In April 1981, Larry Holmes returned to ring action to face Trevor Berbick, the Canadian heavyweight champion. The April 11th bout would be the last time Joe Louis would be ringside for a live bout, because he would pass away the next day. It would also be the first time Larry would be forced to fight 15 rounds since winning the title, ending his streak of 8 straight knockouts.
The fight was on HBO and since we didn’t even have cable tv in our house, so there was no way to see it live. I’ve seen it on tape a few times since and it furthered prove that Holmes was the best of his era, but didn’t get the respect he deserved from the press, especially the ‘Mouth that Roared’, Howard Cosell.
Two months later Larry was back in action, but this time on ABC television in prime time. I had just started training for my new airline job, came home, ate dinner and went for a two mile run. No better way to spend a Friday night than in my bedroom with the air conditioning cranked up and watching one of my favorites in the ring.
Larry’s opponent on June 12th from Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan was Leon Spinks. Spinks had been erratic since losing to Ali in their rematch, but some nitwits in the media picked him to defeat Holmes. Larry was dominant from the opening bell by beating Spinks to the punch, most often with his beautiful left jab. In the third round, Holmes dropped Leon in the corner, forcing referee Richard Steele to call a halt to the massacre a few moments later.
After the victory, while Larry sat talking with Howard Cosell, Gerry Cooney showed up. As soon as he saw Cooney, Larry got upset and started yelling, “Until you put his name on a contract, get him out of here!” Holmes later admitted that it was his show and didn’t want to be forced to share the limelight with Cooney, who was planning to fight Mike Weaver at the time, not Holmes. It was a further sign of disrespect showed to him and to make matters worse, Cooney was treated like royalty by the buffoon Cosell.
Critics criticize and Larry moved on, content with the fact that he had been champ for over three years and there was no one who could beat him. He was one of my top 3 favorites at the time, and is one of the most underrated great fighters in boxing history.
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