Why didn't Larry Holmes and Tim Witherspoon rematch?

Because after being run close and having such a tough fight he said he would take the easier fights on his way down believing he'd earned it. At one he said point blank Witherspoon would never get a rematch. Would have been a fascinating battle for sure.

 

It's a big shame they didn't ,I was hoping they would. But as JT points out ,at that stage Larry wanted a easier time in his later years so it just never came about .Hard to say who'd have won a return but I reckon Spoon could have edged it .

 

Did Spoon ever do anything to earn one

 

Weatherspoon fought Holmes near the end of this title run in 1983. Holmes fought four times in 1983. In 1984 he fought Smith. In 1985 Bey, Williams and Spinks.

I'm guessing the money for the re-match with Witherpsoon wasn't high enough for Holmes.

For example Holmes got 3.5 million for Spinks and 2.3 million for Williams. Holmes made 2.1 million for Witherpsoon.

 

Because Holmes made a decision to go after the most $ for least risk. He saw that Don King had a bevy of young, talented, hungry HWs lined up to go after his title. He wisely jumped ship to the newly created IBF where he could pick and choose and avoid the young guns.

 

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Once Witherspoon won Holmes' vacant title, I am confident the $ for a rematch would have been high. But, Holmes apparently was trying to get a unification fight with Coetzee as SA offered big $. By the time Holmes fought Smith, Witherspoon had lost to Thomas.

 

And actually get his $ rather than have Carl and Don King rip him off for 50% of it. Good move Champ.

Alot of those King heavyweights were talented. They were hungry just not for fighting. Tim Witherspon could have been a great fighter under different circumstances.

 

Actually he fought many of the young guns.

 

No. I'm talking Don King's stable that won either the WBC or WBA title after Holmes abdicated for the newly created IBF title, which was handed to him without a fight. These are Page, Tubbs, Witherspoon (in a rematch), Thomas.

After the Witherspoon scare, he refused to fight Page, then fought Marvis Frazier, Scott Frank, James "Bonecrusher" Smith and then David Bey and Carl "the Truth" Williams.

 

I knew somebody would make a joke about "hungry."

It doesn't change the fact that Holmes went for most money for least risk after the Witherspoon scare.

These guys were left to fight one another and Holmes wanted no part of them.

For better or worse, they were the toughest challenges available.

It was smart business wise, but deprived us of some good, competitive fights.

 

But I'm saying was there a Witherpsoon purse higher than 3.5 million, which is what Holmes got for Spinks?

Page lost to Bey, so Holmes fought Page next. Berbick who Holmes shut out 15-0 on one card also beat Page. Witherspoon also beat Page. Page often lost to Larry Holmes opponents.

Smith was a good fighter with KO power, and Williams had speed and an excellent jab, which can be a tough match up for an aging champion. These two were far from cherry picks.

 

Some champions would have given him an immediate rematch, on the strength of his performance in the fight itself.

 

Valid point....Spoon never performed to that level again so even if he was given a rematch I believe Holmes would have had an easier time with him. IMO

 

Yes, but the ones who won cleanly seldom do. Holmes fought well, and won cleanly enough He just happened to catch Witherpsoon on one of his best nights.

If Holmes was floored, or won a disputed decision, then I think the chances of the re-match would be higher.

Holmes was a very money motivated type of fighter, which is why was asking if there was a larger purse out there for the rematch as he made more in other fights post Witherspoon.