43 years ago today: Lawrence "The Easton Assassin" Holmes vs. Osvaldo "Jaws" Ocasio

Wow..That was one of the very first fights I ever vaguely remember seeing. My older brother said of Larry before the first bell ‘look at the way he’s staring at him’ and I was wondering after the fight ‘is he better than the other guy?’ The other guy I would later learn was John Tate.

 

The way he went down from that jab always looked fishy to me. Looking at it again, it still does,

 

He didn't see it coming.

 

Maybe but it looks to me like he gets hit then throws himself backwards.

 

Ali's jab was faster, Liston's and Foreman's were harder.
But no one had the combination of speed AND power
Of The Easton Assassin.......

 

Lost his balance. He'd been staggering several times before the kd. In fact, the fact could have been stopped before the jab and I doubt too many people would have protested. Ocasio was done, though he showed plenty of heart.

Holmes was just too much bigger and better.