On May 20th, 1985, I so remember my activities that day. I spent a good portion of it mowing and edging the lawn, trimming the bushes and making it look as possible for my mother, who helped me, and loved a beautiful green lawn. I also knew that Larry Holmes was fighting on NBC that night, and nothing was more exciting to me than seeing one of my favorites at home on live television.
His opponent was a fighter named Carl ‘The Truth’ Williams, a 6′ 4″ boxer from New York. He carried a record of 16-0 into the fight, and in watching the pre-fight buildup of him, he looked like a worthy opponent for Holmes.
Larry came into the bout with a record of 47-0, and had his eyes set on Rocky Marciano’s undefeated 49-0 mark. He said he wanted to get to 50-0 and pack it in, and I really believe he was sincere in those remarks.
The fight itself was close and difficult for the champ. Williams was tall and had a great left jab and good right as well. Halfway through the bout, I had Williams ahead and I knew Larry would have to suck it up to pull this one out.
Holmes did just that, digging shots to Williams’ body and closing the final 3 of the 15 rounds in style. The champ got the unanimous decision when the scorecards were read in Reno, and he was still heavyweight champion of the world.
What I never figured however, was that would be the last time a fight in any division would be shown live on network television in prime time. The world was changing, and television’s need for boxing was as well.
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