Larry Holmes began his professional boxing career on March 21, 1973 against Rodell Dupree. He continued to improve, and eventually found himself a job as one of Muhammad Ali’s sparring partner, fighting numerous times on his undercard. He eventually broke is ties with Ali, and after defeating tough Earnie Shavers in March of 1978, earned […]
Larry Seeks Respect Read More »
The biggest fight talked about in years finally took place on Friday June 11, 1982 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Both brought undefeated records into the ring, with Holmes at 38-0 and Cooney at 25-0. One of the most disrespectful things ever done to a reigning heavyweight champion was done to Larry Holmes
Larry Holmes had been heavyweight champion of the world for nearly 4 years, but still didn’t have the respect he deserved. He had defeated all the top contenders, had retired Ali, yet many still didn’t give him the credit he had earned. Many believed that Gerry Cooney, the 6’6″ white heavyweight from Long Island, would
The Great White Hope Read More »
After looking for a state to sanction his comeback bout, Muhammad Ali and his promoter found one in the fall of 1981 in Nassau, the Bahamas. His opponent would be Canadian heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick, who had battled Larry Holmes to a tough decision loss in April. Ali’s rationale was that if he beat a
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After his humiliating loss to Larry Holmes on October 2, 1980, Muhammad Ali disappeared for a while. When the stories arose of his doctor misdiagnosing him with a thyroid problem and prescribing him medicine for a problem he didn’t have, Ali realized he had gone into the ring with Holmes severely handicapped. Ali already had
On Friday, November 30, 1979 Wilfred Benitez made the second defense of his WBC welterweight crown. ABC tv broadcast the bout along with the middleweight championship between Vito Antuofermo and Marvin Hagler. The two fought to a close, controversial draw with Vito keeping is belt. By the time the two welterweights climbed into the ring,
Leonard Wins The Title Read More »
The two best welterweights in the world were signed to meet on November 30, 1979 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Sugar Ray Leonard was coming off of a spectacular performance in September, a first round knockout of Andy Price. Benitez had come off a solid win over Harold Weston in June as well. As
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Wilfred Benitez was born on September 12, 1958 in the Bronx, New York. He began his professional career at age 15 when he knocked out Hiram Santiago on November 22, 1973. He would fight another 12 times in 1974, and continued to hone his skills as a junior welterweight. Wilfred fought another 11 times in
HBO recognized by 1978 that Ray Leonard was the future of boxing. His second fight on the network was his November 3rd unanimous decision win over Bernardo Prada in Portland, Maine. He fought again on January 11, 1979 against Johnny Gant in another TKO victory. Leonard was showcasing his talent with each win, and defeated
Sugar Ray Leonard had been the darling of the 1976 Olympic games in Montreal, and captured a gold medal in the light welterweight division. He had originally wanted to go to the University of Maryland and retire from boxing, but his father’s illness and medical bills forced him to turn pro. His first fight was
