The boxing insider promotion brings the former heavyweight champion back to Boardwalk
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Few champions in boxing history have been able to control a fight with their jab like that. Larry Holmes. And it catapulted him to fame, fortune and a place among the greatest heavyweights of all time.
Boxing internal promotion is very interested in the history of the sport and he is bringing professional boxing to the fore Tropicana Hotel & Casino for the first time in seven years. He also brought Holmes back when “The Easton Assassin” made a special appearance at the Trop gallery on Saturday evening (May 11).
The champion will watch some of the best talent on the east coast, including one who is sure to be part of the future of the heavyweight division, when undefeated Pryce Taylor (3-0) takes on fought in a four-round bout when he faced Lawrence King Jr. (2-1) of Rochester in one of the more anticipated matches.
The story of Holmes is a classic tale of a competitor rising from the ground up.
A native of Cuthbert, GA, Holmes grew up in Easton, PA. He spent part of his early life working to support his family and part of that was active in the amateur boxing ranks.
Holmes was a good amateur, but he suffered an embarrassing fate at the 1972 Olympic Trials, first stopped by Nick Wells in the first round and then disqualified for holding the ball excessively against Duane Bobick. Obviously he has to redeem himself at the professional level. And clearly he did.
Holmes became professional out of the spotlight and fought quite a bit on Don King’s shows. He also served as a sparring partner for many famous heavyweights, most notably Muhammad Ali. He kept trying and kept winning. Larry compiled a 26-0 record in his March 1978 fight with Earnie Shavers, which was his biggest challenge to date. He dominated Shavers, establishing himself as the top contender for the heavyweight titles.
In 1978, change occurred in the heavyweight division. Leon Spinks upset Ali to win the title, and a rematch for September was set (which Ali won). In the process, Spinks challenged the WBC, which booked him to fight top contender Ken Norton.
So the WBC stripped Spinks and gave the title back to Norton, who had previously defeated Jimmy Young in a title eliminator. Norton fought Holmes in a title defense, and it turned out to be a thriller. The 15th round will go down in history as one of the greatest heavyweight bouts ever. Norton won by one point on one score card, while Holmes won by one point on the other two cards and took the title with him. Far from a DQ against Bobick.
Holmes won 20 consecutive fights after that, defending both the WBC and (after a dispute with that sanctioning body) the IBF. In those two fights – against Shavers and Renaldo Snipes – he had to leave the mat to win.
Of course, that was followed by a huge fight with Gerry Cooney, which looked like it might end early when Cooney went down in the second round, then became more dramatic when Cooney landed more than his fair share of blows . By the 13th, Cooney, who was tired and on the receiving end of Holmes’ sharper punches, collapsed and was rescued by cornerman Victor Valle, ending the fight.
Another of those fights was painful in a different way, as Holmes beat his old friend Ali for ten rounds before it was stopped. In post-fight interviews, Holmes expressed how difficult it was to go through that process.
With a record of 48-0, Holmes is on track to break Rocky Marciano’s record of 49 wins without a loss for a heavyweight champion. But Michael Spinks, who rose from the light heavyweight division, shocked him and the boxing world with a 15-round upset decision. In the rematch, Holmes defeated Spinks in many people’s minds, but walked away after a 15-round split verdict.
Then there are other title chances – against Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Oliver McCall. Holmes fought well into his forties and defeated Mike Weaver and Eric “Butterbean” Esch well into his fifties.
Most people don’t remember all that. What they remember is his superb jab – one of the greatest the heavyweight division has ever seen – and his willingness to fight any challenger in front of him.
Fans at Saturday’s game at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino can encounter history as Holmes will be on hand to meet and greet guests. And they can see local favorites Justin Figueroa (8-0, 6 KOs) returns to Atlantic City when he takes on Antonio Armas (13-7, 8 KOs) in a scheduled six-round junior middleweight bout.
Here is the current lineup for the May 11 Boxing Insider Promotions:
8 rounds – Featherweight
JOHN LEONARDO (10-1-1, 4 KOs), Manalapan Township, NJ vs. Frank Gonzalez (12-5, 6 KOs), Tampa, FL
8 rounds – Welterweight
GREAT (13-0, 12 KOs), Chattanooga, TN vs. LESTHER IS AMAZING (8-5, 6 KOs), Nicaragua
6 rounds – Junior Intermediate
JUSTIN FIGUEROA (8-0, 6 KOs), Atlantic City, NJ vs. ANTONIO ARMAS (13-7, 8 KOs), Venezuela
6 rounds – Jr. Medium
DWYKE Flemings (6-0, 6 KOs), Paterson, NJ vs. JONATHAN HAMPTON (3-4, 1 KO), Gary, IN
4 rounds – Heavyweight
PRYCE TAYLOR (3-0, 2 KOs), Brooklyn, NY vs. KING LAWRENCE JR. (2-1.1 KOs), Rochester, NY
4 rounds – middleweight
JACOB SOLIS (3-0, 3 KOs), New York, NY vs. MARTINZ BRAND (1-3, 1 KO), Tucson, AZ
4 rounds – lightweight
KOBY WILLIAM (professional debut), Brooklyn, NY vs. KEVIN HICKS (1-2, 1 KO), Taswell, WV
Tickets are priced at $60, $100, $150 and $200, and are available through TicketMaster (https://www.ticketmaster.com/boxing-insider-live-professional-boxing-atlantic-city-new-jersey-05-11-2024/event/02006076BA7B700C).
The event will also be streamed live and free at BoxingInsider.com
