Why did Holmes pick (or did he) Spinks?

Pinklon Thomas.

Holmes wanted to break Marciano's 49-0.

 

I remember Larry saying he didn't want to fight the bigger, stronger heavies at that point in his career -- he was winding it down and Spinks would have been his final or next-to-last fight had he won. I think he felt he had proved himself and was looking to go out 50-0 and breaking Marciano's record, and thought a light heavy was a safe choice.

 

Which makes it hilarious that he lost.

"Rocky Marciano couldn't carry my jockstrap." -- Larry Holmes

 

I love Larry Holmes and think he was great, but when he handpicked a smaller guy in Michael Spinks to fight, we all thought Larry would knock him out early. When he lost Larry was just angry. But the fact he lost when he handpicked Spinks made me not feel sorry for Larry much.

 

I rank Larry highly (5 or 6) but he was a ****.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kriCH4wBvyM

 

In reality, Larry tried to coast and fight the easy touches from 1983 onwards. Larry gets too much credit for being this heavyweight champion who took on all comers and ducked nobody. The facts don't support that assertion. And since Larry admitted as much, it makes it hard for the Holmes apologists to defend the guy.

 

When Cherry Picks Go Wrong: The Tale of Holmes-Spinks I

 

Holmes was past prime, and seriously underestimated Spinks within his own arrogance. That's what happens when you fight **** people for an extended period of time, his level dropped.

 

Spinks was supposed to be an easy fight, Michael never fought as a heavyweight, there were fighters that many felt had a chance to beat Larry but went for the light heavyweight Champ and lost

 

At the post fight press conference to the first fight he said something like if I remember it correctly "if you want to be really truthful about it. Rocky couldn't carry my jockstrap" meaning Rocky Marciano, whose record he did not tie or beat, I forget if he tied it, but I doubt it. Rocky's brother was in the audience that night and he was very upset, as anyone's brother would be who was insulted like that. And also Rocky had passed away in a plane crash 16 years before, so it was an insult on Rocky's memory to be sure.

In retrospect I think most people forgave Larry because he was such a great champion, and they figured he made the comment when he was very upset about losing to Michael Spinks, who was a 175 pound champion, and as good as Larry as far as p4p leading up to the fight. But I don't think many people thought Spinks had a chance at heavyweight. I myself didn''t think he would change his style so much. And also. Spinks always had a bandage around his knee because he said he ran in combat boots early in his career- something like that, so I wouldn't have guessed he would do the baby step style he did with Larry. I thought Larry was going to outjab him and land the right hand and the fight would go one or two rounds.

 

It should be noted Holmes apologized the next day and a few years later won an award from the Marciano family. The Marciano family accepting Holmes made the remark in the heat of the moment, and that, that was understandable as they knew more than most what goes into to making a brilliant fighter.