Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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1st Title defense - Alfredo Evangelista

Round 1: Holmes pumping that famous jab early and often, and keeping Evangelista at bay. Some are getting through, but always it's keeping Evangelista thinking. He attacks in spots with awkward looping shots, but never lands cleanly on Holmes. Holmes gets in a solid counter right at the bell.

Round 2: Larry a bit more aggressive now as he feels he's taken the measure of Evangelista, and doesn't feel particularly threatened. He responds with counters a lot more often in this round, and lands a heavy right uppercut to counter one of Alfredo's attacks. After continuing to control the pace, and outbox him, he lands another powerful uppercut when Evangelista makes the same mistake, leaving himself too open when he attacks. Evangelista tries to be more compact with his attacks after this. Just content to jab, but of course a jabbing match against Holmes isn't working out for him either. Holmes begins to open up more as the round ends.
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Round 3: More jabbing, content to pick his shots. Another big uppercut. Evangelista beginning to bust up now. The commentators note how Holmes hasn't been moving much in this fight as he hasn't needed to. He's on the front foot, and on the attack.

Round 4: Holmes starts to do a bit of an Ali impression here, floating around the ring and flicking the jab. He occasionally loads up with a heavy right, but he's having fun this round. Doing a number on the outclassed Evangelista.

Round 5: Cosell being a harsh critic of the fight saying it's boring, and they'd have been better off replaying Holmes-Norton. Evangelista gets a rise from the crowd about halfway through when he ups his attack, but is quickly quieted by Holmes' strong counter shots. He lands the uppercut again as Evangelista tries to rush him toward the end of the round.
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Round 6: Holmes again flat footed. Jabbing away at Evangelista who has no answers. He begins to load up more in this round with heavy one-two's of right and left hooks when Evangelista turtles up against the ropes. The punishment continues throughout the round, body and head as Holmes is definitely trying his best for the finish now.

Round 7: Holmes gets on his toes again to start the round. He continues to pepper Evangelista with jabs, after landing some heavy overhand rights he drops Evangelista to the mat. Evangelista tries to struggle to his feet, but falls over again, and the fight has come to a conclusion.

Holmes records his 1st title defense via 7th round knockout
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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2nd Title Defense - Ossie Ocasio

Round 1: Ocasio the shorter fighter, fights out of a bit of a crouch. Holmes is aggressive early firing stiff jabs at him, and trying to load up with the right. A few awkward lunges by Ocasio, but nothing of note lands for him. Holmes lands a few solid jabs, and right hands, but it's mostly a feeling out round.

Round 2: Good round for Ocasio here. Slippery upper body movement allows him to set up a few left hooks to the head, and he lands a solid overhand right lead at one point too. Holmes having a little difficulty finding the target this round. Ocasio already has provided a better challenge than Evangelista as he's at least landed some noteworthy shots. Evangelista never managed any such thing. Still a Holmes round though.
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Round 3: Ocasio's brief success was short lived as Holmes is back on the attack, and sharper with his timing. Ocasio's awkward defense is getting less and less effective for him. For now it's mostly still the jab and right hand by Holmes.

Round 4: Another Holmes round. He's working the body when he can, and as always the jab is steady.

Round 5: The uppercut started to come into the mix now, and some heavy body punching. Holmes' full control becoming increasingly apparent.

Round 6: Holmes continuing to methodically break down Ocasio. Jabbing, body punching, the uppercut, the right hand. Nothing to worry about from Ocasio now.

Round 7: This is one of the rounds to point to in the "Holmes has one of the all time great jabs" discussions. He lands a lot of solid right hands, but staggers Ocasio with the jab, and after sticking him with about 2 or 3 more in a row he drops him with a picture perfect jab. Ocasio rises to his feet, and Holmes gets back to pumping one two's into his face. One of them ending with a snapping right that drops Ocasio again hard to the canvas. He rises to his feet, and Holmes jumps all over him for the finish. Again he's hammered to the mat with a Holmes straight right hand. Ridiculously referee Carlos Padilla allows it to continue further, and after another salvo from Holmes, Ocasio is dropped for the 4th and final time.

Holmes records his 2nd title defense again via 7th round Knockout.
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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3rd Title Defense - Mike Weaver

Round 1: Weaver the aggressor early, Holmes content to use his movement and jab early. Feeling out Weaver, and not taking any chances by getting into exchanges with Weaver when he's fresh, and at full strength. Holmes controls the round pretty handily in this method. Weaver got in a decent body shot, and maybe a few others, but mostly it's Larry's round.

Round 2: Holmes more flat footed that round choosing to exchange with Weaver more, and not using his movement as much as he'd done in the previous round. Weaver has his moments landing a few good body shots, and a hook to the head of Holmes, but Holmes of course with the jab starts working in the 1-2's, and ends the round with more solid right hands. He's in full control of Weaver through 2, but Weaver is giving a game effort thus far.

Round 3: Holmes exceptional in this round as he's very aggressive with the counters, and beats Weaver in most every exchange. Weaver still coming forward, but in this round Holmes is content to meet most attacks with a better, and more accurate counter. Most clear cut round of the fight yet for Holmes, and he'd already won the previous 2, but he did some damage in this round.

Round 4: A very entertaining round here as Weaver gives his most spirited effort of the fight yet, he starts the round getting in several solid body shots on Holmes. Holmes responds with hard counters, but Weaver gets back into the fight with some right hands upstairs of his own. He has a moment where he kinda knocks Holmes into the ropes, I think that may have been called a knockdown in the modern era, but at the time was ruled a slip. This galvanizes Weaver, and the crowd though as he goes on the attack the rest of the round, and gives Larry a great deal of difficulty. Weaver's best round of the fight by far up to this point, and the first one he's taken.
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Round 5: Holmes takes the round off as he seemed particularly gassed at the end of the 4th. He kinda cruises this round, and Weaver seizes the advantage. Landing several shots, and giving Holmes a lot of difficulty. Holmes definitely getting his share of troubles in this fight now as Weaver takes his 2nd round in a row.

Round 6: Another good round for Weaver here, Holmes gets back to the movement, and tries to re-establish the strategy that was working early in the fight for him. He does have a better round than he'd had in the previous 2, but Weaver is able to get the better of it for the most part still, and takes his 3rd consecutive round.

Round 7: Holmes takes back control in this round, Weaver beginning to tire, and Holmes lands several jabs, and some right hands along the way. Weaver gets in a few solid shots, mainly to the body, but Holmes certainly got the better of the action this round.

Round 8: Another good round for Holmes. Weaver is tiring, and Holmes simply being the Champion that he is seizing the quiet moments with his jab. Not a spectacular effort so far for Larry, but he's getting the job done.
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Round 9: Weaver's best round since the 5th here. Holmes looking gassed, Weaver is tired as well, but he was able to dig down for another surge at the Champ here, and landed enough good shots to take another one.

Round 10: Holmes was having his difficulties, but had been doing enough to win the round until Weaver steals it in the final 10 seconds when he shakes Holmes badly with a heavy right hand up top. Holmes is noticeably wobbled by the punch, and very lucky to hear the bell when he did as he was in a lot of trouble, and needed the recovery time. Weaver has once again evened the fight up with the Champ!

Round 11: Holmes gives everything he has for the finish in the 11th, hammers Weaver who somehow stays up through most of the barrage, and lands his share. Weaver had almost made it through the round when a thunderbolt of an uppercut drops him to the mat hard. He manages to make it to his feet at 8, and is saved by the bell. Big round for Larry!

Round 12: Larry continues to pressure Weaver at the start of the 12th, not letting him recover. He's not landing a lot of punches, but does land a few, and the referee steps in to stop it as Weaver is not defending himself. The crowd doesn't like it as Weaver had given such an effort earlier, and was still potentially in the fight if Larry were to punch himself out, but it is what it is. The Champ retains his title in a very hard fought battle.

Holmes records his 3rd title defense via 12th round Knockout
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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4th Title defense: Earnie Shavers

Round 1: Holmes true to his pre-fight boasts is indeed standing, and taking the measure of Shavers more than expected. Not moving around, or circling as one would expect him to do against Shavers. He's standing right in front, and beating him to the punch consistently with the jab. Good 1st round for Holmes.

Round 2: More of the same from Holmes in this round, avoiding the danger for the most part, and steadily keeping the jab in Shavers' face. Earnie does land a powerful right hand toward the end of the round, but Holmes takes it well, and it wasn't enough to make up for the better work Holmes had done throughout the round. 2-0 Holmes after 2 rounds.

Round 3: Holmes continuing to control the action. Shavers getting more and more aggressive looking to land the right hand. He does drive in some solid rights to the body, and one or two upstairs, but Holmes takes them, and continues to control the majority of the action with that ever present jab. Most difficult round of the fight yet for the Champion, but he still edges it.
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Round 4: Best round yet for Larry as he uses his movement more than he had in any of the previous 3 rounds, but also opens up with several volleys of heavy shots. Uppercuts, right hands in combination with the jab. He does a number on Earnie in this round, and appears to stun him at times. Excellent round from the Champion who was in full control here. Shavers threw several of those very powerful rights, but almost all of them fell short this round.

Round 5: Shavers lunging wildly with several hail mary shots this round, but falling short again with most. Holmes continues to very effective piling on the jabs, and the right hands. He's fighting smart, and avoiding Shavers' bombs up to this point. His greater skill leading him to a shutout through 5.

Round 6: Another round fully controlled by Holmes for the most part. Shavers does land a few forceful right hands to the body that move Holmes a little, but Holmes has him missing wildly with overhand rights up top, and batters him with several right hands of his own noticeably stunning Shavers at times in the round, and opening a cut with one of those right hands. Shavers appears to be tiring as the round comes to an end. Holmes' fight through 6.

Round 7: Shavers' best round as he stuns Holmes about midway through, and goes on the attack from there. With another overhand right he drops Holmes to the canvas, and Holmes gets up very groggy. He manages to survive the round on good instincts, but he later admitted to basically having no memory of the rest of this round after the knockdown. Truly gutty effort from the Champion as most fighters would've been finished or unable to survive that devastating right hand that he took from Earnie. Earnie to his credit tried like hell to land another one, and finish the fight, but it just wasn't to be.
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Round 8: Holmes comes back wonderfully from the 7th round to dominate this one. He's back on his toes, boxing and moving. Sticking the jab, and unloading combinations on Shavers. The blood is flowing from the cut, and Shavers is looking like he spent whatever he had left in that 7th round rally.

Round 9: Holmes batters Shavers throughout this round. Shavers is all but out on his feet as Holmes continues to hammer him with one two's, uppercuts, right leads, hooks...everything, but the kitchen sink as the old saying goes. Shavers lands a right hand which seems to drop Holmes, but the referee rules it a slip for whatever reason. The commentators dispute the call, and so do I, though Shavers was battered throughout the round, he should've been credited with a 2nd knockdown here.

Round 10: Shavers looks completely spent all through this round. Holmes is hammering him going for the finish. Shavers with a few last ditch effort right hands, but there's nothing on 'em anymore, and he's so slow because of the exhaustion. Just a matter of time before Holmes gets the finish.

Round 11: And here it is. Shavers continues to look like a completely spent force. Hands at his side, teetering on his feet. Ready to go. The referee awkwardly steps in to ask him if he wants to continue, he says yes, but after another attack from Holmes the referee waves it off as Shavers had been just taking offense looking all but out on his feet for the last round and a half now. A valiant effort from the challenger, but Holmes records his 4th, and up to this point most famous title defense.

Holmes records his 4th title defense via 11th round TKO
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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5th Title Defense: Lorenzo Zanon

Round 1: Holmes controlling the action easily enough. Zanon is bringing nothing particularly impressive to the table. He was recently the former European Champion coming into this bout, but was stripped of that for fighting Holmes instead of defending against his mandatory challenger. Zanon really has nothing to trouble Holmes with early, and Holmes controls the action in the 1st as usual with his jab.

Round 2: More of the same as Holmes is outboxing and outjabbing Zanon with ease. Holmes clearly levels above Zanon.

Round 3: Bit of a snoozefest as Holmes continues outboxing Zanon comfortably, and with little to no difficulty. Zanon is doing what he can, but just isn't on the level to compete here really, and is landing virtually nothing of note. He's just good enough to avoid a lot of Larry's big shots, and make it fairly dull.
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Round 4: Holmes brings everyone to life in this round by dropping Zanon with a big right hand early. Zanon manages to make it to his feet, but is met by another barrage from Holmes, and is soon sent back to the canvas again. The Champion batters him throughout the round, Zanon tries gamely to fight back, but to no avail. At one point the referee issues a Standing 8 count for some reason though that rule was not supposed to be in effect anymore so I'm not sure what the call was there. Zanon also appears to be bleeding from the right eye this round. Dominant round for Holmes. 10-6 round I guess? Not sure what the scoring system was, but it was dominant as could be.

Round 5: Surprisingly good round for Zanon following all the damage he took in the 4th. Holmes seems to just kinda take the round off. He jabs, but does little else, and Zanon is busier landing jabs of his own as well as right hands to the head and body. As much to do with Holmes taking the round off as Zanon stepping it up, but it's Zanon's round here.

Round 6: Holmes looking to finish this round. A little sloppy at times lunging with the right, but eventually one of those right hand leads does indeed find the mark on Zanon, and Zanon takes the count. He appears coherent, but unwilling to continue knowing he's giving his best, and his best just wasn't good enough.

Holmes records his 5th title via 6th round KO
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Larry Holmes vs Leroy Jones

Now this fella Leroy Jones may well be one of the least deserving Heavyweight title challengers of all time. He came in undefeated, but was pudgy and out of shape, and not particularly skillful. Holmes had an easy time battering this guy with several jabs and right crosses until the referee stopped it in the 8th with Leroy's eye rapidly closing, and Holmes recording his 6th title defense.

The highlight of the event hear isn't even the fight itself, but the fact that Howard Cosell refers to Leroy as "A Big Fat Blubbery guy who's unbeaten" as the title challenger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgHJzN4rc1Q&t
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Larry Holmes vs Scott LeDoux

This is another easy defense for Larry Holmes. The rugged LeDoux could always be counted on to do his best, and try his hardest, but he's just so badly outclassed here that other than a few wild overhand rights he finds very little success against Larry, and takes a beating on the way to being stopped in the 7th round.

This is Larry's 7th title defense.




The 8th one I feel has been covered enough by Boxing history, and I don't want to say much else about it.

Larry Holmes vs Muhammad Ali

This one is just sad to watch. The once great Muhammad Ali is a shell of himself, and can offer no resistance at any point in the fight. At some point Angelo Dundee, Ali's trainer has seen enough and steps in the ring to stop the action. This one is upsetting to watch to be honest.

Holmes wins by TKO 10, and records his 8th title defense
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Larry Holmes vs Trevor Berbick

Holmes had piled up several easy title defenses in a row, with little difficulty coming in any of them except for the knockdown in the 2nd Shavers bout, and some fits from Mike Weaver. He had knocked out all 8 of his challengers up to this point in his reign.

Round 1: A feeling out round mostly with Berbick taunting Holmes heavily, but not doing any effective work. Holmes is carrying the day with his jab as usual. Holmes' round. A strange incident after the round where Berbick follows Holmes back to his corner yelling at him, and pushes the referee to the canvas. He's lucky not to have been DQ'd then and there, and I wouldn't be surprised if he were fined by the commission for that.

Round 2: Berbick still taunting, and talking trash. He lands a good right, and a good flurry toward the end of the round, which is enough to win him the round in another kinda slow uneventful feeling out type round mostly. It's 1-1 after 2 rounds.
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Round 3: An even round for the first few minutes. In the final minute Holmes lands a solid left hook to Berbick's body that seems to noticeably hurt him, and some good combinations down the stretch to seal the round. Berbick still giving a spirited effort.

Round 4: The first very clear round of the fight as Holmes separates himself here and dominates the round with several clean heavy shots, and nullifying most of Berbick's attacks. Holmes up 3 to 1, and in control after 4 rounds.

Round 5: Holmes remains in control. Still getting in jabs, and right hands. Berbick making him work for it every step of the way, but Holmes' greater skill is showing up in each round.

Round 6: More of the same. Berbick still taunting, throwing in some wild attacks, but being hit with more clean shots by Holmes.

5 rounds to 1 Holmes
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Round 7: Holmes mostly in control in this round as he had been in the previous rounds, but we have a burst of excitement at the end of the round as Berbick bulls Holmes to the corner and unleashes a flurry at him, even while doing so however Holmes gets the better of the punch exchange and comes out with the round still in his favor, but the crowd gets there money's worth in action right here for sure.

Round 8: Another Holmes round, Berbick keeps hanging around, and trying his best, but all of the hard, clean shots are coming through from Holmes.

Round 9: Berbick talking, taunting and losing. They jaw at each other, and have a shoving match at the end of the round. Another dominant round for Holmes.

Round 10: One of the most dominant rounds yet for Holmes.

9 rounds to 1 for Holmes
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Re: Inside the Title Reign - Larry Holmes

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Rounds 11 thru 15: Berbick steps on the gas a little bit more in the 13th and 14th, but he just can't match Holmes' skill and loses all of these rounds too.

I got it 14 rounds to 1 for Holmes.
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