Larry Holmes is widely considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights to have ever graced the sport.
Known more commonly as ‘The Easton Assassin’, Holmes reigned as the world heavyweight champion for seven years between 1978 and 1985, defeating the likes of Earnie Shavers, Trevor Berbick and Muhammad Ali along the way.
Holmes possessed one of the greatest left jabs in the history of the sport which proved to be a key component of the success that he had during his prime years, where he remained unbeaten for the first 48 bouts of his tenure.
He would go on to share the ring with the likes of Mike Tyson, Oliver McCall and Evander Holyfield during the later stages of his career but would fall short to each of these highly rated heavyweights before he finally announced his retirement in 2002.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, Holmes sensationally revealed former WBC heavyweight champion Ken Norton as the best fighter he ever faced, overlooking the likes of Tyson and Ali.
“No, my toughest fight was Kenny Norton.
I fought Tyson when I was kinda over the hill a little bit. I had retired then come back and fought Mike Tyson and I wasn’t really in shape for it, but you know what, I did what I did at that time. But if I had to do it all over again I would have taken more time and done it right.”
‘The Easton Assassin’ defeated Norton via split decision when they clashed for the WBC crown in June 1978, a defining moment in the career of the American boxing legend.
He would go on to make a further 20 successful defences of his title before he was beaten by Michael Spinks in September 1985, suffering the same fate in their rematch just seven months later.
