When did you recognise Larry Holmes as the TRUE world heavyweight champion ?

Probably when Holmes beat Ali, but your time frame is probably more on point.

 

Weaver-Tate was the clincher for me. Big John had to win that one convincingly, knowing how Mike had done against Holmes. Following that bout, Hercules was candid enough to admit that Larry was now the number one heavyweight.

Even prior to that though, Stevenson KO1 Tate in Munich was very much in the public mind. It might have been better for the perceived validity of the WBA Title if the undefeated Coetzee had won the tournament final by knockout. However, the controversy over South Africa's apartheid policy cannot be stressed enough. (In the United States, many television stations did not broadcast Tate-Coetzee, Tate-Knoetze, and other sporting events involving South Africa. Knoetze-Sharkey met with furious protests in Miami. That was the climate in 1979.) There was enormous public support for the more socially sensitive WBC's refusal to recognize South Africa (nor did they ever rank Rahway inmate James Scott).

 

When he whipped Ali.

 

If ali had not have come back it would have been harder to establish himself as the real champ. sometimes being the best is not enough, you need that link to the real linear chain.

without ali he would have had to chase the wba guys but by beating leon spinks and weaver hed have established himself without ali anyway.

 

When he defeated Norton, this was a debatable decision but it did make him the champ.

 

After beating Ken Norton, he was the man, the true champ.

He'd also beaten Shavers 3 months before this, & i had Earnie winning (closely) on points over Ali.

 

shavers himself did admit that ali won the fight... and ali was by far past his prime in 1977... shavers gave the hell to prime holmes...

 

After Tate lost his title to Weaver

 

All 6 seconds of hell out of over 20 rounds of being in the ring with him. :shock:

 

in about 1988!!! I was only six, when with hindsight, I would recognize Holmes as Champ (after beating Ali).

 

it's very important that you watch both fights - now! you can't go around making comments like this!

 

When he beat Norton of '78... Holmes just looked fresher and quicker than the faded but still dangerous Ali of 1978.... Holmes also rising, while Ali was slipping quick...

MR.BILL:deal

 

The minute Muhammad retired.

 

Norton, but he had to slay ALI to kill off the deluded.