Larry Holmes came out of retirement in April of 1991 after a three year hiatus from the ring. After seeing what George Foreman did, Holmes had the same idea, but a shorter time frame involved. He signed a contract with the USA TV network, and racked up 5 straight wins over mediocre opponents before scoring a bout with the tough, undefeated Ray Mercer. Mercer had just annihilated Tommy Morrison, and almost killed him in 5 rounds on October 18th. Larry was in the audience, and his date with Mercer was signed for the following February in Atlantic City. Many scoffed at his chances, but I wasn’t one of them, and couldn’t wait for the winter pay-per-view bout on TVKO TV.
I went over my brother’s apartment to catch the fight, and I was rooting hard for the ‘Easton Assassin’. Larry was the heavyweight champ when I first became a boxing fan in the late 70’s, and his historic battle with Ken Norton on June 9, 1978, is the fight that lit the fire in me to become a serious boxing fan. He held the title for 7 1/2 years, and I was in his corner every step of the way. I even took a drive to Easton, Pennsylvania just to stay at his Larry Holmes Commodore Inn Hotel in 1988, I liked him that much.
When Larry got knocked out by Mike Tyson on January 22, 1988, it really stung me to see, and I was glad he was back 4 years later under better circumstances. While Tyson was on his way to federal prison for rape charges, Larry was on his way to another title shot. Ironic, but great for me to see.
Mercer was undefeated and tough, but was taken to school by Larry that night. The ex-champ lured him into the corner all night, and nailed him consistently with every punch in the book. He toyed with Mercer, and by the middle rounds, was teaching him a boxing lesson. It was so much fun to watch Larry performing so well, and by the time the bout ended, the crowd was cheering wildly for him.
The cards were read, and thankfully the judges scored the bout correctly. Larry was the unanimous winner, and was obviously moved by the cheers from the crowd at the Atlantic City Convention Hall on the boardwalk. Mercer was gracious in defeat, but it was Larry who was now going to get a title shot at the champion Evander Holyfield in June, not Mercer. Larry had pulled off a tremendous upset, and it remains one of my favorite fights I’ve ever watched in my life as a boxing fan. February 7th will always be a “Good Day to Remember a Great Fight’, and in this case, the Holmes upset win over Ray Mercer.
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