Was Larry Holmes scared of rematches?

No…so long as he beat the opponent easily. If they gave him a hard time, forget it. They were done & gone unless Holmes either no longer had the title (& thus little to nothing to lose), or he lost the decision & subsequently chased a return fight (Spinks).

 

Atleast he didn't duck these people. He won and moved on.

And I believed he knocked out Shavers, Smith and Weaver so I don't see much point in a rematch.

It is the same reason why I don't understand people being upset with Muhammad Ali that he didn't rematch George. George was knocked out, so I don't see the reason for a rematch.

It is also kind of the reason why I never got why Evander fought Mike again (Evander had an unhealthy obsession with him,so maybe that's why) ,because he knocked him out.

I don't see any reason to rematch someone you knocked out unless there is a rematch clause

 

Holmes beat Spinks clearly in their rematch

 

He should have rematched Witherspoon.

his biggest issue was not fighting certain guys- Coetzee, Pinklon Thomas, etc.

 

If it was a tough fight the crowd wants to see it again. Some rahman type lucky ounch should have a rematch.

 

That was Spinks giving Holmes a rematch, not the other way around. Make no mistake, given the close nature of the fight, had Holmes received the decision, Spinks was never getting a second fight. Norton knows. Weaver knows. Witherspoon knows.

 

I agree there was no need for a third meeting with Shavers - Holmes only lost one round across two fights. But you can guarantee if that knockdown had occurred in their first meeting, there never would have been a return bout at all.

 

I think I can help you here. Following your scenario, someone said.

'Hey Evander. Fight Tyson.'

'Nah. What's the point? I already knocked him out.'

'35million big ones says you can't do it again.'

The whole Tyson Holyfield thing is kind of your blind spot, isn't it?

 

I always felt as if Larry thought if the judges said he won he didn’t feel obligated. LH had came from poverty, he didn’t rematch people or fight certain guys because he wanted to make all the money he could. It’s an old story.

The guys he rematched like Earnie probably made him a lot of money and didn’t feel like a big risk, so yes he most likely avoided hard rematches and fights that didn’t make business sense.

 

He took rematches with guys who gave him no trouble. He, “moved on” whenever the opponent gave him a hard time.

 

As I said. I don’t blame Holmes, read his book. Boxers and there management do what they can to take the path of least resistance. A managers job is to make you money to retire young not to impress us forum nerds.

 

Understood but it hurts the legacy of the fighter. Are we here to discuss their greatness, or how shrewd they & their management team were?

 

I agree with the assements that Norton, Cooney, Weaver and Witherspoon deserved rematches but I would also add Carl 'The Truth' Williams to the list. I felt he deserved the decision over Larry n their bout.

 

This is correct. Holmes avoided fighting guys again who gave him trouble. He actually told Witherspoon, i'm pretty sure it was at the post fight press conference, he wasn't ever getting another shot. He avoided all the most dangerous dogs post Witherspoon, no ifs or buts.