Easton Assassin: Is Larry Holmes Boxing's Most Underrated Heavyweight?

-Larry Holmes improved his professional record to 48-1 after a narrow defeat to Michael Spinks in 1985, but lost his chance to match Rocky Marciano's 49-fight unbeaten streak.

The derogatory remarks he made in the heat of the moment about one of boxing's most beloved sons, Rocky Marciano, after that fight are still regarded as one of the most controversial statements in the history of the sport and would haunt Holmes for the entirety of his career, ultimately tarnishing the legacy of one of the most gifted heavyweights to ever grace the ring.

Holmes has made the second most title defenses in heavyweight history behind Joe Louis (19), holds the record for the longest individual heavyweight title reign in modern boxing history and is one of only five men to have beaten Muhammad Ali - so why is 'The Easton Assassin' so overlooked? Is it only because he dared to criticize one of boxing's most famous champions?


Aside from the controversial respect for boxing's heavyweights of the past, Holmes was a victim of the era in which he fought. When he won the heavyweight world title on June 9, 1979, against Ken Norton, the tough-as-nails former US Marine who had destroyed Muhammad Ali in three fights, the 'golden age' of boxing's most important division was coming to an end. Holmes' perfect punching demolition of Ali on October 2, 1980 heralded the beginning of a new era, and unfortunately Holmes did not have the star power to carry it forward.

Now 70, Holmes is considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time and often one of the most overlooked. Boxers rarely become world champions unless they get the basics right, and the jab is a case in point. Holmes carried arguably the best punch in the history of heavyweight boxing - a jarring, piston-like wrist flick that pierced even the stoutest defenses and often left his victims in a heap on the canvas.

His punching genius was no surprise, as he learned from the best. Holmes turned pro in 1973 at the height of heavyweight's golden age, and he couldn't have gotten a better education in the world of prizefighting, working as a sparring partner with the likes of Ali, Joe Frazier and the hard-fighting Earnie Shavers. "I was young and I didn't know much, but when I was sparring with those guys, I was holding back," Holmes once said. "I thought, 'Hey, these guys are the best, they're champions. If I can protect myself now, what about later?"


He defeated Shavers in 1978, won the world title against Norton the same year and went on to secure wins over top heavyweights such as Ali, Alfredo Evangelista, Gerry Cooney, Trevor Berbick, Leon Spinks, Tim Witherspoon and James 'Bonecrusher' Smith, cementing himself as the true star of heavyweight boxing in the early to mid-eighties.

Holmes, while undoubtedly talented, was cursed by the void left by Ali as the Louisville fighter grew older and flirted with retirement. Soft-spoken and occasionally stammering, Holmes was no match for the assertiveness and charisma of the self-proclaimed 'Greatest' Ali, and despite his considerable successes in the ring, he failed to capture the world's imagination like his former sparring partner and nemesis.

Another reason for Holmes' diminishing legacy was the contrast with the heavyweight flag bearer who succeeded him, Mike Tyson. The polar opposite of Muhammad Ali, Holmes' career would be overshadowed by a man who captured the world's imagination in an entirely different way - fear and intimidation.

Holmes was crushed in four rounds by the young Tyson in 1988, even though he was well past his prime. Being the victim of one of the most devastating knockouts by one of boxing's most popular champions did little to enhance Holmes' reputation with new-age fight fans - even today, when people wax lyrical about Tyson's raw brutality, they give little time to Holmes, who accomplished so much more in his career.

Being stuck between Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson is boxing's equivalent of a rock and a hard place. Boxing really is the most brutal sport.


Holmes was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008 and retired in 2002 with a record of 69-6 (44). It may not be the flawless record that Rocky Marciano hoped for when he doubted his legacy in 1985, but Holmes still shines brightly as one of the best heavyweights to step into the ring in boxing's long and storied history.

As for the dream fights of his boxing past, don't say it everywhere, but Larry Holmes beat Marciano every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Thanks for reading.