However, the challenger had never been 12 rounds, he’d only gone 10 rounds twice, and consistency was a problem. Implored by Robinson to throw more punches, Witherspoon responded and won the round big. Upon reviewing the fight, I thought Holmes edged the first half, but things changed dramatically in the seventh. Also, at 6-foot-3 ½ and 219 ½ pounds, this was not a heavyweight that Holmes could just throw around. However, Witherspoon, on occasion, was able to catch the left jab with his right hand and fire back. Holmes at 6-foot-4 was in great shape at 213 pounds, and his long-range hitting was just superb. The fight was of the highest quality from the opening bell. “Is that a threat?” responded Robinson, in an exchange that was captured on a 60 Minutes documentary. “And you’ll be black until the day you die!” “Don’t you ever in your life, as long as you’re black, speak to me again,” snarled Holmes in response to the upheaval. An argument ensued when Robinson insisted that he wanted to see Holmes’ hands wrapped from scratch and, backed up by the commission, he won his point. The trainer arrived at Holmes’ dressing room to discover that the champion’s hands were already in the process of being wrapped. While there was significant bad blood between Holmes and Witherspoon during fight week at The Dunes, it was Robinson that drew Holmes’ wrath on fight night. Witherspoon was coached by “Slim” Jim Robinson, who despite being a lesser-known quantity, was a former professional that campaigned from middleweight to heavyweight and a great trainer in his own right. By the time he faced Witherspoon, however, Holmes was working with Eddie Futch, who is unanimously regarded as one of the best boxing minds ever. Holmes worked with Richie Giachetti for the first seven years of his career and also absorbed knowledge from veteran trainers Ray Arcel and Freddie Brown, who had over 100 years of boxing experience between them. In a way, Larry was cheated out of making history because his victory over Ali was tainted.”īoth fighters had teachers of the highest quality. That might make people uncomfortable, but I’m a witness to what went down in that camp. “I was scared to hit him because he was sick and fragile. “Ali had nothing left,” Witherspoon told The Ring. Witherspoon was a product of the old-school Philly-style of boxing – he knew all the tricks – and also sparred Ali ahead of The Greatest’s final world title bout – against Holmes. Influenced by his idol, the young prospect developed into a quick-moving boxer with a face-busting left jab and an underrated straight right hand. Holmes served as a sparring partner for Joe Frazier and Earnie Shavers and was employed by Ali between 19. Both men honed their skills within the confines of the best professional gyms in the county. Holmes had 22 unpaid fights and Witherspoon just six, so they were forced to learn the hard way. Both began boxing late – Holmes at 19, Witherspoon in his early 20s – so neither had time for a prolonged amateur career. Holmes fought out of Easton, Pennsylvania, while Witherspoon was a product of nearby South Philadelphia. Witherspoon was 15-0 (11 KOs), and while the challenger was inexperienced at world level, he had a lot in common with his great opponent. In the early 1980s there were two governing body titles up for grabs but there was only one authentic champion. Also note that Holmes had beaten three of the men who held the WBA title during his reign (Ali, Leon Spinks, and Weaver). In the five years since he’d won the WBC belt from Norton, Holmes had made 14 consecutive defenses, while the WBA belt had changed hands five times. Largely overshadowed by bigger events in Holmes’ career such as the 15-round war with Ken Norton, the infamous dissection of a shot Muhammad Ali, and the racially charged conquering of Gerry Cooney, the Witherspoon fight, including its buildup and storyline, is certainly worth revisiting.Īs well as being the WBC titleholder in early 1983, Holmes (42-0, 30 knockouts) was also Ring Magazine and lineal champion and the true king of the glamour division. The Holmes-Witherspoon result was also controversial and 37 years later nothing has changed. The show, dubbed “The Crown Affair”, also featured WBA titleholder Michael Dokes, who battled to a controversial draw against Mike Weaver. On Larry Holmes scored a 12-round split decision over Tim Witherspoon at the Dunes Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to retain his WBC heavyweight title. Hyperbole to once side, this was one of the finest heavyweight championship fights you could ever hope to see. Two undefeated heavyweights, elite-level skills, wonderful ring craft, dramatic ebb and flow, and The Ring Magazine Round of the Year.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |