why did Larry Holmes never once try and unify?

SPORTS PEOPLE
Coetzee to Meet Bey
Published: October 10, 1984
Gerrie Coetzee, the South African who won the World Boxing Association's heavyweight title 13 months ago by knocking out Michael Dokes, will apparently make his first defense Dec. 7 against undefeated David Bey, who is coming off a 12-round decision over Greg Page.
Coetzee has been inactive this year because he was waiting for a bout to materialize with Larry Holmes, who holds the International Boxing Federation's title. The Dec. 7 show will be promoted by Don King and is expected to be televised by HBO. Buffalo is under consideration for the site.

 

COETZEE'S FIRST TITLE DEFENSE SHOT DOWN
Michael Katz on Boxing
Published: October 18, 1984
Another fight has gone down. Gerrie Coetzee's first defense of the World Boxing Association heavyweight title, against unbeaten David Bey, appeared headed for HBO, the pay cable television network, on Dec. 7. HBO was more interested in showing Thomas Hearns defending the World Boxing Council junior middleweight title against undefeated John (the Beast) Mugabi of Uganda. But because Emanuel Steward, Hearns's manager, could or would not name the mysterious backers for that overpriced fight, HBO opted instead for the ''safer'' Coetzee-Bey package from Don King.
''Whatever else you can say about Don King, when he says a fight will happen, it happens,'' explained Bob Greenway, HBO's director of sports programming.
Not this time. King had originally sold the promotional rights for the Coetzee fight to South African interests, who were going to hold it in the champion's home country. When HBO became interested, King bought the fight back and planned it for the United States (Las Vegas, Nev., and Buffalo were the leading contenders). But without the South African money, Coetzee was told that his purse would be cut from about $1.4 million to $750,000. Coetzee, who has not fought since upsetting Michael Dokes for the title 13 months ago, said no, thank you.
Greenway is now talking with Bob Arum about the possibility of televising Donald Curry's next W.B.A. welterweight defense, against Colin Jones of Wales.

 

KING ANGERS ASHE ON SOUTH AFRICA DEAL
MICHAEL KATZ ON BOXING
Published: November 8, 1984
LAS VEGAS, Nev., Nov. 7— Don King, one of the charter signatories when Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid was formed two years ago, has embarrassed the group by sending a heavyweight championship bout to Bophuthatswana, Arthur Ashe, one of the group's co-chairmen, said today.
On Dec. 1, Gerrie Coetzee of South Africa is scheduled to make his first defense of the World Boxing Association title against Greg Page, a black American who is coming off two losses. King, a black promoter who used to call his main rival, Bob Arum, the ''Apostle of Apartheid'' for taking bouts to South Africa, had promotional agreements with both Coetzee and Page and sold them to Sol Kerzner of South Africa for more than $1 million.
Coetzee will reportedly earn $1.5 million for the fight and Page $500,000. The bout will be held in Sun City, Bophuthatswana, one of the homelands set up by the South African Government for blacks but recognized by no other country as independent.
Ashe said King was ''the most influential signatory to our position, since boxers are the most likely athletes to be invited to South Africa, boxers and tennis players.''
''We've been very successful in convincing black athletes and entertainers not to go down there,'' said Ashe. ''As far as I know, Page is the only one who slipped through in the last 12 months.''
After a ''lengthy conversation'' with the promoter on Tuesday, Ashe said he and Randall Robinson, executive director of Trans-Africa, a lobbying group also opposed to apartheid, were ''fairly well convinced that without Don King, Greg Page wouldn't have fought in South Africa.'' Ashe said that there was a possibility King would be dropped from the group and that the ''likely expulsion'' would probably take place within a week.
King, who paid the fees to have the fight sanctioned by the W.B.A., said, ''I'm against apartheid today, and I was against apartheid yesterday.''
''I'm not going to South Africa,'' he said. ''All I did was sell my rights.''
''Same thing,'' said Franklin Williams, the president of the Phelps- Stokes Fund in New York, an educational foundation specializing in African countries. He is a leading anti- apartheid activist.
''I think King should be ashamed of himself,'' said Larry Holmes, who is fighting for King here Friday against James (Bonecrusher) Smith. ''He's always talking about his principles. It seems he sold 'em. If a man's got principles, you can't buy 'em.''
But one of King's men, the undefeated heavyweight contender David Bey, was praised by Ashe for refusing to fight in South Africa. Bey, who is managed by King's son Carl, said the Kings had suggested he not go. Don King said he had given the same advice to Page, who in effect manages himself.
Ashe said he and Harry Belafonte, the singer who is the other co-chairman of Artists and Athletes, had met Bey and Carl King at a New York dinner two weeks ago and were pleased that the fighter, whose last victory was over Page, had already turned down the trip.
''He took cognizance of the fact that Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes and Sugar Ray Leonard all were offered a lot of money to go to South Africa and refused on principle,'' said Ashe. ''He said that was pretty nice company.''
Bey, speaking from his home in Philadelphia, said the ''apartheid thing'' prevented him from going.
He said it hurt to pass up a $650,000 purse, ''not counting $100,000 expenses, right up front.''
''There goes that house and that BMW 673 I wanted,'' he said. ''But maybe I'll make more money now that I didn't go. I'm going to be a great champion, like Larry Holmes was.''
''I'm proud of him,'' said Holmes. ''He'll fight me one of these days.''
The W.B.A. rules say Coetzee must defend against the ''leading available contender.'' But No. 1 is Holmes, who is defending his International Boxing Federation title here Friday. No. 2, Mike Weaver, is on the undercard, and King has signed him to fight the World Boxing Council champion, Pinklon Thomas. Bey is No. 3, followed by Michael Dokes, also managed by Carl King, who sent a letter to the W.B.A. passing up the match. Page is No. 6, leaving only No. 5, Trevor Berbick, to complain.
King had signed Berbick to a contract in August and put him on Friday's undercard against Randall (Tex) Cobb for $25,000. Berbick has already received the money, but now may pull out, thinking he was hoodwinked out of the Coetzee fight. James (Buster) Douglas has been brought in as a replacement, in case.
With Holmes continuing to talk about next facing Michael Spinks, the light-heavyweight champion, Eddie Futch may face a difficult choice. The 73-year-old trainer works the corner for both Holmes and Spinks. Until he has to make a choice, Futch's tactful solution is, ''I'll use roller skates.''

 

Money Motivates Holmes to Fight
By MICHAEL KATZ
LAS VEGAS, Nev., Nov. 8— Some time ago, Larry Holmes asked his wife, Diane, about the large jar of coins he discovered in the kitchen of their mansion in Easton, Pa.
''For a rainy day,'' she explained.
Holmes, the wealthiest boxer this side of Sugar Ray Leonard, chuckles when he tells the story. But a smile is not his umbrella.
He uses bigger jars, called trust funds, to guard his family's future and though he has earned perhaps more than $20 million as the heavyweight champion of the world, he does not want to break into any of those jars. After all, Holmes is on a first-name basis with the Internal Revenue Service.
This pretty much explains why Holmes, who marked his 35th birthday last Saturday, is boxing for the first time since knocking out Marvis Frazier in one round a year ago. Apparent Mismatch
He defends his title, now sanctioned by the International Boxing Federation, Friday night against James (Bonecrusher) Smith in such an apparent mismatch that the only odds in town are 13 to 10 that the inexperienced challenger will not last 7 of the scheduled 15 rounds.
But for the bout in an outdoor arena at the Riviera Hotel, which will be televised nationally by Home Box Office (10 P.M. New York time), Holmes will earn another $1.2 million or so. That, and another fight, which he hopes can be arranged for February, perhaps against Michael Spinks, will help pay a tax bill of $1.9 million.
''I had made up my mind, frankly, to quit after the Marvis Frazier fight,'' Holmes said. ''But them people kept following me around for three months waving $15 million in my face. When they gave me three and a half down, I knew it was real.''
The money, and the taxes on it, was real, but not the proposed fight with Gerrie Coetzee of South Africa, the World Boxing Association champion, for which Holmes received the nonrefundable downpayment.
''All I do with my money is put it in my kids' trust funds,'' said Holmes. ''Now I've got to pay taxes on it. So why take money out when I can take two fights to pay it?
''Why do you think I'm fighting. The glory? The agony of defeat? You show me a man says he ain't fighting for money, I'll show you a fool.''
Some people think, just because Holmes has said so in the past, that his goal is to expand his current record of 45-0 to 50-0 and better Rocky Marciano's 49-0.
''If I want to break the record,'' he told a reporter from England, ''I'll go over to England and break it in one week.''
He said that, at age 35, he did not feel any different and added that Muhammad Ali, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ken Norton and Archie Moore fought well at an advanced age.
But there often is a heavy toll to pay for fighting too long. What about Ali? Holmes was asked.
''I got to say it,'' he replied, ''like everybody else, 'It ain't gonna happen to me.' Ali, do you see me do what he did in the gym, letting people beat him up?''
James Broad, who knocked out Smith in the challenger's first pro fight three years ago and who worked with Holmes as a sparring partner, said the champ was better than ever.
''He's starting to block punches way out here now,'' said Broad, holding his hands well out in front of him, ''even before you start them. I don't see Larry getting beat by anybody in the top five in the next three years.''
Richie Giachetti, the champion's former trainer, back in camp as an adviser, said the year layoff ''did him good.''
''You see how he acts now before a crowd,'' said Giachetti. ''It's pumped him up. He missed the ring.'' Holmes Weighs In at 221 1/2
The 6-foot-3-inch Holmes weighed in Thursday at 221 1/2 pounds. The 6-4 challenger weighed 227. Working between them will be Referee Davey Pearl, who is 5-4 1/2 and 145 pounds. . . . Smith got his degree at Shaw College in Detroit. But a check with the school revealed that he is not 29 years old, as listed, but 31.

 

So that kind of gives you some background. If anyone wanted to know.

 

Holmes didn't cherry pick. He was just in a very weak era of heavyweights.

He was viewed as the "concensus champ" so he was the man to beat at the time. Although promoters and sanctioning bodies allowed the business side of professional boxing severely damage the sporting side.

 

Well he had already beaten Weaver who was the WBA champ for a good part of his reign. Holmes era was pretty mediocre but he pretty much fought everyone availiable to him except Page and I don't blame him for standing up to what he believed I'm and not fighting Coetzee. When Gerry ****ey is one of your best title defenses it is clear you had a mediocre era. Not Holmes fault though.

 

And what has that got to do with the post you quoted ?

 

I read the opening post. I was going to point that Larry Holmes DID try to unify against Gerrie Coetzee.
But looks like Dubblechin already covered that.

 

This is very good info, and explains a lot of that I understood at the time.:good

 

Holmes must have been kicking himself after Coetzee in his very next fight was thrashed and stopped by Page . It would have been an easy win for Holmes .

 

He didn't need to unify. After Ali retired everyone saw him as Champ. He ended up knocking the hell out of Weaver, the "other" champ. Thomas and Dokes couldn't hold onto their belts long enough to be considered Champs.

This is just the way people felt back then.

 

Just how I remember it too.

Boxing politics made it almost impossible for heavyweight unifications until the HBO tournament.

 

Never tried to unify, wouldn't fight Page, never rematched Witherspoon and Norton in matches many thought he lost...

Larry Holmes openly bragged that he wouldn't fight guys that could beat him.

He wasn't as good as people try to make him out to be.

 

The Holmes era was brutal and did a lot of damage to the sport. He started out with eyes on him after becoming recognized as Ali's heir apparent, and everything went wrong after that. By the time Tyson entered the scene, no one really understood the belts anymore. And then the WBO came along and further mucked things up.

That time period is one reason I defend and enjoy today's HW era. You have much more intrigue, more good fighters, lots of interesting style matchups, etc etc. I actually like this era better than the 90s.