Does anyone have any footage of this? reports? I would love to read more about it. I wonder why someone like Wells couldn't quite make it at a pro level. I am also really intrigued by how he dominated Holmes in the amateurs and whether he could have troubled Holmes as a pro. Has Larry ever talked about this?
“By 1972 I’d won several eastern titles and was invited to Minnesota to compete in a tournament that was said to figure heavily in the selection of the U.S. boxing team. I made it all the way to the finals there, only to run up against a left-handed slugger named Nick Wells. It was the first time I’d fought a lefty. It threw my reactions off. I was hesitant and ended up being an easy target for Wells, who had good power. Good enough to give me the worst beating of my career and stop me in the third round. My first-ever defeat. The way things unfolded I had another opportunity against Wells in a later tournament in Texas. This time I managed to find left-handed sparring partners to get ready for him. Guess what? It didn’t matter. Not one bit. That guy Wells had my number, and he beat me again. Badly.”
Bill1234 - Bummy, this will most likely interest you. After a sparring session today, and I got out of the ring, I got the chance to chat with Larry, who was watching. He was telling me about his fights with Wells. He said that Nick confused him with his awkward southpaw jab, and he never quite adjusted to it. He said that after the 2nd defeat he made sure to work on it, but it didn't do him any good at the time. Larry said that Wells could hit pretty hard, but what really got Larry was his awkward style and jab. He said Wells all around was awkward to fight. The main thing Larry explained about was that Wells's jab was extremely awkward and it threw Larry's rythem off a lot. Larry also said that Wells had a hard right hook that he would dig into you.
Hey cheers. His son was posting in here ages back. Had the odd difference of opinion with young Bill but i think he was young himself. I'll hit you with some links.
I didn't know King avoided Wells as an opponent for Holmes in the pro's. I know Foreman's camp wanted Holmes in 1976 but King wanted no part of that.
