After destroying Ali in October of 1980, Larry Holmes was beginning to come out from under the shadow that seemed to hover over him. He had been champion for over 2 and a half years now, and more and more of the public was starting to recognize him as the legitimate successor to Ali.
His first defense of 1981 was against tough Trevor Berbick of Canada. Berbick had first come to prominence after knocking out John Tate on the undercard of Leonard-Duran in Montreal. The match was set for April 11th at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, and was on HBO TV, meaning I would miss it again. Reading newspaper clippings and watching highlights on tv would have to suffice, and Larry won a clear cut unanimous decision over the game and strong Berbick.
It also happened to be the last time Joe Louis would be seen alive, having gone to the fight despite being in failing health. The legendary Louis had been a tremendous world champion in his day and his 25 title defenses is still a record today. The Brown Bomber in definitely on the list of best heavyweight champions of all time, and it’s befitting his last time in public was at a heavyweight title fight.
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