Larry Holmes once made a sensational claim about one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
Known for having one of the finest left jabs in boxing history, Holmes proved himself to be one of the best heavyweights to have ever laced up a pair of gloves, racking up 69 victories in 75 bouts throughout the course of his career.
‘The Easton Assassin’ held the world heavyweight championship for seven years between 1978 and 1985, a reign that included a number of legacy-defining victories over the likes of Tim Witherspoon, Trevor Berbick and Muhammad Ali.
One man in particular that Holmes did not go on to share the ring with during his tenure was countryman George Foreman, although reports state that the legendary American duo came close to facing each other during the 1990s.
‘Big George’ became the world heavyweight champion twice during his storied professional career, but perhaps his finest achievement came in 1994 when he defeated Michael Moorer to become the oldest heavyweight champion of all time, a record that remains unbroken to this day.
Despite that success, Holmes once made a sensational claim about Foreman, as in a resurfaced clip, he brandishes the Texas-native as the ‘biggest phoney ever’.
“Everybody know that George Foreman can’t fight, everybody know that Tommy Morrison kicked his butt, everybody know that Shannon Briggs kicked his butt, everybody knew that he wouldn’t fight me. George Foreman is the biggest phoney ever.”
Whilst he failed to secure that showdown with Foreman, Holmes would continue with his boxing career until the summer of 2002 when he defeated Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch in the 75th and final bout of his tenure.
As for Foreman, he retired in November 1997 at the age of 48, after suffering a defeat to the aforementioned Briggs, as ‘Big George’ ended his career with a record of 76 wins and 5 defeats.
