Would Larry Holmes Have Taken More Punches....

Holmes was never imprisoned for mugging someone.
Holmes was never suspended for boxing his Brother who fought under an assumed name.
Holmes never fought pro under an assumed name and then reverted to amateur.
Holmes was never a loan shark.

 

Why would it be limited to Heavyweight, though? We’re talking Boxer careers & their egos.

One thing I will say for Holmes is the criticism I level at his character has to be viewed in context - he’s full of sh!t & a humourless sook, but that’s small potatoes compared to the out & out scumbags who proliferate the game. There is much worse than bitter & classless in Boxing.

 

I just read this after posting my latest. See above.

 

Holmes doesn’t see himself any lower than #1, though. That’s on the record.

& his case for that spot is no better than you or I being ranked no. 1 all-time at Heavy.

 

Yeah often Larry's head looked like a grape on top of an apple, but hard to say certainly if he had a Michael Moorer type water head he would have been hit more.

 

I call him a pear-body myself!

 

Holmes's career was just good enough where you understand him thinking he was the GOAT. Foremans got the whole self depricating Christian thing going on. Ali considered himself the greatest and Louis's status was obvious enough at that time he didn't really need to comment on the matter. Lennox probably considers himself the GOAT.

 

Holmes has zero case to consider himself no. 1. None. Zilch. His case is no better than mine. We’re all familiar with his career so there’s no need to run through it all. But I think of his title reign & I immediately picture that scene in Speed where Keanu Reeves is shouting, “It’s cans! It’s just cans!”

 

He has no case. But hes himself. And I believe if either of us had a career as good as him we'd be easily able to talk ourselves into believing there was no one ever better.

 

I don’t know that that’s true. Other fighters who accomplished more have been a lot more humble. Not a little. A lot.