Larry Holmes is recognised as one of the most formidable heavyweights in boxing history.
Known as ‘The Easton Assassin’, Holmes’ glittering career spanned just shy of three decades, holding the undisputed heavyweight champion for 7-years between 1978 and 1985.
With one of the best jabs that the sport has ever seen, the 75-year-old from Cuthbert, Georgia claimed wins against the likes of Muhammad Ali, Trevor Berbick and Leon Spinks during his tenure, tasting defeat just six times throughout his 75-fight campaign.
Despite coming up against such an array of great opponents during his career, Holmes has revealed there was one fight that he wishes he never went through with.
Speaking on a resurfaced clip, ‘The Easton Assassin’ spoke of his regret at facing Ali, claiming he found himself in a ‘no-win’ situation when he faced ‘The Greatest’.
“I was in a no-win situation, that’s what I said then and I say it now. Because if I beat Ali well he was old, he couldn’t fight no more, should’ve quit. And that’s what I had to live with till I beat him up, and I told the referee stop this fight, don’t let this man take the fight and he said to me ‘shut up and box’.”
Holmes fought Ali back in October 1980. It was reportedly common knowledge at this point that the health of ‘The Greatest’ was slowly deteriorating, with many expressing their disbelief that the fight was actually allowed to take place in light of this shock revelation.
‘The Easton Assassin’ knocked Ali out in the tenth round of their 15-round showdown, retaining his WBC heavyweight title in the process. ‘The Greatest’ would go on to fight once more before retiring from the sport that transformed him into a global icon. He passed away in 2016 after a brave battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
