Great little report, that is. I don't know why some people hate Holmes. Everything I've seen of the man, from back in the day to this day, shows him to be down-to-earth, well-adjusted, decent, a man who talks realistic sense, isn't looking to pretend he's something he's not. I've never met him but almost everyone who recounts meeting him says he's a decent down-to-earth and generous man. Sure, he might rate himself as the greatest boxer but he has every right to. He might have thrown some insults at some opponents of the past, but most fighters do, and it's rarely a one-way street. I have a feeling his wife was a great influence on him.
There are always people who will find fault ... but IMHO, there's less to dislike about Holmes than most of his peers. Did he duck a few challengers? Yep. Not the first or last champion to do so, and he didn't duck all of them. He chose his opponents to maximize his return - an astute businessman with a seventh grade education, he didn't do half bad and will never be broke. Smart with his money. Married to the same woman from the beginning to the end. No DUIs, no booze, no tigers on gold leashes. Spoke his mind, maybe more bluntly than most, but if he were anyone else, it wouldn't be an issue. The one remaining champ I'd like to meet someday - I don't think I'll be disappointed.
Told this before but went to one of the Mississippi casinos when Larry was on his comeback run and day of the weigh-in me and my brother and our Pops ran into Larry in one of the concourses. We said hello and told him we were there to see the fights and he stopped and chatted with us. He tells my brother, who’s heavyweight size, and says “I might fight you next.” And we laughed. Then he turned to my Pop, who was in his 60s, and says, “No, I’ll fight you. You’re older than I am.” And starts play shadow boxing and everything. It was really nice. He thanked us for coming and told us to enjoy the fights and went about his business. He certainly didn’t have to do that. He just did it. Champ is OK in my book.
Its always a great experience to meet real life boxing legends. I wished I was living in the US so I could go to conventions or have opportunities to meet however since I am living thousands of miles away I can only dream,
He will always be my favorite HWC. A class act who spoke his mind which isnt the easiest thing to do. For example Tyson says some of the most bat #### things and people call him a bad bad man for it. Ali said some of the most racist nastiest things befor and people gave him a pass but Holmes gets nothing but loathed and ridiculed. Like @Saintpat and @steve21 said hes a rock solid family guy and a pillar of the community in Easton. Him and Frazier were always there for each other when needed around here for any kind of events same with him and Cooney who became very tight. Hes a smart shrewd business man who doesnt let people take advantage of him. Let's face it each and every one of us is disliked by someone most of the time for stupid reasons. The man gets a bum wrap.
Think it was really hard to follow the acts of Ali Frazier and Foreman. He did nothing to stand out amongst those men (flashy wise). He didn’t have that war either with another prime great fighter. Maybe had we gotten Holmes v Foreman?
When I worked in retail customer service, I was having a day were a few customers gave me a hassle. So it seemed like EVERYBODY was giving me a hard time. I vocalized this to another employee, like, "Why is everybody being a jerk today?" And a lady heard me and said nicely, "I hope I'm not being a jerk." I felt bad. I realized that it was only a few bad apples and I was letting them get to me. I think that's what Holmes did with his "Nobody gives me my just due." I'd hear that and think, "I think you're a great champion. Several of my friends think you're a great champion. Several writers write that you're a great champion." But Larry let the negative get to him. Perhaps he was a better fighter because he constantly felt he had to prove himself.
I will help everyone here. He was the first champion to duck AND BRAG ABOUT DOING IT, which made him areal pain in the ass when he was degrading people like Marciano and crying about how he wasn't respected. "I like fighting little guys for big money," and "If they want me to come back they got to give me someone I can beat." No WBA unification, no mandatory fight with Page, no rematches on either-way decisions with Norton and Witherspoon. To this day, you hear him insulting guys like Lewis and Fury. The time for him to do his fighting was decades ago, and he chose not to. I don't hate the guy, but he is absurdly overrated.
some nice stories about larry here, thank you. I always thought of him as a class act in and out of the ring, and one of the greatest boxers of all time!
