Who was Larry Holmes' greatest rival?

As I've said a multitude of times,I found the Cooney fight so one sided. I'd hardly call it a rivalry.

 

most of the guys like Norton had there better fight behind them, Ali for sure was shot...Witherspoon and Williams had 15 fights and not rated...Ocasio had 13 fights and Spinks 10-2-2 just KO'd by Coetzee in 1rd a few fights before Holmes...Bey was 14-01 and lost 14 out of his next 18 fights after Holmes and Bone crusher had 14 fights and no one expected 19-8 trail horse Weaver to give him such a tough fight and had Holmes wobbly

If pressed I would say Shavers or Cooney but Shavers was already beaten by many and Cooney never fought more than 8 rds. Michael Spinks was the most accomplished but Holmes was his 1st fight as a heavyweight.

 

wasnt that because there was real demand for those fights? The guys who gave holmes tough fights went away and did not create any intrest. They would all have been underdogs anyway. why didnt louis rematch tommy farr? why didnt ali rematch george foreman, jimmy young or doug jones?

A rematch with norton could not hapen because he fought ernie shavers on the holmes ocasio undercard in an eliminator and was knocked as cold as a kipper inside of one round.

witherspoon was just an unproven kid who gave holmes a tough fight. If there was cooney type money in it a rematch would have happened. trust me. Had spoon hung on to the belt more than one fight he would have got a superfight going but the lazy sap just couldnt keep the title long enough, he lost to the next rated guy he fought - just like the rest of the "lost generation" of bogus beltholders.

Yes there was, he was the guy who totaly wiped out kenny norton in an eliminator.

No Holmes was given Ibf recognition first. This gave Don King options. No doubt It was Don Kings plan to build page as an alternative champion to create a genuine showdown for Holmes but the plan imploded when page flopped against witherspoon who did likewise.

Holmes could not have done anything more, when no other rated fighter could beat anything other than cannon fodder the guy knocked out and beat a group of rated fighters for a seven year stretch. Among them he knocked out leon spinks, muhammad ali, mike weaver and bonecrusher smith and outpointed norton,berbick and witherspoon who all held belts before, during and after this run. The fighters Holmes did not fight lost to this group.

 

Norton

 

pity he blew his Holmes rematch against shavers.....

 

The buildup before the Cooney fight was so extreme and the hatred was deep between them that you could call it a rivalry, until they got in the ring of course.

 

When a decision is questionable, there's always demand for a rematch.

Went away ?

Hardly. If anything, it was Holmes who strayed. Money played a role.

Tommy Farr and his manager both felt the decision was fair.

Foreman would probably have got his rematch if he hadn't lost to Young.
Beside, his win was clear and uncontroversial.

Doug Jones ?

Ali went on to face Liston (and rematch him), and then face better opponents than Jones, whose career took a dip whilst Ali's was on the rise.



But in both cases, these men fought everybody out there, leaving few doubts.

Fair enough.

But the original result left doubts as to who should have been champion.

When Ali and Louis won their belts, there was an absence of such controversy.

In this case, it may not have been Holmes' fault, but the fact remains. And Holmes was not always anxious to face the best. He publicly stated he wanted no part of Page. Nor Dokes.

There were no bogus beltholders. If a boxer wins a belt fairly, he is a legitimate belt-holder, however briefly. It was the proliferation of belts that led to this perception. A proliferation that Holmes condoned and abetted.

The fact that he relinquished his WBC title rather than defend against the best contender (Greg Page) and chose to face Marvis Frazier instead, is a black mark on his resume. (Yes, money was SLIGHTLY better for the Frazier bout, but not the glory).

Witherspoon, who arguably beat Holmes (one of the most controversial decisions ever) got the chance instead, and capitalized on it.

He lost to undefeated Pinklon Thomas, a man Holmes never faced.

As I pointed out, he certainly could have, had he stayed with WBC.

Kings money and IBF's desire to get established and respectability drew him away.

He did have a good run, and that's why I have him 5 or 6.

But he left a few pieces on the board, pieces that would have improved his standing.

Money.

He was always a shrewd $$$ operator.

Still is.

Even here, there are some holes.

Leon was never anything special. A Douglasesque one trick pony who caught an old, ailing Ali at the right time. And promptly lost the rematch.

Ali ? The ghost of Ali.

Norton and Witherspoon (escially the latter), were very controversial, with many believing that one or both beat him.

For these reasons, his legacy is not what it might have been.

 

A rematch was talked about by several people the first fight was competitive until Conney gassed. Cooney could have been a rival had he not ruined his career.