Educate me on why Larry Holmes didn't unify with the WBA.

I think it was to do with contracts after he beat Ken Norton , then the IBF was quite a new belt and he was then able to get more money and had less involvement with King.

The above is only what I know and not a google search so is probably not fully correct only from memory.

 

Probably had to do with Weaver being WBA champ and Holmes had already beat him. Cooney was supposed to have fought Weaver for the WBA and if he won would have unified with Holmes.

Otherwise the WBA belt was changing hands almost every fight and Holmes had other more lucrative fights at the time.

 

Don King

 

:deal

anything Heavyweight at the time can all trace back to the Don:bart

King always wanted options on fighters so many did not want to deal with his fighters if they could avoid it

 

Larry Holmes, while obviously a great fighter, was not a great champion. He avoided too many fighters and failed to grant immediate rematches to opponents who pushed him to the edge.

This basically sums it all up:

http://anthonyj33.hubpages.com/hub/Why-Larry-Holmes-is-Not-an-All-Time-Great

 

Surely.

 

He'd already beaten Weaver.

To be honest the wba should trace through him anyways.

Ali got gifts against Young, Norton and Shavers. Either of those 3 lineages winds up with Larry eventually.

I'm not too fussed about that, fighting Marvis instead of Page was a bit silly though.

 

Exactly. And after Weaver, the WBA title just passed from one Don King-controlled mediocrity to another. No one in this period consider those guys the champ. Holmes was.

 

Tbf Holmes didnt fight a lot of fighters (most for DK related reasons) & even gave up the WBC belt to go for the IBF

Dokes, Tubbs, Thomas & Page wouldve added to his legacy. There were some very good HWs around in the 80s, much better than todays division.

 

This about covers it.I read a book by Jim Brady a couple months back and he covered this and other scandalous issues involving all the governing bodies.
I'll have to look it out to get more details,but I remember the WBA HW title had very little credibility due to the way they handed out ratings and decisions for cash.
They were rotten to the core and I think there was an issue about protecting a South African fighter that affected Holmes.Something about Holmes having to earn a shot at Coetzee which was as ridiculous as it sounds.
Sorry I can't be more precise,but I'll look it up.

 

I lived through that era. Those fat slobs were no better - and in terms of being in shape, far worse - than today's HWs. Many of these losers were also packing snow up their noses too. Today's fighters would destroy most of these clowns.:yep

Incidentally, Holmes would have beaten the lot of them had their ever fought. These "lost generation" HWs were mediocre with a capital M!

 

They were far more talented than today's top10 & produced better fights.

By comparison the 21st century HW's are **** with a capital S