swear words. Your comment is not visible on the comment page, only visible under the goolgle bell, and I don't think anyone else can see it.
Anyway, I can't think of anyone Tyson ducked before going to prison.
Larry Holmes truly great. Fury does not compare.
What drugs are You on?
saw HOLMES in Pittsburgh SNIPES AS I GOT OLDER i came to appreciate him.. respect
Larry Holmes is the most unheralded HW champion ever.
Mostly because he didn't have a "motor mouth" in the shadow of Ali.
@@1968dogg Perhaps a very significant point.
Holmes was an all-time great.
IMO the reason his legacy doesn't reflect it, is that he reached his prime in a weird era where all the greats of the previous era were retired, past it or in the case of Foreman, on hiatus, & by the time a crop of new heavyweight greats come along (like Tyson & Holyfield) Holmes was past his best.
@@Bullseye_Strength Holmes wasn't past his best, merely took a payday at 4 week's notice. Else, the out come may have been different 🤔
@@manosparavida3551 of course he was past his best. Don't bieleve the foolishness of some tyson's fans who try to make people bieleve that Holmes wasn't washed cause he beat Mercer at 42. Larry was one the best ever for sure and unfortunately for him, he fought Tyson holyfiled Mccall and even Mickael while he had already past his best. Like every great, he still bieleved that he could keep up. Lets face it, except that good win vs Mercer, the quality of the opposition of Larry was extremly low in his 40's, he fought exclusively for the money at that time of his career.
Larry Holmes shared his success with his extended family. A remarkable feat in my eyes
Holmes never boxed with Ali from 64-67
Holmes was 14 years old in 1964.
he was a school boy in 64-67, he was a freshmen-senior
@@Aryzn I know man I'm saying it cuz Holmes Acts like he boxed the best version of Ali in sparring and was better which is false
@@active.7universal 64-67 Ali was the best version of Ali. Almost every boxing fan agrees on that
@@Aryzn true and Ali would OUTBOX Holmes
Larry was so underrated. In my book the greatest heavyweight champ. Jab was incredible. Plus he had a chin, heart and decent power. Fighters aren't like him anymore.
I recall getting my Sports Illustrated magazine in the mail sometime in the summer of 1978. The article was on Ali preparing for his rematch with Leon Spinks. For only a handful of times in his life Ali was actually training hard for what everyone hoped would be him regaining the Heavyweight title then permanently retiring.
The author wrote something like regardless of what happens in the upcoming 2nd Spinks fight that the end is near for Ali and something like Ali had been champ or claimed he was for 15 years. The author talked about possible successors such as Norton, Jimmy Young, etc. Then he threw out a line something like - and everyone is completely looking past 29 year old Larry Holmes who is undefeated. I soon saw Holmes on TV and since his style reminded me of Ali I became a fan through both Michael Spinks’ fights where Larry was robbed both times.
Leon Spinks had been stripped of one of the ‘ABC’ titles that now made up the full crown for giving Ali the rematch instead of fighting the top contender.
So sometime close to when Ali beat Spinks convincingly there was a tournament of sorts to fill the vacant title that had been stripped from Spinks. That is when the classic 15 round boxing war between Holmes and Norton took place. So I guess technically Ali and Holmes could have met two years earlier in a reunification bout. Holmes probably still wins that fight considering he is 30 and Ali 37. I bet it would have been much closer, probably a 15 round decision for Holmes. But prime versus prime Ali gives Holmes a boxing lesson and probably puts him down like he did Foreman. Ali’s straight right was a vicious punch that few remained upright after getting the full force of it. One thing that does stain Holmes a little to me is he held the title for 8 years and never once fought a reunification bout in an effort to bring all the titles back together and mostly fought bums as Ali would say.
If you want to watch three great Holmes fights the Norton fight and his two boxing wars with Shavers are all on RUclips. Shavers puts him down, which is something he couldn’t do to Ali. Verdict: Ali had the better chin.
He learned from the G.O.A.T. Ali as Sparring partner, you can see he was good student.
When Ali sparred he didn't go all out and would purposely take shots to toughen himself up.
Tough as leather by end. G'ood job, meatzbag. Take em 2 da zoo
That's why He ended up a Vegetable. You are not supposed to get hit. Ali got hit far too many times, his defence was pretty awful. You reap what you sow.
@@jimbyrne2328who had a better resume Whittaker or Ali how does sweat pea compare to the greatest
yes
He got hit a lot
After getting up from that BOMB 💣 from Shavers I had mad respect ✊ for him!
Larry never has this same energy in Mike Tyson’s presence 😂
Style makes fights. Tyson's style is too advantageous for Holmes. And Holmes' style is advantageous for Foreman. You never hear Foreman talk about Holmes. That's a can of worms he refuses to open.
So it makes sense. lol
People say prime Holmes would've beaten Tyson. I say Tyson still would've beaten him. It just wouldn't be as quick. But the style is the same.
The condition Muhammad Ali was in at that time there's no way he can get credit for that it should be erased because Muhammad Ali was suffering Parkinson disease at that time
“They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery.”Holmes clearly imitated Ali. He tried to jab like him. He even tried to move like him. For him to say “I whipped Ali’s @$$ makes me lose a great deal of respect for him!!! Ali was old!!! Even as a child I knew he was too far gone to be fighting prior to fighting Homes!!! Then for him to talk about beating Ali up in sparring is another slap in the face! Ali would’ve stomped him in his prime!!! Just like Tyson did!!!
Well there are no excuses in boxing
Yes a prime Sugar Ray Leonard easily beats prime Hector Camacho
But they did fight when Sugar Ray was 40. He received a beating
Larry was the man he could stick and move or he could stand and trade.
A great man ,he always gives great interviews !! God bless you Larry !!
Him mimicking Ali made him to have 1 of the best jabs in the history of the sport.
I wish he asked Larry's opinion on why titles weren't unified from '78-'85.
Too much politics in boxing at that time, as the WBC champion Larry was part of Don Kings stable. But the WBA champion Mike Weaver and Michael Dokes were represented by New York based promoter Bob Arum. And the two men detested each other. I've always felt that Larry should have pushed harder for a unification bout instead of going along with Kings agenda in the heavyweight division. But we'll never know i guess.
@@deanladue5367 yes. It would have been nice to hear Larry's own opinion. I know about the bitterness between Don King and Bob Arum. Also found out Larry was signed to fight Gerrie Coetze of South Africa when Coetze was the WBA champion . However, some legal red tape put an end to that. Still feel one of the biggest mistakes of Larry's career was fighting Michael Spinks. Especially at 35/36 yrs of age. He could have picked two slower moving heavyweight opponents.
@@gregorybush3224 and also Larry stance on Apartheid was a well known factor as well. He personally didn't like Coetzee because he was endorsed by South African president Peter Botha, whos domestic policies were particularly brutal towards black South Africans.
@@deanladue5367 if Larry had fought Coetze for a unification that fight would definitely NOT have happened in S.A. Greg Page traveled to S.A. and won the title. But Larry would have insisted he and Coetze fight somewhere else.
Unification?lol, Larry Holmes gave up his WBC title after fighting Witherspoon with the then new alphabet soup sanctioning body IBF coming in rescue, eager to recognize an established name as champion, so Larry can handpick his next opponents rather than fighting the WBC mandatory contenders, never mind the mandatory contenders a unified world champion are obligated to fight every year.
Larry is in the top ten of greatest heavyweights. A great skilled fighter and a true warrior.
Holmes would beat any heavyweights today.
Larry keeps it real every time...
I'm sitting here laughing at how brutally honest Larry Holmes is and always was. If not the best, one of that elite group.
Oh yes Foreman, Frazier and Norton spoke what people want to hear, but Larry didnt give a damn about that, Im not sure about Ali only he was 50-50%
@@nikolailic431 ali spoke the truth man.
Larry Holmes was a great champion💯👍 🏆 God Bless you Larry Holmes 🙏 💯👍👑
I loved Larry when he was coming up and after he won the title because he always said he wanted the public to see the champion fight and all his early fights were on regular tv not any of this pay fer view crap ..... And a lot of people talk about his left jab but if you watch his fights his upper cut was really nasty .... Yeah I loved Larry up until he got to 48-0 then he started running his mouth about Marciano and then we all know what happened after that.
Yeah, he got robbed in #49. He could have taken a cue from Marciano and fought two "bum of the month" guys.
@@kantifields3916 Those 2 fights with spinks were fixed from the start just to give him a loss.
Larry should have never disrespected Marciano...
Larry Holmes, incredible recupretive powers and the best jab in the business.
Larry had the best LEFT HAND n boxing.. I was in his camp and I use to watch him and Don Turner working...
Saw a video of him hitting a heavy bag. His jab was incredible and he was bending that bag in half with his power. Given his height and reach, one of the best jabs in the sport.
@@dbc7772011 I trained in his gym back when Don Turner was training him to fight Holyfield
I met Larry Holmes in 2015 Oneonta N.Y.. It was so cool!!! Got a couple pictures with him!
Larry Holmes is an all time great boxer-puncher. Had one of the best jabs in HW history. Was one of the greatest boxers. I have him solid 10 and probably in the top 5. At any given day, in his prime, he might have beaten anyone.
I also remember that he struggled harder against Norton than a past his prime 3.5 year layoff Ali did in their 2nd meeting. Also struggled harder against Shavers than an old, slow speaking shouldn't have been in there, Ali. That if his beating an old, worn, slurred 37 year old Ali is a victory, then Marciano beating a 38 year Joe Louis is a real victory, and Mike Tyson beating a 38 year old Larry Holmes is the same as beating a prime Larry Holmes. No, it's not... and we know.
We admire your skills, Larry. You are an all time great, but, real talk, you never beat Ali just as Tyson never beat you. Maybe you did in a gym war, but Ali wasn't a bully. He rarely showed his greatness in sparring but actually worked on his weaknesses. He gave sparring opponents opportunities and taught them. Didn't take advantage of them, and gave his money away (to worthy and unworthy causes) because of his altruistic nature, which is why he needed money and had to fight in his old age and damaged state. How does Larry rank against Liston, Foreman, or 1971 Frazier?
Larry is an all-time great boxer-puncher and that's it.
Excellent observation, muhammad ali was better than larry holmes and on their best days ali would outshine holmes
@@husseinsatar3740 thanks. I have great admiration for Larry Holmes but I don’t think he could have beaten the guys Ali beat, and don’t think anyone beats a mid 60’s Ali. Not even Louis or the giants fighting today.
@@JohnBarrylizardwho had a better resume Whittaker or Ali how does sweat pea compare to the greatest
The two years Larry was off from boxing made big difference in the fight between him and Tyson..Larry was the better boxer in his prime 😊😮😮
Prime Holmes would have probably beaten prime Tyson, just as Ali would have beaten Holmes in their primes.
Now way Tyson would beat him silly . Prime or not.
He never gives mike Tyson any credit Holmes was a great fighter but seems bitter .
SUCH A GREAT CHAMPON OF BOXING HISTORY !!!!!
Larry fought for the pay check when he was in the ring with Mike Tyson.
If he was out for two years at that time how long did he use to prepare?
You can say the same thing about Ali when he fought Holmes.
Larry Homes is definitely one of the best who ever did it!
Ali,Louis, Holmes, and Marciano are on my Mt Rushmore heavyweight mountain. I’d make room for Lennox Lewis at number 5
Not Marciano. Fought his family member multiple times and old ex champions.
@@proplayer566 I can see ranking Marciano lower, and I would’ve liked to have seen him fight Sonny Liston and Folley and Cleveland Williams and yes, Joe Louis was old, but I think the wins over Walcott twice and Charles twice and Lastarza twice and Savold and Matthews and Archie Moore were legit
Very difficult to have a Mt. Rushmore of boxers without Foreman and Norton. Norton took Ali to training camp and really won 2 out of there 3 fights. Foreman then crushed Norton. Frazier has to be there also! Without him, the Ali mystique is diminished and he carved up Ali in the first fight and the other 2 were wars and close.
@@chuckurso593 If Mount Rushmore only has room for four people, are you suggesting that we put Ken Norton in place of Joe Louis or the undefeated Rocky Marciano or Holmes or Ali?
Larry Holmes is a class act and top 3 heavyweight champion which includes Ali, Louis then Holmes. He is on my Mt Rushmore for heavyweight champions no doubt. He had stamina, great chin, jab, excellent boxing skills, smarts and speed. He had everything a person could want in a top 3 heavyweight champion. Unfortunately for Holmes, he came after Ali and before Tyson so he gets overlooked time and time again. In his prime, he beats Tyson and Holyfield.
Ill put George forman above him his win over Joe Frazier was amazing only lasted 2 rounds George forman is also the oldest heavyweight champ and fought many difficult challenges for example agruably beating Shannon briggs at old age and let’s not forget Shannon had more first rounds ko then mike along with almost knocking out Lennox Lewis first round
What about Lennox Lewis? I think it's
1. Ali
2. Lewis
3. Holmes
4. Foreman
5. Frazier
@@Aryzn I don't think Lewis would be rated that high.
Foreman, Frazier, Holmes, and Ali all beat Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano in my book.
@@joanmjames2495 Lennox Lewis conquered the 1990s which is widely regarded as the 2nd best decade of heavyweight boxing, he conquered it so bad that Riddick Bowe refused to fight him and retired to escape that fight, he beat up everyone in that time with ease. He doesn't get enough credit. if he isn't number 2 then he's number 3
Larry holmes is among the greats.
Larry was great no doubt, but he's the last person to admit someone was better than him, he never mentioned that he fault an out of shape and old Ali.
There's no denying, Holmes is the most unrecognised boxing great that ever lived. He's symbol of strength, courage, stamina, discipline,consistency and pride of boxing. He's the perfect heir to Muhammed Ali.
I do not like Holmes but totally agree with everything you said, He was so underrated .
He never mentioned that he got his rib broken by Frazier in sparring 😂
I love Larry and there’s no denying how great he was and his accomplishments, but there’s a tinge of “big fish” stories in this interview.
This man is shameless, taking credit for whooping a Parkinsons Ali. You aren't on Alis level and never will be. Tyson knocked out a better Holmes than you beat an ALI, Ali already had the Pakinsons
If he's shameless..then what does that Make Ali's team, coaches, and family for allowing him to fight on??
Larry defended his belt many times post ali and was the #1 guy at many points. He has 20 defenses under him and fought some of the greatest ever. Stop it. He did not force Ali to fight him. He didn’t know what Ali did or didn’t have. The fight came up and he accepted the challenge presented. It’s sad that they fought under those circumstances but it wasn’t his fault.
@Ghost nice points then, if he is a honourable man, why is he taking credit from Tysons' win? He was annihilated by Tyson, and that was a fully healthy Larry, past prime but healthy. He isn't really a top 5 but more like a 9 or 10 cause he was beat by Tim Witherspoon in prime and also Norton, and both were robbed .He was also beat by a light heavyweight in Spinks 2ice , and that's our top 5 heavyweight 😀😀😀. Ali and Frazier ate the best of light heavyweights for breakfast.
Ali did not have Parkinson’s disease when they fought? He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1984. They fought in 1980. Quit the bull shit
@@MrTopsy007 you sound like a hater dude.
Everybody hates him for no reason. I like and respect him a lot.
He "whooped" an over the hill, Parkinson's afflicted Ali's ass. What an accomplishment. How shameful to brag about that.
Larry still looking at them young girls...
she did have a nice ass though
Holmes, in his prime looked totally mean and very buffed.
Larry looked scarier than Foreman in his time.
And I love his bantering with Gerry Cooney and Tex Cobb, that still goes on to this day 😃
Glad to see your enjoying your retirement Larry, you are a good man. 🇦🇺
Love Larry one of the all time greats! Prime Bowe would've been too much for Larry!
He beat a very sick ali and he wont admit it thats what put me off him Ali wouldn't go down like he did with Tyson
Holmes jab was absolutely phenomenal. But if you look at some of his fights from the 70s, you can see he also had a great right hand.
Only thing i don't understand about Larry is why he's so bitter towards the heavyweight scene and any generation of HWs that have come after him. Very strange
He's an egomaniac who always felt dissed by the pundits. Back when he was on the rise, even as an amateur, analysts were saying he'd never be champ. But, geez, when you're heavyweight champion, it's wise to turn on the charm. Look how much money George Foreman made on endorsements. Holmes just has a shitty attitude and always did.
@@presence5426 yes bro, he seems so bitter and not straight forward overall, takes credit for beating a sick Ali and diminishes the credit from Tyson for destroying him. His attitude is terrible
@@MrTopsy007 Ego is usually a cover for something. The bigger the ego, the bigger the internal issue...
I have Larry Holmes as one of the 3 greatest heavyweight-champions in history,he was a magnificent fighter.
However I do wish Larry would ' button ' it when talking about the heavyweights who came after him,it really does
spoil peoples' perception of him.
@@spreadeagle2561 I like Larry holmes but u can’t put him above ali,George forman and someone like klitschko or even Lennox Lewis
Ali had the best jab. Holmes's jab is Ali's jab y'all.
Holmes jab was better, truth be told
@@joaoii1082 A very close call but I tend to agree.
@@joaoii1082 Prime 1960's Ali was so quick with his body that it allowed him to use his jab in many different ways than Holmes, but Larry's bread and butter was his straight jab with that long left arm.
@@joaoii1082 truth be told, you’re wrong, Ali’s jab is quicker and actually just as hard when he wants them to. Sonny Liston’s jab is much harder than Holmes’ and almost as quick, Foreman’s jab is harder than Holmes’ too, but all those fighters did not rely on their jabs as Holmes did.
@@Cychopath99 neither of those have a jab as good as Holme's, Foreman himself would tell you that
mans got all his sense. very well spoken. i love it
edit: 03:00 caked up latina mami
Larry likes soup. Hot soup. Cold soup. Spicy soup. Lumpy soup. Smooth soup. Any kind of soup.
Eddie Murphy
@williehudson4013 haha spot on mate. Gets me every time!!!!!!!!!!
He is salty lmao
@@williehudson4013 salty soup. Larry loves soup.
I would've really liked to have seen a Bowe-Holmes fight. I like Bowe to win, assuming he would have been in shape. I don't think Holmes ever faced a guy that big, with that many skills. The way to beat Holmes was to mug him, overpower him and land big punches. Holyfield and Mercer were not able to do that. But Tyson was. And I think Bowe had the firepower and mean streak to blast Holmes out too.
tyson fought an old larry
@@charlesanzalone5846 Old is relative when it comes to Holmes. Shit, he had a whole second career long after the Tyson loss. And beat some good fighters (well, Mercer at least). Holmes is fond of saying that he would have beat Tyson, if he'd had some tune up fights. Truth is, Tyson at that point was so good that he was blowing out most everyone. Not a good matchup for Holmes.
@@presence5426 The Holmes that fought Tyson was retired weeks before fighting Tyson, and was a much sharper fighter in later fights, It's Larry's style that is wrong for Tyson, a in shape Holmes would have a decent chance at keeping Tyson at a distance and out boxing him
The Tyson Holmes fight had an horrible timing. Holmes was retired two years before.
@@presence5426 I'm sure at the very least Holmes would have done better against Tyson with more preparation time and tune ups.
The best ever...the best...
Larry would never beat prime Tyson. He's bitter. Tyson too strong. Too accurate.
Tyson was accurate and quick but big guy like Larry could out mussel him.
@@megsmith596 Tyson weighed as much as Larry in their primes. Tyson easily whipped big muscle guys like Berbick, Bruno and Ruddock. Tyson too strong, too fast, too accurate for Larry.
The best!
Prime Ali smokes Holmes everyday of the week. Possibly prime Tyson smokes prime Holmes too
Larry was one of the greatest, but he is not very humble. He was way past his prime when he fought Tyson. Larry at his age when he fought Tyson could have had a year to prepare and he would have still lost. He would have had an excellent chance in his prime though.
prime holmes beats Ali
What a weak point, Holmes is no top 5 heavy, that sham beats ALI lol. He was annihilated by Tyson, beat by Tim Terrible Witherspoon and beat by a light heavyweight in Spinks twice. He never beat a significant heavyweight, dropped a version of the belt to duck people. He will be eaten alive by a prime Ali. You saying this shows your level in boxing knowledge.
@@MrTopsy007 bro , how high are you?
@@harishkumaran7986 just a bit less than you
@@MrTopsy007 funny how you see Witherspoon beating Holmes, but not see Holmes being robbed in the 2nd Spinks fight xD
@@MrTopsy007 and the same way Holmes "lost" to Witherspoon Ali "lost" to Norton, Jimmy Young and Shavers.
I can’t believe he says he whipped Ali’s ass….anyone could have whipped Ali’s ass at that time….he was suffering from Parkinson’s he shouldn’t have been in the ring…
Yeah I agree. It goes to where a lot of people say Holmes comes across as angry for some reason. His net worth is “only” $20 mil. He either spends a lot of money or is a terrible business man. Wonder what the odds of Ali never losing ever in his career if not drafted and the three plus years he was not permitted to fight?
People should read about Defense Secretary Robert McNamara’s (of the LBJ admin) Folly’s (just one of the names they were given and there were worse names) where they reclassify 100,000 men who had already been excluded from the draft and then proceed to draft them as grunts for the front lines in Vietnam because they are deemed expendable. Ali got caught up in that fiasco or he would never had to relinquish his title to begin with.
Carl The Truth Williams had a jab that was similar to Holmes' in my opinion.
Let's correct this. Holmes never sparred a prime Ali. In fact, the world never really got to see a prime Ali. HIs prime would've been from 1967 - 1970 (25-28); the nexus between skill and experience as a fighter. We missed most of 67 thru 1970 due to his forced absence. Larry didn't become Ali's sparring partner until the early 1970s. But he did spar with a still very good Ali.
I would love a mythical matchup between prime Ali and prime Holmes and I am not rooting for either to win or lose. I like them both. It would just be a good fight.
For me...the best ever.
Lary holmes 🙏🙏🇹🇷🇹🇷
15 rounds was the true test.
It incredible 2 warriors can go that long. Stamina becomes an issue in later rounds. I boxed a bit and 3 rounds is exhausting! Getting hit and trying to hit them. Wow, what a work out!
Holmes knows his stuff
Holmes is very underrated
Homes did have a excellent jab, seriously that thing was powerful and painful. Larry was a great champion. It was very sad though when he went off on Rocky Marciano, I mean, and Rockys brother I mean that was probably him looking the worst that he looked to people.. I personally love Larry Holmes, because he was a very good champion. He was the second longest reigning champion since Joe Louis, and in the end, Larry got out of the business with his brain intact and money in his pocket he was smart, even though he basically has, I don’t even think a complete high school education. I want time actually called Larry Holmes at his company and he answered the phone. What a nice guy seriously I would have to say that I love Larry Holmes. He is definitely one of my idols.
The Champ is a Gem!
I loved Holmes,fought a long time.Tyson was knocking everybody out.The Ali fight was a workout because he was past his prime!
Larry was a an all time great heavyweight champion who had all the tools in his tool belt. But he smoking something if he thinks Ali was still in his prime when he has Ali's sparring partner. Ali was amazing in that he won several big fights even after he was no longer in his prime. A lot of those fights he won on savy, ring experience and his will to win, rather than pure talent because he was no longer "floating like a butterfly" with his foot movement and foot speed, which is what allowed him to deliver quick, fast, stinging punishment from so many different angles with his blistering hand speed. The years Ali spent in exile (1967 - 1971) WERE the last years he would have been in his physical prime. He was already 25 years old when he was banned, and when he came back he was almost 30 years old. Holmes doesn't come into Ali's training camp until 1973 when Ali was 31 years old. Not saying Ali was completely shot at 31, and Holmes didn't begin getting the best of Ali right away, but as good as Holmes was, Ali would have had to have been at his best to beat him. But at his best, Holmes couldn't see him.
1. Lewis 2. Homes 3. Klitschko - best jabbers
Buster Douglas had a better jab then Holmes he was just a lazy fighter ,trained hard fir one fight in his life against Tyson and lucked out being that was Tyson’s worst prepared fight he ever had , he was actually thinking about fighting Hulk Hogan instead that’s how much he thought of Buster . Lol