It was January of 1988 when former champion Larry ‘The Easton’ Assassin’ Holmes faced young ‘Iron Mike Tyson’ in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In the amateurs unbeaten Holmes met southpaw Nick Wells, 26-5, in the 1972 National Golden Gloves and was knocked out in three rounds. Holmes blamed it on a lack of southpaw sparring partners. He then obtained them before their next meeting.
They would meet again four months later at the Olympic Trials. At 1:54 of the first round, it was all over, and Wells was a winner again. “That guy Wells had my number, and he beat me again. Badly.”
“Iron” Mike Tyson had lost twice to Henry Tillman at the 1984 Olympic trials and box-offs. In the pros, he would meet him again in the fight after he lost his title to Buster Douglas, knocking him out in the first round.
As a professional, Holmes won his first 48 fights when he was matched with IBF light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks, 27-0. It was the first time a reigning light heavyweight champion beat the heavyweight champion. Holmes was one win from tying former champion Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record.
After the fight, he said, “Marciano couldn’t wear my jock strap!” I always wondered how Holmes got away with holding his left hand out and got away with it, if the shorter Marciano would come under it with a right uppercut and possibly do damage to the elbow of Holmes.
Holmes lost to Spinks on two score cards by one point, the same I scored it. In the rematch I had Holmes ahead by three points but he lost again.
Holmes won the title when he won a split decision over Ken Norton. Norton’s trainer told me, “Neither boxer wanted a rematch due to the toughness of the fight.”
Holmes, 37-0, in his eighth defense, had been the only one to have stopped former champion Muhammad ‘The Greatest’ Ali, 56-3, who had just come off winning the rematch against Leon Spinks, 7-0-1. Holmes showed no remorse, landing many punches to the head of Ali before it was stopped. Holmes claimed he knew how to beat Ali after having sparred with him.
Holmes was 44-0 when he stopped Marvis Frazier, 10-0, and after the fight, remarked, “That’s for the whippings your dad gave me in the gym!” Though heavyweight champs were usually not permitted to have non-title bouts, they did in this one, especially since Frazier was not rated.
In Holmes’ fifteenth defense, I felt he was fortunate to get a split decision over ‘Terrible’ Tim Witherspoon, 15-0. Holmes was 42-0 and never gave Witherspoon a rematch.
This all brings me to when Holmes, 48-2, after losing his two matches to Spinks, would meet WBA and WBC champion ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson, 32-0. Spinks looked terrified on his ring walk.
At ringside, the casino owner, future US president Donald J. Trump, and former champion Ali were present. When Ali was introduced into the ring, he simply tapped the gloves of Holmes. Then walked over to Tyson and whispered something in his ears. Tyson had idolized Ali.
In the first round though two of the judges gave it to Holmes he did a lot of holding as Tyson showed no respect for him. In the second round Tyson went to the body and Holmes started to show fear in his eyes as he tried moving away from Tyson who went after him.
In the fourth round, down went Holmes. Shortly later, again, a right from Tyson dropped Holmes on his back as the referee immediately called a halt without a count that wouldn’t have mattered, for he was out.
“I cried when Holmes beat Ali; beating Holmes was revenge for Ali,” said Tyson (who was 14 at the time).
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