Your personal opinion of Larry Holmes, the man.

everyone in this thread seems to have met him and know him well

 

I've seen him in the gym on a weekly basis for the past 3 and a half years.

 

That's pretty cool! I bet you get to see a side of Holmes that few other fans do. What kind of shape is Holmes in now? He looks pretty chubby in the last few recent pics I've seen of him.

 

He looks much heavier in formal wear. He's a bit chubby, but he could probably still go 3 or 4 rounds now. The last sparring session he had was about 3 years ago, and he knocked the person out with a jab on accident, and was pretty sorry afterwards. He still hits the bags when he feels like it, and runs a few miles on the treadmill.

If you want to see Larry at his best, you need to catch him when he's completely drunk, he's hilarious and the most friendly then. When he's pissed stay away though, he has no problem with letting you know what he thinks of you, and letting you know what he'll do to you if you **** him off and don't shut up.

 

I like Larry the guy worked hard and in his old age was able to impress me. He seems to be a shrewd businessman as well as I think one of the better heavyweights of our modern era. I miss the day when Heavyweights in America had a plan other than try to end all fights with one punch.

 

Hoomes dislikes Foreman for being somewhat of a phony. There are many who have worked with Foreman who claim that there is a difference between the kindly image Foreman portrays in the media and the real man.

Holmes for better or for worse has always kept it real.

 

Larry is pretty much an honest guy, and one of the few who had the decent sense to get himself together financially despite being ripped off by King.Especially for someone who dropped out of seventh grade.

 

Nice one, must be amazing sharing a gym with a great. Does he give out advice etc..

 

Yes, he's helped me a few times. He tried helping me with my footwork (a hopeless cause), he helped me with my jab (was a huge help), and taught me a few things with what type of lean/block leaves the other guy most open for when he throws certain punches.

He spent a good 30 minutes trying to help me with my footwork. My footwork is pretty much on the level that Marciano's was. It is just terrible.

 

One thing that really impressed me about Larry is how much skill he had left in his forties and fifties. Amazing to watch him sparring prior to and in the fight with Butterbean when Holmes was 52!

Speaking of Foreman, Larry cracks me up when talking about the George Foreman grill. He says...Boy, George conned a lot of people into thinking they need a special grill to be healthy. One that drains off all the grease when you are cooking your burger to keep you healthy. Why the hell should I go out and put money in this guys pockets when all I have to do is tip the pan to the side and let the grease drain off? People go around and tell all their friends about how they got a Foreman grill and I think...it doesn't come to you to just tilt the pan to the side and save your money?

 

It's a sight to see when Larry gets really pissed and starts trash talking. He starts yelling and whipping "mother****er" out left and right and can be pretty creative.

 

I never liked Holmes growing up and always looked forward to his eventually getting knocked off. As I hit my adult years, I started to see Holmes as an anomaly amongst boxers and began to really develop a nostalgic respect for his years on top and started feeling a bit sorry for him.

I came to see Holmes as a pure pragmatist who was likely one of the most realistic and self-disciplined fighters in the business. He wasn't a tortured soul like Arguello who needed the routine of training to hold his life together, a psychological misfit like Cooney who had a passionate love/hate relationship with the sport, a quasi-evangelist like Ali, or someone who needed boxing to save him from the streets. He was a guy who knew poverty and hard times from the days at the car wash and was entirely sober about the dangerous and sleezy business he was immersed in.

I'd bet his anger came at seeing how boxing- the promoters, fans, and media- fed on fighters being "marks" for the business, themselves, or the attention they received and feeling estranged from most of those around him. He was a round peg in a sport of square holes, I think, and my respect comes from him being one of the few survivors of the gauntlet and maintaining his health, his dignity as a family man, and his staunch financial perspective.

I doubt any heavyweight past or present would have a clear edge in mental strength over Larry. If someone could've beaten a prime Holmes, like say a 66-67 Clay, 60-62 Liston, or 90's Lewis, Bowe, or Holyfield, I think it would have to be on sheer athletic and physical attributes.

Great thread, BTW

 

There's two very different versions to Holmes.

One is the public goose (mostly) with a chip on his shoulder and the other is the caring and more humble man of which Bill1234 tells us stories of.

That's it in a nutshell for me.

 

My personal opinion of Larry as a man is, he's just like the rest of us, he makes mistakes. Ever since he made THAT remark about Marciano, I feel there are still some people who will not let go of that! Larry has stated he said what he said because he was angry at the time! I doubt very much he really meant what he said!

Away from Boxing, Holmes is a very successful property person. Last time I checked, Larry owned a massive amount of Easton, the place he resides! Larry never seemed to have any trouble ad******g to life after Boxing. He invested his money wisely. In Holmes' case, money goes to money!

 

nice one

you cant get someone better to help with your jab.

Your footworks important better start working on it