he went his whole career looking for that thunderous applause at the end .. and he finally got it in the twilight of his career .. god knows if anybody deserved it it was holmes .. i'll always have a love for ol larry .. the true hardluck champion if ever was one
Sadly every Dominate Black HW fighter who was Unabashidly Brash (By Biased media & fans went through this) and got their Flowers Well After their Prime.. Ali vs Foreman Foreman vs Moore Holmes vs Mercer I believe if Wilder fights after his prime...and beats the next So called HW CHAMP since slice bread...he will get that same love....admiration. Like his boxing elders before him...IMO
@@mr.boxingmoves486quit lying because none of those guys are as disrespected as holmes was and most were highly regarded regardless of the guys they faced foreman could beat 5 bums in 1 night and people applaud it holmes go 20 defenses and he was criticized called overrated and never given his due ali get knocked out by cooper and had to cheat yet he hailed as the greatest like be real and quit lying
True Warriors are indeed a rare breed! The way these two boxers embraced themselves at the end of the bout, is the true measure of their strength , worth and their character!!
Incredible performance by Larry Holmes, Nobody gave him a chance in this fight and he shocked the world A 4 to 1 Underdog. His jab was incredibly acurate for a 42 year old man. Two thumbs way up for the man from Easton Pa.
Not to mention how stiff and hard that jab was. People who got hit, said it felt like freaking pistol bullet. No wonder they call him the "Easton Assassin". A truly remarkable fighter, hands down!
Holmes had the best jab in boxing because it was a strong jab. Ali’s jab was pretty and a flicking jab to set up the other punches but Holmes threw it with aggression and pinpoint accuracy.
AMAZING FACT: Holmes fought for 10 more years after beating Mercer. He kept fighting til age 52!!! His last fight was against Butterbean in 2002 and Holmes won.
Larry Holmes is one of the few people on this planet that I would love to meet, so I could shake this legendary boxers hand and buy him a beer!! This man is so under appreciated as a champion!!! The Eason assassin, Larry Holmes my GOAT!!!
It might have something to do with his mouth. He's said some selfish fucked up things. That sort of behavior stains the publics perception of you. Was he a great HW champ? Absolutely.
Even though Larry Holmes was a better fighter than Muhammad Ali and a lot of the others from that era he did not have the Charisma of Muhammad Ali... Larry Holmes is a great individual and does a lot for his community and was not given his fair dues
the emotion for Holmes at the end of the fight is really something. the way he was so disrespected as a champ is a disgrace. He couldn't leave boxing with that k.o vs Tyson.
He was robbed the 1st Spinks fight but should have known that he had to KO Mike due to all the politics about Rocky. And. I should have bet.. everything I owned on Spinks.
Yep I never understood why Holmes didn't get the credit he deserved . My only guess is because he didn't have the physique of a Holyfied or the charisma of a Foreman but he definitely had the skill and resume .
@@robertkulikowski6380 The judges gave him the decision. That part is true. HOLMES mistake was going into the fight with the delusion that he was the Champion. Instead his mindset should have been as a Challenger which he was unable to do because he had been champion so long. This fight had to be approached with him trying to kill Spinks because he was not getting any decision. That's so guys like you can write 'Spinks won the 1st fight' So yes Happy?
@@robertkulikowski6380 On the other hand for a long time Champion to get outpointed without getting embarrassed or beatup stinks. Add Leonard over Hagler as well as Norton Ali 2 and 3. Spinks had no charisma that guaranteed big money fights, the only thing in his favor was stopping Holmes from breaking Rocky Marciano's record. So again, by failing to knock Spinks out or beat him relentlessly for 15 rounds, Holmes lost the fight
Larry had skill which he carried to an older age. He was just that special. I always admired what he did in the ring! His jab has got to be one of the top 5 jabs in the history of the boxing! His boxing ability was much like poetry in motion. Even Mike Tyson said in the post fight interview after defeating Holmes, he stated very clearly that if Holmes was at his best, he would not have won because Holmes is a great fighter. Thank you Larry for all of the good memories of what you gave us and I shall never forget!
@K2 FU he won both spinks fights,powers that be hated on him because he said rocky Marciano couldn't carry his jock strap,they was salty about that ever since.that fight he would have broke rocky Marciano's record.
Tyson was being humble but he likely would have KO'd Holmes no matter which version he faced. Holmes had a propensity for being rocked, knocked down and Tyson was a great finisher and was far more lethal than anybody Holmes ever beat.
Holmes is older than Mercer and he's hammering him damn well. I think in his prime he'd kill him. He was the main sparring partner for Ali. That speaks for itself
He is, he was The Man for a decade, went 48-0 as Champ, with 20 successful title defenses yet would be akin to Lennox in a way, he came after Ali as Lennox came after Tyson, ironically, Holmes vs Ali and Lennox vs Tyson never really meant much. My gripe with Holmes, and I don't know if it would have mattered much (BTW, stopped once vs prime Tyson and was off two years) was that he didn't fight two top guys, undefeated Dokes and undefeated Pinklon Thomas. They were there at the time, and he would instead fight younger undefeated guys like Witherspoon and Williams. The disrespect does come from calling it anything other than that, he was the man at a time where there was much talent, unfortunate on hold by Don King
@@Theiron2142 he is so bitter.. he used to had" trash talk" against Foreman only cause he fight like him after his 40s and won the title.. .. he keep the attention saying things about boxers that he fought with.. or people he wont but he wanted to fight with... he slapped ali at the press fight before the fight ..he wanted to be funny but he is an asshole ... and he knew that he would won the fight before the fight get in to it.. ali was sick he didnt need to slapped ali. he never saw tyson like a real champ.. even that holmes lose against him when holmes had 38 ... he said that the champions from 70s.. norton frazier ali could whup tyson ..
It's funny that you mentioned Marciano because I think that's the main reason why Holmes has been dissed by far too many; he made some comments about Marciano that some found disrespectful as he came close to tying Rocky's record! Some fans, myself included, believe that's why Larry wasn't given the "champ's courtesy" in his disputed loss to Michael Spinks! That was a very close fight and if the champ makes a good accounting for himself, usually judges let him squeak by with a victory! They weren't having it with Holmes and some fans speculated it was for the Marciano comments. Ditto for the rematch which I thought Holmes won, but I admit I'm just a fan, not a judge!
He was terrific, probably more so in the later 70's. When he was young, he was FAST, had great stamina, and would beat the crap out of people. As he got older, he became more of a plodder & tactician. Still good tho.
His biggest knock was lack of competition but yes an absolute legend! His early 80’s run the hw division was pretty weak to my recollection! It honestly didn’t pick up until the early years of Tyson and all the greats that came in rite around or after his time!
@@nativewildman9335 facts after Ali was who ppl recognized and accepted as their HW champ for all the years he was on top? Larry had huge shoes to fill on that one!
I remember watching this fight in a large and crowded sports bar in Albany, NY. They had a million TV's, some showing the fight, some showing ball games, and others showing horse racing which you could bet on in the bar (legal OTB had two tellers in the bar). It seemed most people felt Holmes was way past it and would get killed by the much younger Mercer, who had big power in both hands, so the fight didn't get a whole lot of attention paid to it, with most of the guys preferring to spend their time hitting on the large variety of well- dressed girls in there. By the time the last 3 rounds were fought, the whole bar was cheering loudly for Larry, and a collective roar let out every time he landed a punch. It was really quite a sight to see Larry Holmes performance captivate a large crowd, who felt obligated to give the old grand master a final salute.
Holmes biggest problem was fighting the media which was the only "real" kayo loss of his career. Holmes vs Ali was really the passing of the torch or lineal championship (Ali retired with that title with a win over Spinks although Holmes was WBC champ). But because the media did not like Holmes, many of them wrote that Holmes beat an old suffering man. They should have written Holmes was in a no win situation because he had to defeat his teacher/mentor to be recognized as the Lineal Champion/Ring Champion/Man Who Beat the Man because his WBC title was no better than the WBA (although Holmes defeated the reigning WBA champion Weaver). When Cooney arrived on the scene, the media put Cooney on the cover of magazines with actors etc. Cooney, a challenger, appeared on a soap opera and in commercials. Meanwhile, Holmes family was being terrorized and racial intimidated! Ali fights Evangelista, Shavers, Norton, and Spinks and he is the greatest. Holmes fights the same guys and they are now bums. Tyson is praised for what he did to Berbick, Smith, and Frazier. Holmes fights the same guys and the media claimed they should be recognized as exhibitions, not title defenses. When he came close to tying Marciano's record, the media instigated the situation which possibly resulted in Marciano's broter rooting AGAINST Holmes to match his brother's record. Tyson is praised for Unifying the titles, but Holmes is blamed for not unifying the titles against Gerrie Coetzee because a judge ruled against it. Holmes spoke out against Apartheid, but we know him more for saying,"Rocky Marciano couldn't carry my jock strap!" thanks to the media. The sports writers and media did an injustice to Holmes. They would bait the guy during press conferences and get Holmes to go off! Holmes could not laugh it off like Ali. When attacked by the media, Holmes fired back and unfortunately the media got him back in the press by misleading fans or spinning his achievements in a negative fashion. I ask this question, why didn't anyone criticize Pinklon Thomas for giving Witherspoon a rematch? What happened to Dokes vs Page? Why did Greg Page get a title shot against Cooetzee when he lost to Berbick, Witherspoon, and Bey? How many of the other 80s heavyweights gave rematches? However, we blame Holmes for not giving Norton a rematch. This is the same Norton who did not give Jimmy Young a rematch. But yet, we hold this against Holmes. Holmes lost to Duane Bobick in 1972 and by 1982 when Holmes has already broken the record for most kayos in title defenses, the media reminds us that he crawled out of the ring in 1972 against Bobick so be on the look out! Holmes was a novice and was barely an adult at the time, but this is held against him by the crappy sports writers. People like Gil Clancy wasn't going to use his platform to tell viewers that he was wrong about Holmes. It is easier to keep saying that Holmes is a fluke and fighting bums.Holmes victory over Mercer at age 42 pretty much said that Mercer would have died in the ring if he fought Holmes and Foreman in the 1970s.
Wow I didn't know this! I always admired Holmes but I didn't know the media was against him! This should be posted many more times! This should be shared!
Mercer underestimated the great Larry Holmes he thought that just because Larry was 42 that he was would just blow him away. But how wrong he was.. he got schooled
This fight is what made me solidify my belief that the 1970's boxers and including holms vs Norton which represented the passing of the torch, were the best ever. Larry Holms beat a legitimate contender for the heavyweight title. Mercer would lose a controversial decision to Lennox Lewis a few years later. Yes this fight made me believe that holms is one of the all time greats
Darin Loveland the 70s was an incredible era, the top 5 were: 1. Ali 2. Foreman 3. Frazier 4. Holmes 5. Norton In ATG rankings, it looks something like: 1. Ali 2. Louis 3. Lewis 4. Holmes 5. Wladimir Klitschko 6. Foreman 7. Frazier 8. Liston 9. Holyfield 10. Tyson
Darin Loveland seriously Larry is 42 in this fight, Larry ten years younger fight over in 4 rounds. This guy was sparring with Ali and never got his does. As far as the rest of the guys in his era- Kenny Norton broke Ali's jaw,Joe Frazier 3 fights with Ali can't get better,George Foreman( the mummy) we all know how that ended. The rest after Holmes except Tyson forget about it, Ali on Holmes best jab in the business and can take a punch watch the fight. Ray is 31 and a hard dude but not in the same league.
Just a Maestro in the ring.. I watched his whole career and always thought he was utterly brilliant.. What a jab, what a chin, what a performance.. Ladies and gentlemen... The Easton Assassin..
It's important to note that Ray Mercer gave a prime Lennox Lewis hell AFTER this defeat to the 42 year old Larry Holmes. Larry's impressive win over Mercer sealed the deal in regards to Holmes being 1 of the 3 (e.g., Ali, Louis, Holmes) greatest heavyweights in boxing history. Unlike several great or near great heavyweight champions, Larry never lost in his prime and sans 1 punch knockout power, Holmes was a complete fighter. The best left jab in boxing history, terrific hand and foot speed, high boxing IQ, great stamina, granite chin, and a prodigious heart/will to win.
@@cedericocosantorini8013 Your knowledge of boxing history is slim and Slim left town. In addition to Larry's 20 title defenses and 7 1/2 year title reign, Mercer gave a prime Lennox Lewis hell AFTER this defeat to the 42 year old Holmes. Larry's impressive win over Mercer sealed the deal in regard to Holmes being 1 of the 3 (e.g., Ali, Louis, Holmes) greatest heavyweights in boxing history. Unlike several great or near great heavyweight champions, Larry never lost in his prime and sans 1 punch knockout power, Holmes was a complete fighter. The best left jab in boxing history, terrific hand and foot speed, high boxing IQ, great stamina, granite chin, and a prodigious heart/will to win.
@@pjtheory Who are you trying to persuade here ? There are literally dozens of better HW boxers in history - HISTORY is the main word here, to give you a hint. You just a clown, have some more crack.
@@pjtheory One can judge a fighter from what he DID with respect to the opposition he got. Not from what joeblow pjtheory thinks that fighter did or COULD have done. There is literally a dozen better HW boxers in history - HISTORY being the main word here, just a pointer for you. Get real.
Mike Tyson later said if Larry Holmes had more time to prepare for the fight with him he woulda went to distance as he brought up the fight with ray Mercer and gave Larry much respect for his skills! Larry was just a Beast and true Scientist of the boxing ring!
Mike Tyson was just being modest. The same Mike Tyson who BEAT Holmes in ‘88 would KO this version of Holmes inside 4 rounds as well. Mike Tyson is such an underrated boxer. His losses hurt his legacy.
@@irod3932 Tyson said tgat for respect but I agree, he would won any Holmes version. Styles make fights. A skilled swarmer and counter puncher like Tyson would won an out boxer and counter puncher like Holmes.
@@Shovelhook I don't agree. Tyson never fought anyone of Holmes's class and won (of course his actual fight with Holmes was such short notice that for me it doesn't count). If Tyson was so good, why did he not fight Mercer? Tyson was one of the most important heavyweights of all time but not one of the best
even when my favorite boxers are tyson, bowe and holyfield. i feel like after Ali, Holmes is the best heavyweight, he dominated his era and was competent even at an advanced age
I luckily got to meet Larry Holmes at Shoppingtown Mall in Syracuse, NY about a week or two before this fight. I remember walking up to him so he could sign my LH boxing card. I thanked him and wished him luck against his fight with Mercer. I sincerely wanted him to win but was thinking he didn’t stand a chance because of his age and especially after seeing what Mercer did to Tommy Morrison 4 months prior.. Nonetheless, he fought a wise and strategic boxing match against Mercer taking the win..Boy, I sure was shocked 😮 but very happy. 😃 ...In my opinion, Holmes is the most underrated heavyweight of all time. He ducked nobody, holding the title for seven years!
I remember the vibe back then, Many people wanted to see Larry Holmes lose all his fights. IMO he had the body, mind and skills in his prime to beat anybody on his best day.
larry holmes has one of the highest boxing IQs ever that's why he was so good. His ability to be calm and composed in the ring helped him so much. He probably learned that from ali
what a damn good, supersmart fight by Larry. He made Mercer, who should be grateful as he got free boxing lessons, look like a rookie. Larry had the skills and gave the thrills.
@@ElectricCool mercer was a legendary fighter in his prime a old 5 years past his prime and out of shape mercer nearly beat a prime and peak lennox lewis the fit and prime ray mercer of the early 1990s would've beaten prime lennox lewis no doubt.
I never thought Holmes was an intimidating guy, and I don't think many of his opponents did either. But that's why I love him. People doubted him his entire career, from his fighting ability to his brain power, and he proved everybody wrong. He was always the underdog yet almost always came out on top, proving he was one of the greatest heavyweights to ever fight.
Tyson would have destroyed him in the FIRST ROUND in BOTH their primes. Fact!Mercer was just trying with him. Stretched it out. Could have finished him several times.
Larry Holmes was a great heavyweight. He would have been big trouble for any heavyweight of any era. All time top five heavyweight easy. Larry, thanks for the memories. I hope you are doing well and enjoying life.
When I was a kid the story was always about Foreman coming out of retirement and reclaiming the title. I am just now learning about how impressive Holmes was after the Tyson fight. Both guys in my top 5 favorites.
Larry Holmes was one of the best heavyweights of all time if not the best. What he did to a very average Mercer in Mercer's prime and well out of Holmes' prime was a boxing lesson.
What aMasterclass from Holmes this is what real boxings is all about. Holmes might not of been in his prime but it just shows u don’t lose ur ring craft or skill
Mercer went on to fight for like 15 more years, even knocking out former UFC champ Tim Sylvia in an MMA fight. The guy had balls the size of meteors. Holmes was just that good.
Larry's stance threw off Mercer. Great defence by Larry against the ropes. And great stanima by Larry. Not much of a Holmes fan. But he got my respect.
Was an honor to watch Homes fight. Once he find the distance he was a sight to behold. He fought some of the hardest punchers in history. Was funny actually. The fighters that beat him were not hard punchers at all. When he fought Shavers, Holmes was hit with a right hand never seen before and went down. He got up and tkoed Shavers. To me, Holmes in his prime could have beat Tyson and Ali in their prime. What a fighter!!
@@ItsBenRoyboy Tyson did beat Holmes, but it was an old, rusty and coming out of retirement Holmes that didn't even had a month to prepare to fight against Mike Tyson in his prime. Tyson would never catch up prime Holmes speed because his chasing is slow, that's the reason Mike Tyson always needed to strike fear into his enemy before the fight, he needed making his enemy back up by their selves. Muhammad Ali vs Larry Holmes is a mystery, it could go either way like George Foreman vs Sonny Liston. Both fighters were equally fast and had similar durability and great stamina, Holmes vs Ali would be a 15 rounds war basically.
@@aarondigby9859 What Liston have in common with Holmes? Nothing. Holmes uses a very similar style to Cassius Clay/60s Ali, and they were pretty equal in handspeed and footwork, it would be a 15 rounds bout to be decided in a close decision because both wouldn't be able to run away from each other due to their speed.
Larry Holmes is extremely under rated. This is one of the few examples that proves Holyfield fought a out of prime/ even if we’re just talking mind frame. Tyson knocked Holmes out in 88 in the 4th round. Holyfield went 12 rounds and won by a decision. Holmes and Mercer both were under rated in my opinion. Mercer was always great to watch
His sweet heart ain't nothing but a call girl! Jenny from Jacksonville. That shows what kinda no moral sucker he is! And he wanna street fight I'll break all the bones in his body if he wants to street fight with me! Larry holmes kick me, and punch me right here in front of everybody!
@@НуралиЧекиров even old larry of the early 1990s would destroy prime lewis old larry schooled prime mercer while old and out of shape mercer nearly beat prime lewis
@@kevdean9967 Joe Louis had one of the best jabs of all heavyweight champions. Greatest knockout artist any weight, all time = Joe Louis. I think Holmes had the best jab of all heavyweight champions followed by Louis, Ali, Liston.
Mr Holmes fought a perfect fight.....I don't why people thought he would loose he is one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time...He was champion for like. I believe 7 years and had something like 20 title defensiveness he never ducked know one of the greatest off all time much respect for Ray too .
Brilliant performance by the legendary "Easton Assassin", Larry Holmes. I would've loved to have seen Holmes fought George Foreman in their primes in the mid-late 70s. But unfortunately, that fight never materialized. A fight I think Larry would've won because Foreman always had problems with slick boxers who had fast hands and feet (Muhammad Ali, Jimmy Young, and Evander Holyfield come to mind).
@@madeobola5499 Like I said in my post, Foreman had tremendous difficulties with boxers who moved around the ring from side-to-side and Larry had a lot of Muhammad Ali like techniques in his boxing repertoire. Either way, "The Easton Assassin" would've won by (more than likely) a late round knockout or a decision.
Foreman avoided Holmes. He wasnt afraid of him but foreman wanted fighters that wanted to slug it out. No way Holmes was ever going to stand in front of foremen knowing foreman had that kind of power.
Forman kinda counted on fighters getting tired of punching him and getting the one punch he needed . But holmes way to smart Larry doesn't get tired of jabbing holmes would have won on points easy . Look at both 9f their matches vs Evander forman was a punching bag for 12 rounds holmes vs Evander was competitive. Point number 2 Morrison crushed forman mercer beat Morrison and Larry beat mercer
@@TheCoachjordan42 They were going to fight in 1976 though but Holmes backed out due to payment. Then they even agreed to fight in 1999 but the money was never paid up and they both backed out. Don't know where you guys got Foreman ducking Holmes from.
Yeah, Mercer came in after knocking out 28-0 Morrison, 27-0 Damiani, and won a UD vs Cooper. He had four or five tune-up fights, so i wonder what it woulda looked like if he had four tune up fights prior to Tyson fight
Mercer and Holmes both had good chins. Mercer went the distance with Lennox Lewis and took a lot of punishment. Larry Holmes was able to fight later in his career because he had such a good jab to keep opponents off.
@Fred Virtuoso best win is Ezzard Charles who was a career light heavyweight Marciano is more like a top 20 heavyweight Do you see him competing with the heavyweights of today Alis best win is a prime George Foreman Foreman would have done to Marciano what he done to Frazier and Norton
Untill now there is no body like larry he is very nice man, very respecful, larry a big kiss for all family ,we miss you,we like the way you.was beating ray mercer
Funny how everyone talks how well Holmes fought at 42 and how he took Holyfield the distance. Yet, this very same guy at this age was knocked into the next century in less than 4 rounds.
Casual boxing fans aren't aware of Holmes' great skills; in his prime; he had one of the greatest jabs in the HW division, and his right cross was nothing to laugh about if you were on the receiving end.
Larry was involved in some of the most legendary boxing moments. His moments where he got up after a shavers power punch to win the fight. His uppercut against weaver in a losing and KOd him and most importantly, his dropkick off a car at Trevor Berbick.
39:32 So the WBO is responsible for this not being a Title Fight on some "take my marbles and go home" bull!! These organizations have always been dirty.
This fight demonstrates that Larry Holmes is the greatest heavyweight of the post-Ali era. Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis are the other two candidates for this honor, but Tyson was knocked out in his prime by a journeyman, and Lewis was knocked out in his prime by two journeyman heavyweights. Holmes didn't lose until he was 36 years old and this same Ray Mercer gave a prime Lewis all he could handle.
Holmes' jab was amazing, but Mercer's could take people's heads off as was seen in the first round! Almost took Larry out with it. But Holmes showed brilliance here against a fighter much more physically strong. Reminiscent of Ali.
I loved seeing this after Mercer almost killed Tommy Morrison by continuing to punch Tommy long after he was already knocked out. He needed to be humbled and he certainly was in this fight.
The 1990's was such an awesome era for heavy weight boxing, it's popularity as a sport was at an all-time high. I don't think we'll ever see the likes of it again.
![MIKE TYSON VS CHAMPIONS [FULL HD] 1080p](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TeQaozsR0Zs/mqdefault.jpg)
he went his whole career looking for that thunderous applause at the end .. and he finally got it in the twilight of his career .. god knows if anybody deserved it it was holmes .. i'll always have a love for ol larry .. the true hardluck champion if ever was one
Sadly every Dominate Black HW fighter who was Unabashidly Brash (By Biased media & fans went through this) and got their Flowers Well After their Prime..
Ali vs Foreman
Foreman vs Moore
Holmes vs Mercer
I believe if Wilder fights after his prime...and beats the next So called HW CHAMP since slice bread...he will get that same love....admiration. Like his boxing elders before him...IMO
@@mr.boxingmoves486 oh please. Tons of black fighters were praised in their prime.
Holmes was a people chump
@@mr.boxingmoves486quit lying because none of those guys are as disrespected as holmes was and most were highly regarded regardless of the guys they faced foreman could beat 5 bums in 1 night and people applaud it holmes go 20 defenses and he was criticized called overrated and never given his due ali get knocked out by cooper and had to cheat yet he hailed as the greatest like be real and quit lying
@@Ffeoli1039 OH REALLY 🤨okay since 1900 name All the black HW CHAMPIONS who got their praise at the height of their HW careers... I'M WAITING 🤨
Larry was one of the last from the Golden age of boxing.
SO UNDER RATED.
True Warriors are indeed a rare breed! The way these two boxers embraced themselves at the end of the bout, is the true measure of their strength , worth and their character!!
Holmes was past his prime and yet he still beat the crap out of Mercer.
Great fighter.
Fun Fact, 35 year old JESSE FERGUSON also beat MERCER in 1993
@@ironmike-putsallkindavideo7840 Mercer beat him in the rematch bro
@@ZBOXINGTALK That doesn't reverse the loss, though.
I m boxer
@@ironmike-putsallkindavideo7840 Fun Fact II: Mercer was in poor condition and10 pounds heavier against Ferguson.
Incredible performance by Larry Holmes, Nobody gave him a chance in this fight and he shocked the world A 4 to 1 Underdog. His jab was incredibly acurate for a 42 year old man. Two thumbs way up for the man from Easton Pa.
Not to mention how stiff and hard that jab was. People who got hit, said it felt like freaking pistol bullet. No wonder they call him the "Easton Assassin". A truly remarkable fighter, hands down!
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One of the greatest fighter of all time. Much respect Larry Holmes
Indeed
The most underrated heavyweight of all time. The best jab in business, excellent ring tactician, and superb killer instinct.
Zero power.
As good as Ali brilliant times of boxing
Holmes had the best jab in boxing because it was a strong jab. Ali’s jab was pretty and a flicking jab to set up the other punches but Holmes threw it with aggression and pinpoint accuracy.
He was an average champ. 70's guys were gone or used up and the other guys he faced were tomato cans.
Underappreciated, yes, not underrated
AMAZING FACT: Holmes fought for 10 more years after beating Mercer. He kept fighting til age 52!!! His last fight was against Butterbean in 2002 and Holmes won.
One of the top5 all time, imo
@@contrarian717 without a doubt
amen
Larry is a super master degree,we will get him very. Easy, like larry he is number one
Homes did better than Lennox Lewis against Mercer. Kudos to the big cat the Easton assassin🥊🥊
Larry Holmes is one of the few people on this planet that I would love to meet, so I could shake this legendary boxers hand and buy him a beer!! This man is so under appreciated as a champion!!! The Eason assassin, Larry Holmes my GOAT!!!
I'd age some wine for a meeting with him. Not that I drink. Lol
It might have something to do with his mouth. He's said some selfish fucked up things. That sort of behavior stains the publics perception of you. Was he a great HW champ? Absolutely.
Oh get a room!
Even though Larry Holmes was a better fighter than Muhammad Ali and a lot of the others from that era he did not have the Charisma of Muhammad Ali... Larry Holmes is a great individual and does a lot for his community and was not given his fair dues
@@Heavyweight-kh8ss Absolutely!!!
the emotion for Holmes at the end of the fight is really something. the way he was so disrespected as a champ is a disgrace. He couldn't leave boxing with that k.o vs Tyson.
One of the very best fights I have ever seen - so tactical
Mercer got schooled by the 42 year old veteran and one of the greatest heavyweights of all times "the Easton assassin larry holmes"
One of ????
THE
@@bb-gc2tx Larry is a top 5 i got lennox Lewis at 1
@scarface 38 naw lewis would stop holmes
@Slevin holmes never stopped mercer he outboxed him and yeah holmes had a better chin imo
@Slevin --Lewis did not stop Mercer.
Larry Holmes - most underrated champion, I'm not sure why? So many successful defences. His defeats were when he was past his best.
He was robbed the 1st Spinks fight but should have known that he had to KO Mike due to all the politics about Rocky. And. I should have bet.. everything I owned on Spinks.
Yep I never understood why Holmes didn't get the credit he deserved . My only guess is because he didn't have the physique of a Holyfied or the charisma of a Foreman but he definitely had the skill and resume .
Butch James cuz Ali and Marciano hates him lol... he’ll whoop both any day in their prime ... they truly fucked up his legacy
@@robertkulikowski6380 The judges gave him the decision. That part is true. HOLMES mistake was going into the fight with the delusion that he was the Champion. Instead his mindset should have been as a Challenger which he was unable to do because he had been champion so long. This fight had to be approached with him trying to kill Spinks because he was not getting any decision. That's so guys like you can write 'Spinks won the 1st fight' So yes Happy?
@@robertkulikowski6380 On the other hand for a long time Champion to get outpointed without getting embarrassed or beatup stinks. Add Leonard over Hagler as well as Norton Ali 2 and 3.
Spinks had no charisma that guaranteed big money fights, the only thing in his favor was stopping Holmes from breaking Rocky Marciano's record. So again, by failing to knock Spinks out or beat him relentlessly for 15 rounds, Holmes lost the fight
Larry had skill which he carried to an older age. He was just that special. I always admired what he did in the ring! His jab has got to be one of the top 5 jabs in the history of the boxing! His boxing ability was much like poetry in motion. Even Mike Tyson said in the post fight interview after defeating Holmes, he stated very clearly that if Holmes was at his best, he would not have won because Holmes is a great fighter. Thank you Larry for all of the good memories of what you gave us and I shall never forget!
@K2 FU he won both spinks fights,powers that be hated on him because he said rocky Marciano couldn't carry his jock strap,they was salty about that ever since.that fight he would have broke rocky Marciano's record.
@@JustMe-ws2pe He certainly didn't beat Spinks twice, most had him winning the second fight but their first encounter Spinks dominated him.
Tyson was being humble but he likely would have KO'd Holmes no matter which version he faced. Holmes had a propensity for being rocked, knocked down and Tyson was a great finisher and was far more lethal than anybody Holmes ever beat.
@@TheRhinopowerusa, if only there existed, a time machine that could propel Tyson back to the time when Holmes was in his prime.
@@JustMe-ws2pe Holmes has been robbed before but was gifted the fight against Carl Williams pretty much ruining Williams career.
Holmes is older than Mercer and he's hammering him damn well. I think in his prime he'd kill him. He was the main sparring partner for Ali. That speaks for itself
Prime Holmes murders Ray 😂😂😂😂 u r 1000% correct on that front
The most disrespected fighter of all time is Larry. But he is one of the best.
Why was he disrespected?
He is, he was The Man for a decade, went 48-0 as Champ, with 20 successful title defenses yet would be akin to Lennox in a way, he came after Ali as Lennox came after Tyson, ironically, Holmes vs Ali and Lennox vs Tyson never really meant much. My gripe with Holmes, and I don't know if it would have mattered much (BTW, stopped once vs prime Tyson and was off two years) was that he didn't fight two top guys, undefeated Dokes and undefeated Pinklon Thomas. They were there at the time, and he would instead fight younger undefeated guys like Witherspoon and Williams. The disrespect does come from calling it anything other than that, he was the man at a time where there was much talent, unfortunate on hold by Don King
@@Theiron2142 he is so bitter.. he used to had" trash talk" against Foreman only cause he fight like him after his 40s and won the title.. .. he keep the attention saying things about boxers that he fought with.. or people he wont but he wanted to fight with... he slapped ali at the press fight before the fight ..he wanted to be funny but he is an asshole ... and he knew that he would won the fight before the fight get in to it.. ali was sick he didnt need to slapped ali.
he never saw tyson like a real champ.. even that holmes lose against him when holmes had 38 ... he said that the champions from 70s.. norton frazier ali could whup tyson ..
You just described Marciano.
It's funny that you mentioned Marciano because I think that's the main reason why Holmes has been dissed by far too many; he made some comments about Marciano that some found disrespectful as he came close to tying Rocky's record!
Some fans, myself included, believe that's why Larry wasn't given the "champ's courtesy" in his disputed loss to Michael Spinks! That was a very close fight and if the champ makes a good accounting for himself, usually judges let him squeak by with a victory! They weren't having it with Holmes and some fans speculated it was for the Marciano comments. Ditto for the rematch which I thought Holmes won, but I admit I'm just a fan, not a judge!
This is what A gentleman look like as a gladiator ...Larry Holmes is one great guy
So glad Larry got this! Truly one of the most under appreciated champions in history!
The word underrated is said many times on the internet but in this case I agree, Holmes is vastly underrated.
Grew up in the 80's while Holmes was Champ. Not given enough respect for being such a good fighter. Props to The Easton Assassin. Dude was a force
Arguably the best jab in the history of the heavyweight division.
He was terrific, probably more so in the later 70's. When he was young, he was FAST, had great stamina, and would beat the crap out of people. As he got older, he became more of a plodder & tactician. Still good tho.
His biggest knock was lack of competition but yes an absolute legend! His early 80’s run the hw division was pretty weak to my recollection! It honestly didn’t pick up until the early years of Tyson and all the greats that came in rite around or after his time!
@Dingoplexor and being the champion pretty much right after Ali.
@@nativewildman9335 facts after Ali was who ppl recognized and accepted as their HW champ for all the years he was on top? Larry had huge shoes to fill on that one!
I remember watching this fight in a large and crowded sports bar in Albany, NY. They had a million TV's, some showing the fight, some showing ball games, and others showing horse racing which you could bet on in the bar (legal OTB had two tellers in the bar). It seemed most people felt Holmes was way past it and would get killed by the much younger Mercer, who had big power in both hands, so the fight didn't get a whole lot of attention paid to it, with most of the guys preferring to spend their time hitting on the large variety of well- dressed girls in there. By the time the last 3 rounds were fought, the whole bar was cheering loudly for Larry, and a collective roar let out every time he landed a punch. It was really quite a sight to see Larry Holmes performance captivate a large crowd, who felt obligated to give the old grand master a final salute.
Wow
Salute
2 thumbs up jack
@jack. Sounds like Jillians on north pearl street.
Nothing can beat the veteran monster of the ring Larry Holmes long live the champion congrats
Translate to Tagalog
Holmes biggest problem was fighting the media which was the only "real" kayo loss of his career. Holmes vs Ali was really the passing of the torch or lineal championship (Ali retired with that title with a win over Spinks although Holmes was WBC champ). But because the media did not like Holmes, many of them wrote that Holmes beat an old suffering man. They should have written Holmes was in a no win situation because he had to defeat his teacher/mentor to be recognized as the Lineal Champion/Ring Champion/Man Who Beat the Man because his WBC title was no better than the WBA (although Holmes defeated the reigning WBA champion Weaver). When Cooney arrived on the scene, the media put Cooney on the cover of magazines with actors etc. Cooney, a challenger, appeared on a soap opera and in commercials. Meanwhile, Holmes family was being terrorized and racial intimidated! Ali fights Evangelista, Shavers, Norton, and Spinks and he is the greatest. Holmes fights the same guys and they are now bums. Tyson is praised for what he did to Berbick, Smith, and Frazier. Holmes fights the same guys and the media claimed they should be recognized as exhibitions, not title defenses. When he came close to tying Marciano's record, the media instigated the situation which possibly resulted in Marciano's broter rooting AGAINST Holmes to match his brother's record. Tyson is praised for Unifying the titles, but Holmes is blamed for not unifying the titles against Gerrie Coetzee because a judge ruled against it. Holmes spoke out against Apartheid, but we know him more for saying,"Rocky Marciano couldn't carry my jock strap!" thanks to the media. The sports writers and media did an injustice to Holmes. They would bait the guy during press conferences and get Holmes to go off! Holmes could not laugh it off like Ali. When attacked by the media, Holmes fired back and unfortunately the media got him back in the press by misleading fans or spinning his achievements in a negative fashion. I ask this question, why didn't anyone criticize Pinklon Thomas for giving Witherspoon a rematch? What happened to Dokes vs Page? Why did Greg Page get a title shot against Cooetzee when he lost to Berbick, Witherspoon, and Bey? How many of the other 80s heavyweights gave rematches? However, we blame Holmes for not giving Norton a rematch. This is the same Norton who did not give Jimmy Young a rematch. But yet, we hold this against Holmes. Holmes lost to Duane Bobick in 1972 and by 1982 when Holmes has already broken the record for most kayos in title defenses, the media reminds us that he crawled out of the ring in 1972 against Bobick so be on the look out! Holmes was a novice and was barely an adult at the time, but this is held against him by the crappy sports writers. People like Gil Clancy wasn't going to use his platform to tell viewers that he was wrong about Holmes. It is easier to keep saying that Holmes is a fluke and fighting bums.Holmes victory over Mercer at age 42 pretty much said that Mercer would have died in the ring if he fought Holmes and Foreman in the 1970s.
Fuckthewhitedevilmedia
I remember when Cooney fought Holmes, the champion entered the ring before the challenger, such was the bias towards the white fighter.
Hit The Nail on the head..One of the best...
Cuz theres so many casual boxing fans. Alot of them arent boxing fans. Just boxer fans and boxer hater.
Wow I didn't know this! I always admired Holmes but I didn't know the media was against him! This should be posted many more times! This should be shared!
A unsung hero of boxing, he had all the attributes that make a great boxer and his record is testament to that
This man's jab was one of the best in the sport! Always underrated yet a great fighter nonetheless.
@Afri Media I never felt this guy received the same respect that other champions did, simply my opinion.
@Afri Media Larry is underrated.
@Afri Media The same way they spoke about him tonight. They couldn't wait for him to get KO'd.
Mercer underestimated the great Larry Holmes he thought that just because Larry was 42 that he was would just blow him away. But how wrong he was.. he got schooled
In the words of George Foreman "You don't go 12 rounds with Larry Holmes and not learn something about the left jab". Schooled indeed my friend!
Yep and it helped that Holmes showed up in way better shape . Mercer looked fat and slow . He definitely paid for his cockiness.
@@StormFive Foreman the Yoda of heavyweight boxing . One of the most intelligent fighters ever .
Yeah Larry Holmes handled Mercer even though it was a tough fight.
@Ra HoWa didn't help Holmes that that was his comeback fight and Mike was at his peak as a fighter. Mercer had no plan to set Larry up like Mike had.
This fight is what made me solidify my belief that the 1970's boxers and including holms vs Norton which represented the passing of the torch, were the best ever. Larry Holms beat a legitimate contender for the heavyweight title. Mercer would lose a controversial decision to Lennox Lewis a few years later. Yes this fight made me believe that holms is one of the all time greats
Darin Loveland the 70s was an incredible era, the top 5 were:
1. Ali
2. Foreman
3. Frazier
4. Holmes
5. Norton
In ATG rankings, it looks something like:
1. Ali
2. Louis
3. Lewis
4. Holmes
5. Wladimir Klitschko
6. Foreman
7. Frazier
8. Liston
9. Holyfield
10. Tyson
Darin Loveland seriously Larry is 42 in this fight, Larry ten years younger fight over in 4 rounds. This guy was sparring with Ali and never got his does. As far as the rest of the guys in his era- Kenny Norton broke Ali's jaw,Joe Frazier 3 fights with Ali can't get better,George Foreman( the mummy) we all know how that ended. The rest after Holmes except Tyson forget about it, Ali on Holmes best jab in the business and can take a punch watch the fight. Ray is 31 and a hard dude but not in the same league.
Holmes didn't rematch Mike Tyson
Darin Loveland ,ME TOO.GOD BLESS.ELEMENTARY KID, PEACE OUT
@@sovietai2595 , Great ATG list!
Just a Maestro in the ring.. I watched his whole career and always thought he was utterly brilliant.. What a jab, what a chin, what a performance..
Ladies and gentlemen... The Easton Assassin..
Ice cream love ya in different flavors 31 by bryers cease the symphony n see ya later
It's important to note that Ray Mercer gave a prime Lennox Lewis hell AFTER this defeat to the 42 year old Larry Holmes. Larry's impressive win over Mercer sealed the deal in regards to Holmes being 1 of the 3 (e.g., Ali, Louis, Holmes) greatest heavyweights in boxing history. Unlike several great or near great heavyweight champions, Larry never lost in his prime and sans 1 punch knockout power, Holmes was a complete fighter. The best left jab in boxing history, terrific hand and foot speed, high boxing IQ, great stamina, granite chin, and a prodigious heart/will to win.
Lol he was good, but top 3 all-time you're dreaming!
@@cedericocosantorini8013 Your knowledge of boxing history is slim and Slim left town. In addition to Larry's 20 title defenses and 7 1/2 year title reign, Mercer gave a prime Lennox Lewis hell AFTER this defeat to the 42 year old Holmes. Larry's impressive win over Mercer sealed the deal in regard to Holmes being 1 of the 3 (e.g., Ali, Louis, Holmes) greatest heavyweights in boxing history. Unlike several great or near great heavyweight champions, Larry never lost in his prime and sans 1 punch knockout power, Holmes was a complete fighter. The best left jab in boxing history, terrific hand and foot speed, high boxing IQ, great stamina, granite chin, and a prodigious heart/will to win.
@@pjtheory Who are you trying to persuade here ? There are literally dozens of better HW boxers in history - HISTORY is the main word here, to give you a hint. You just a clown, have some more crack.
@@pjtheory One can judge a fighter from what he DID with respect to the opposition he got. Not from what joeblow pjtheory thinks that fighter did or COULD have done. There is literally a dozen better HW boxers in history - HISTORY being the main word here, just a pointer for you. Get real.
The prime part is true, he's a bit aging at the Spinks fight
People thought Holmes was cocky. Larry wanted that love and admiration and he got it. He aged very cool and glad he pulled this off. God bless him
Mike Tyson later said if Larry Holmes had more time to prepare for the fight with him he woulda went to distance as he brought up the fight with ray Mercer and gave Larry much respect for his skills! Larry was just a Beast and true Scientist of the boxing ring!
Mike Tyson was just being modest. The same Mike Tyson who BEAT Holmes in ‘88 would KO this version of Holmes inside 4 rounds as well. Mike Tyson is such an underrated boxer. His losses hurt his legacy.
@@irod3932 Tyson said tgat for respect but I agree, he would won any Holmes version. Styles make fights. A skilled swarmer and counter puncher like Tyson would won an out boxer and counter puncher like Holmes.
He said that only for respect, Tyson would won any Holmes version.
@@Shovelhook I don't agree. Tyson never fought anyone of Holmes's class and won (of course his actual fight with Holmes was such short notice that for me it doesn't count). If Tyson was so good, why did he not fight Mercer? Tyson was one of the most important heavyweights of all time but not one of the best
This was a very impressive win for Larry. He handled Ray a lot better than Lennox Lewis did.
Agreed. Mercer almost took Lewis out in their fight.
Not to mention Mercer was already in his mid 30s by the time he faced Lennox.
even when my favorite boxers are tyson, bowe and holyfield. i feel like after Ali, Holmes is the best heavyweight, he dominated his era and was competent even at an advanced age
I luckily got to meet Larry Holmes at Shoppingtown Mall in Syracuse, NY about a week or two before this fight. I remember walking up to him so he could sign my LH boxing card. I thanked him and wished him luck against his fight with Mercer. I sincerely wanted him to win but was thinking he didn’t stand a chance because of his age and especially after seeing what Mercer did to Tommy Morrison 4 months prior.. Nonetheless, he fought a wise and strategic boxing match against Mercer taking the win..Boy, I sure was shocked 😮 but very happy. 😃 ...In my opinion, Holmes is the most underrated heavyweight of all time. He ducked nobody, holding the title for seven years!
I remember the vibe back then,
Many people wanted to see Larry Holmes lose all his fights. IMO he had the body, mind and skills in his prime to beat anybody on his best day.
larry holmes has one of the highest boxing IQs ever that's why he was so good. His ability to be calm and composed in the ring helped him so much. He probably learned that from ali
what a damn good, supersmart fight by Larry. He made Mercer, who should be grateful as he got free boxing lessons, look like a rookie. Larry had the skills and gave the thrills.
Mercer was always a bum. Not taking anything away from Larry...but this dude would've have cut it in the 70s
@@ElectricCool
mercer was a legendary fighter in his prime
a old 5 years past his prime and out of shape mercer nearly beat a prime and peak lennox lewis
the fit and prime ray mercer of the early 1990s would've beaten prime lennox lewis no doubt.
Holmes one of the greatest ever
Larry Holmes could beat you just with that stare. 9:23 One of the best fighters of all times.
Didn't notice the stare. Was too busy getting jabbed in the face
I never thought Holmes was an intimidating guy, and I don't think many of his opponents did either. But that's why I love him. People doubted him his entire career, from his fighting ability to his brain power, and he proved everybody wrong. He was always the underdog yet almost always came out on top, proving he was one of the greatest heavyweights to ever fight.
Yeah it didn't work against Wladimir either.
Tyson would have destroyed him in the FIRST ROUND in BOTH their primes. Fact!Mercer was just trying with him. Stretched it out. Could have finished him several times.
Larry Holmes was a great heavyweight. He would have been big trouble for any heavyweight of any era. All time top five heavyweight easy. Larry, thanks for the memories. I hope you are doing well and enjoying life.
@john Gray Larry is so underrated…
Holmes was the perfect heavyweight. Best jab in HW history conditioning and power were way above average most under rated champ of all time
When I was a kid the story was always about Foreman coming out of retirement and reclaiming the title.
I am just now learning about how impressive Holmes was after the Tyson fight. Both guys in my top 5 favorites.
@@LARRY_HOLMES_88 77u
@@pintoleo8025 ...
.
.. .....
Larry Holmes was one of the best heavyweights of all time if not the best. What he did to a very average Mercer in Mercer's prime and well out of Holmes' prime was a boxing lesson.
Mercer wasn't average. Average fighters don't normally win Olympic gold medals and heavyweight belts
Mercer was a seasoned vet in the Olympics fighting kids. Not a real comparison. Did he win the heavyweight title? I dont really think he did
No. Not the best. Top 20 for sure though.ali, foreman , frazier, louis, dempsey, liston, would have knocked him into tomorrow. But hes up there.
@@jasonspringer2983 Mercer was pretty average
Larry Holmes is the best.
the fact that this was supposed to be a WBO title match, means Holmes would have regained a portion of the Heavyweight title....something he deserved
Unfortunately the WBO wasn't considered a major belt back in the 90's (at least in America anyway)
Holmes is one of the most skilled heavyweights of all time.
½p😊
What aMasterclass from Holmes this is what real boxings is all about. Holmes might not of been in his prime but it just shows u don’t lose ur ring craft or skill
was a hell of a good fight by holmes ! 42 years old. mercer was a very good very tought fighter, even lewis couldnt take mercer out
Mercer went on to fight for like 15 more years, even knocking out former UFC champ Tim Sylvia in an MMA fight. The guy had balls the size of meteors. Holmes was just that good.
Holmes shocked the world. Nobody expected that from Larry!
E creo ch
@@mariomoreno8558 What??
31:09 "im not Tommy Morrison" 😂
That was legendary
😂😂
Awesome. He was able to take time to do so during that situation, and he was past his prime.
@@lexsoft3969 Yes, he was very skilled.
🚰🚱
Larry's stance threw off Mercer. Great defence by Larry against the ropes. And great stanima by Larry. Not much of a Holmes fan. But he got my respect.
Corner-A-Dope in this fight.
@@kcash6359 hater
@@kcash6359 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😅😅😅😅😅😆😆😆😆
ONE OF THE MOST MASTERFUL FIGHTS IVE EVER SEEN!!!!!! TRULY REMARKABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree - a true lesson in "boxing"
43:37 - Vicious combo! Holmes had some speed and sting in his punches!
Was an honor to watch Homes fight. Once he find the distance he was a sight to behold. He fought some of the hardest punchers in history. Was funny actually. The fighters that beat him were not hard punchers at all. When he fought Shavers, Holmes was hit with a right hand never seen before and went down. He got up and tkoed Shavers. To me, Holmes in his prime could have beat Tyson and Ali in their prime. What a fighter!!
The student can't beat the teacher and Tyson beat Holmes and he's a hard puncher, almost as hard as me 😐
@@ItsBenRoyboy Tyson did beat Holmes, but it was an old, rusty and coming out of retirement Holmes that didn't even had a month to prepare to fight against Mike Tyson in his prime. Tyson would never catch up prime Holmes speed because his chasing is slow, that's the reason Mike Tyson always needed to strike fear into his enemy before the fight, he needed making his enemy back up by their selves. Muhammad Ali vs Larry Holmes is a mystery, it could go either way like George Foreman vs Sonny Liston. Both fighters were equally fast and had similar durability and great stamina, Holmes vs Ali would be a 15 rounds war basically.
Holmes could never have beaten a prime Clay/Ali, no way. You need to watch the Liston/Clay fight in Miami 1964.
@@aarondigby9859 What Liston have in common with Holmes? Nothing. Holmes uses a very similar style to Cassius Clay/60s Ali, and they were pretty equal in handspeed and footwork, it would be a 15 rounds bout to be decided in a close decision because both wouldn't be able to run away from each other due to their speed.
Growing up as a kid, Larry Holmes was "always" my favorite boxer.
Mine too est to over do it
Best to ever do it Larry Holmes
26:00 Holmes said come on boy! 😂😂 I hope I heard that right.
08934673 Música Paco de Lucía Concierto de ARanjuez Guitarra y Orquesta .
26:15
Larry Holmes is extremely under rated. This is one of the few examples that proves Holyfield fought a out of prime/ even if we’re just talking mind frame. Tyson knocked Holmes out in 88 in the 4th round. Holyfield went 12 rounds and won by a decision. Holmes and Mercer both were under rated in my opinion. Mercer was always great to watch
King Holmes,no scandals,same wife,thirty yr's.
He's the man. A shame how they robbed him against Holyfield and Spinks 2.
@ -I believe he beat Spinks first fight.Still the king.
His sweet heart ain't nothing but a call girl! Jenny from Jacksonville. That shows what kinda no moral sucker he is! And he wanna street fight I'll break all the bones in his body if he wants to street fight with me!
Larry holmes kick me, and punch me right here in front of everybody!
@@sleazyfellow I see you Trevor Berbick
Great fighters goes toe to toe
I truly believed this guy was gonna retire undefeated.
Larry vs Lewis
@@НуралиЧекиров
even old larry of the early 1990s would destroy prime lewis
old larry schooled prime mercer
while old and out of shape mercer nearly beat prime lewis
Probably has the best jab amongst all-time great heavyweights. That is just a wicked left he got.
@Brian Cahoon No that would be Ali
@@johnmartin2436 Ali's jab scored points. Holmes' jab did damage.
Holmes, Ali, Lewis, Liston, Foreman! My top HW jabs.
@@kevdean9967 Joe Louis had one of the best jabs of all heavyweight champions. Greatest knockout artist any weight, all time = Joe Louis. I think Holmes had the best jab of all heavyweight champions followed by Louis, Ali, Liston.
@@halleck3 great comment
Larry really turned back the clock in this fight.
Mercer got schooled by an old veteran.Holmes was not heavyweight champion for 7 year and 20 defenses for nothing
9 years
19 defenses
@@tgh223 uuuuuuu. uuukuuuukuuku. u
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuumuuuuuumuuuuukuuuuuuuuuuuiuukuuuuiukuuukukuuuu
uu z
For real! Holmes was of the best ever
你好
Mr Holmes fought a perfect fight.....I don't why people thought he would loose he is one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time...He was champion for like. I believe 7 years and had something like 20 title defensiveness he never ducked know one of the greatest off all time much respect for Ray too
.
I WATCH and PRAY, an Love watching these fights During November 3rd Elections 2020!
Larry had some speed at that age. Special times
Brilliant performance by the legendary "Easton Assassin", Larry Holmes. I would've loved to have seen Holmes fought George Foreman in their primes in the mid-late 70s. But unfortunately, that fight never materialized. A fight I think Larry would've won because Foreman always had problems with slick boxers who had fast hands and feet (Muhammad Ali, Jimmy Young, and Evander Holyfield come to mind).
Baby
Foreman would've obliterated Holmes. Holmes would've beaten him in the 90's but definitely not the 70's.
@@madeobola5499 Like I said in my post, Foreman had tremendous difficulties with boxers who moved around the ring from side-to-side and Larry had a lot of Muhammad Ali like techniques in his boxing repertoire. Either way, "The Easton Assassin" would've won by (more than likely) a late round knockout or a decision.
@@H.K.5 He definitely wouldnt. 70s Foreman did poorly against boxers with good chin, great jabs and high levels of speed. Larry had all of that.
@@SouthpawsRule217 Frazier was fast and had a good chin. Ali couldn’t outbox Foreman so I can’t see Holmes doing it at all.
Holms was the most underrated boxer of all time.
Agreed. Along with Liston in my view
Larry Holmes in this fight is what i would call Shades of Ali
@Sonny II bet you like Jake Paul
One fight I would've love to see, was LARRY VS FOREMAN
I was expecting then too but it never happened. Foreman keeps on ducking with Holmes. Foreman knew it would be a repeat of his KO loss with aLI.
HOLMES WINS
Foreman avoided Holmes. He wasnt afraid of him but foreman wanted fighters that wanted to slug it out. No way Holmes was ever going to stand in front of foremen knowing foreman had that kind of power.
Forman kinda counted on fighters getting tired of punching him and getting the one punch he needed . But holmes way to smart Larry doesn't get tired of jabbing holmes would have won on points easy . Look at both 9f their matches vs Evander forman was a punching bag for 12 rounds holmes vs Evander was competitive. Point number 2 Morrison crushed forman mercer beat Morrison and Larry beat mercer
@@TheCoachjordan42 They were going to fight in 1976 though but Holmes backed out due to payment. Then they even agreed to fight in 1999 but the money was never paid up and they both backed out. Don't know where you guys got Foreman ducking Holmes from.
One of the best heavyweight fights i've ever seen! Thank you so much for uploading it!
Mercer was SCHOOLED by The REAL Daddy Mr. Holmes here. Boxing 101.
As he said in that corner
"I'm NOT Tommy Morrison!"
"im not tommy morrison" you see those things in wwe but holmes was damn good in this fight
Yeah, Mercer came in after knocking out 28-0 Morrison, 27-0 Damiani, and won a UD vs Cooper. He had four or five tune-up fights, so i wonder what it woulda looked like if he had four tune up fights prior to Tyson fight
prior to tyson fight? did mercer ever faced tyson?
Great point.
Holmes should have had a rematch with Iron Mike Tyson
Mercer and Holmes both had good chins. Mercer went the distance with Lennox Lewis and took a lot of punishment. Larry Holmes was able to fight later in his career because he had such a good jab to keep opponents off.
Larry Holmes, the second greatest heavyweight of all time next to Ali who he learned so much from
@Fred Virtuoso best win is Ezzard Charles who was a career light heavyweight
Marciano is more like a top 20 heavyweight
Do you see him competing with the heavyweights of today
Alis best win is a prime George Foreman
Foreman would have done to Marciano what he done to Frazier and Norton
When Larry talks, I listen. His current interviews as a humble man is encouraging. Champ
Untill now there is no body like larry he is very nice man, very respecful, larry a big kiss for all family ,we miss you,we like the way you.was beating ray mercer
Waiting your reply
One of my most favorite fights to watch
One of the Greatest heavyweight boxing match.. Larry Holmes was a true LEGEND! Great match..
Larry Holmes a Champions Champion. Absolute legend.
At His peak that beautiful Holmes jab was something to take seriously
Larry Holmes the most underrated heavyweight of all time
Usyk will be as well, everyone still gushes over Fury and AJ despite the fact he's slapped them both silly.
Good fight and a real good win for Larry. I expected Holmes to box and use the jab but he was out slugging Mercer in the fight too. Remarkable stuff.
I'm deeply impressed by Larry Holmes, how can he perform this good at the age 42??!!
Very exciting fight
2 reasons. 1He took very good care of himself and 2nd Everyone doesn't age the same.
Holme's physical skills were very diminished from his peak but he still had ring smarts and knew how to maximize that.
Funny how everyone talks how well Holmes fought at 42 and how he took Holyfield the distance. Yet, this very same guy at this age was knocked into the next century in less than 4 rounds.
Against Tyson
Casual boxing fans aren't aware of Holmes' great skills; in his prime; he had one of the greatest jabs in the HW division, and his right cross was nothing to laugh about if you were on the receiving end.
His hap was as punishing as many heavyweights left hooks
31:08 is one of the most legendary moments in my boxing fandom, lol.
Larry was involved in some of the most legendary boxing moments. His moments where he got up after a shavers power punch to win the fight. His uppercut against weaver in a losing and KOd him and most importantly, his dropkick off a car at Trevor Berbick.
Good to see Larry rediscover his right hand in this fight.
Larry was always under rated. 😎👍🇺🇲💯🌟
Larry Holmes is one of the top 3 heavyweights of all time.
He is my number 1. No question with Lewis at number 2.
Number one
@@theopoint-o5141 Definitely.
@@jeffallinson8089 same for me. By far
Agreed.
39:32 So the WBO is responsible for this not being a Title Fight on some "take my marbles and go home" bull!! These organizations have always been dirty.
The amount of punches thrown and landed by these heavyweights is incredible! Especially a 42 year old Larry Holmes
Holmes dominates in the 70s 80s and 90s what a boss !!
Nope. Holmes didn’t dominate the 70s. Ali dominated the 70s, and the 60s of course.
Great fight for Larry! The fans finally behind him and cheering them on!!
Confused announcing at 37:58 :
"40 punches landed for Mercer in that last round compared to 17 for Ray Mercer."
The Great Larry Holmes. Super calm and controlled in there. Even at this stage of his career ? Holme’s jab was an absolute weapon 🥊🥊💥💥🥊🥊
This fight demonstrates that Larry Holmes is the greatest heavyweight of the post-Ali era. Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis are the other two candidates for this honor, but Tyson was knocked out in his prime by a journeyman, and Lewis was knocked out in his prime by two journeyman heavyweights. Holmes didn't lose until he was 36 years old and this same Ray Mercer gave a prime Lewis all he could handle.
Douglas wasnt a journymen if he fought for a title before he beat tyson which he loss to tony tucker by 10rd tko and was ina top 10 by ring magazine
That was not prime Tyson, it ended but he fired Rooney.
@@vlLEGTxSQUADX Tyson doing hooker and was in Cleary down hill after Rooney.
Holmes was the last of the great champions from the golden age of boxing.
Larry Holmes' lessons in boxing, chapter 1. Pupil: Ray Mercer
Holmes' jab was amazing, but Mercer's could take people's heads off as was seen in the first round! Almost took Larry out with it. But Holmes showed brilliance here against a fighter much more physically strong. Reminiscent of Ali.
Holmes has a lot of his Ali sparring in him. lol
watching this again, the most impressive Holmes fight I've ever seen , effin masterful .
Larry Holmes one of the best of all time
"I'm not Tommy Morrison."🤣
I loved seeing this after Mercer almost killed Tommy Morrison by continuing to punch Tommy long after he was already knocked out. He needed to be humbled and he certainly was in this fight.
I agree mercer is a dumb ignorant dirty fighter he also elbowed homes in this fight. was glad when Klitschko beat him down too
Morrison was not a serious trainer, drugs, parties, womanizing,etc. and the results was getting AIDS , and died a mess at a young age
The 1990's was such an awesome era for heavy weight boxing, it's popularity as a sport was at an all-time high. I don't think we'll ever see the likes of it again.
This is the greatest boxing match ever, none of that annoying hugging, jut pure brutality and some comedy thrown in
No one like Holmes at defending title. He's my top 10 ever in history.
Larry was a true boxer best jab best style man love his technique
This is as good as it gets.