LARRY HOLMES REMEMBERS SPARRING PRIME ALI & REVEALS RIDDICK BOWE NEVER ACCEPTING OFFER FOR FIGHT 

Prime Holmes was a great fighter. Fast, granite chin, skilled, strong. Even a past his best Holmes was still formidable. He gave Holyfield a good fight and he was in his early 40's. Such a tremendous boxer.

Most underrated champions ever. Easily one of the greatest top 10 heavyweights ever.

Not only was Ali's jab far superior, a prime Ali vs a prime Larry , its an insult to even consider who would win ALI the GREATEST OF ALL TIME

I think it's interesting how Larry claims he lost to Tyson because he wasn't in proper condition.................yet to this day shoots down the idea that Ali wasn't in condition when they fought. Larry......the entire world knows Ali was a shell of himself, and a weak, sick shell at that......when you beat him. Nothing wrong with admitting it, we know it wasn't your fault.

We never saw Prime Ali...Those years were taken away.

“I whooped Ali’s ass” I fuck with Larry but he knows damn well Ali was punch drunk at the time. Not something to gloat about.

I respect Larry because he speaks his mind and does not care what people think of him.

10 years untouched Larry, sweetest jab in the business.

Prime Ali was in 1967. Ali was still good in the 70s but had lost some speed both of hand and foot. A prime Holmes vs a prime Ali would have been a great fight.

Larry bought some great fighters some real 15 round wars

Larry never has this same energy in Mike Tyson’s presence 😂

Holmes got into boxing later in Ali career, and was sparring partner with Ali after 1973.

Grew up watching Ali , Frazier , Norton , Foreman but Holmes was easily my favourite Boxer and that jab was something else. The two fights that stand out for me are the Cooney and Mercer fights especially the Mercer fight at age 42 . LEGEND.

Larry Holmes verses George Foreman, what would that have been? The best heavyweight match that never happened.

Holmes never boxed with Ali from 64-67

This is why I don’t think anyone should fight a past prime fighter, no credit if ya win

Larry Holmes truly great. Fury does not compare.

Larry Holmes shared his success with his extended family. A remarkable feat in my eyes

I've had the chance to meet Larry Holmes. I feel like he's getting more and more bitter as he's getting older. Deep down he still feels he's not getting the recognition he deserves... Sad

Larry was so underrated. In my book the greatest heavyweight champ. Jab was incredible. Plus he had a chin, heart and decent power. Fighters aren't like him anymore.

Was ringside at his win over Mike Weaver at MSG. Insane how hard heavyweights hit each other. One of the greatest ever.

Holmes was a very, very good fighter. However, he barely got past a very much declining Ken Norton (a great fight btw, split decision, AP scored it for Norton), lost two to a blown-up Michael Speaks (at best deserved a split), and was champ during a relatively mediocre period of heavyweight boxing. He continues to have an irritating inability to give others their just due (his brief comments during this video about his Ali fight are particularly tone deaf) and as was once said about him, "If he was half as good as he thinks he is, he'd be twice as good as Joe Louis." Larry, you were very good, maybe even great, but a little humility would do you a world of good.

20 straight title defenses says it all and then losing a controversial decision to Spinks , really had little chance against a Prime Tyson at 38...great champion

Love all the old fighters. Amazing people.

In his prime, he would have been very hard to beat by any fighter who ever lived. His jab was long, fast and hard. I always thought he was the most under-rated Champs in history. That was in his prime though. Later he boxed too long and it hurt his legacy.

There is no doubt in my mind that Larry would have beaten Tyson. He’s got the style,can go the extra mile and lost with Mike cause he hadn’t fought in a while.

He learned from the G.O.A.T. Ali as Sparring partner, you can see he was good student.

This interview what’s needed

Larry still looking at them young girls...

Larry Holmes is the most unheralded HW champion ever.

Him mimicking Ali made him to have 1 of the best jabs in the history of the sport.

Larry fought for the pay check when he was in the ring with Mike Tyson.

Holmes would beat any heavyweights today.

I wish he asked Larry's opinion on why titles weren't unified from '78-'85.

Much Respect Larry Holmes!! Hope you are well.

Legend 1 of the best Heavyweights in Top 5 .Best Jab ever

What people don't realise Ali was phenomenal... No one beats Muhammad Ali in or out of the ring... simple no one

“They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery.”Holmes clearly imitated Ali. He tried to jab like him. He even tried to move like him. For him to say “I whipped Ali’s @$$ makes me lose a great deal of respect for him!!! Ali was old!!! Even as a child I knew he was too far gone to be fighting prior to fighting Homes!!! Then for him to talk about beating Ali up in sparring is another slap in the face! Ali would’ve stomped him in his prime!!! Just like Tyson did!!!

mans got all his sense. very well spoken. i love it edit: 03:00 caked up latina mami

I recall getting my Sports Illustrated magazine in the mail sometime in the summer of 1978. The article was on Ali preparing for his rematch with Leon Spinks. For only a handful of times in his life Ali was actually training hard for what everyone hoped would be him regaining the Heavyweight title then permanently retiring. The author wrote something like regardless of what happens in the upcoming 2nd Spinks fight that the end is near for Ali and something like Ali had been champ or claimed he was for 15 years. The author talked about possible successors such as Norton, Jimmy Young, etc. Then he threw out a line something like - and everyone is completely looking past 29 year old Larry Holmes who is undefeated. I soon saw Holmes on TV and since his style reminded me of Ali I became a fan through both Michael Spinks’ fights where Larry was robbed both times. Leon Spinks had been stripped of one of the ‘ABC’ titles that now made up the full crown for giving Ali the rematch instead of fighting the top contender. So sometime close to when Ali beat Spinks convincingly there was a tournament of sorts to fill the vacant title that had been stripped from Spinks. That is when the classic 15 round boxing war between Holmes and Norton took place. So I guess technically Ali and Holmes could have met two years earlier in a reunification bout. Holmes probably still wins that fight considering he is 30 and Ali 37. I bet it would have been much closer, probably a 15 round decision for Holmes. But prime versus prime Ali gives Holmes a boxing lesson and probably puts him down like he did Foreman. Ali’s straight right was a vicious punch that few remained upright after getting the full force of it. One thing that does stain Holmes a little to me is he held the title for 8 years and never once fought a reunification bout in an effort to bring all the titles back together and mostly fought bums as Ali would say. If you want to watch three great Holmes fights the Norton fight and his two boxing wars with Shavers are all on RU-vid. Shavers puts him down, which is something he couldn’t do to Ali. Verdict: Ali had the better chin.

Larry was the man he could stick and move or he could stand and trade.

Ali,Louis, Holmes, and Marciano are on my Mt Rushmore heavyweight mountain. I’d make room for Lennox Lewis at number 5

I'm sitting here laughing at how brutally honest Larry Holmes is and always was. If not the best, one of that elite group.

The two years Larry was off from boxing made big difference in the fight between him and Tyson..Larry was the better boxer in his prime 😊😮😮

One of the top 5 heavy weights and one of the best boxers of all times.

Best jab n history 🥊

Larry is in the top ten of greatest heavyweights. A great skilled fighter and a true warrior.

Prime Holmes would have probably beaten prime Tyson, just as Ali would have beaten Holmes in their primes.

Unless he sparred Ali in 1966 he never sparred prime Ali.

I loved Larry when he was coming up and after he won the title because he always said he wanted the public to see the champion fight and all his early fights were on regular tv not any of this pay fer view crap ..... And a lot of people talk about his left jab but if you watch his fights his upper cut was really nasty .... Yeah I loved Larry up until he got to 48-0 then he started running his mouth about Marciano and then we all know what happened after that.

Great to hear from the great Larry Holmes - good interview; liked and subscribed. Thanks for uploading.

A great man ,he always gives great interviews !! God bless you Larry !!

saw HOLMES in Pittsburgh SNIPES AS I GOT OLDER i came to appreciate him.. respect

This man is shameless, taking credit for whooping a Parkinsons Ali. You aren't on Alis level and never will be. Tyson knocked out a better Holmes than you beat an ALI, Ali already had the Pakinsons

Awesome interview!!! 🫡

When Ali sparred he didn't go all out and would purposely take shots to toughen himself up.

15 rounds was the true test.

Larry was great no doubt, but he's the last person to admit someone was better than him, he never mentioned that he fault an out of shape and old Ali. There's no denying, Holmes is the most unrecognised boxing great that ever lived. He's symbol of strength, courage, stamina, discipline,consistency and pride of boxing. He's the perfect heir to Muhammed Ali.

Larry Holmes is a class act and top 3 heavyweight champion which includes Ali, Louis then Holmes. He is on my Mt Rushmore for heavyweight champions no doubt. He had stamina, great chin, jab, excellent boxing skills, smarts and speed. He had everything a person could want in a top 3 heavyweight champion. Unfortunately for Holmes, he came after Ali and before Tyson so he gets overlooked time and time again. In his prime, he beats Tyson and Holyfield.

Let's correct this. Holmes never sparred a prime Ali. In fact, the world never really got to see a prime Ali. HIs prime would've been from 1967 - 1970 (25-28); the nexus between skill and experience as a fighter. We missed most of 67 thru 1970 due to his forced absence. Larry didn't become Ali's sparring partner until the early 1970s. But he did spar with a still very good Ali.

Holmes, in his prime looked totally mean and very buffed. Larry looked scarier than Foreman in his time. And I love his bantering with Gerry Cooney and Tex Cobb, that still goes on to this day 😃 Glad to see your enjoying your retirement Larry, you are a good man. 🇦🇺

I love Larry and there’s no denying how great he was and his accomplishments, but there’s a tinge of “big fish” stories in this interview.

Ali had the best jab. Holmes's jab is Ali's jab y'all.

Larry Holmes, incredible recupretive powers and the best jab in the business.

Larry Holmes is an all time great boxer-puncher. Had one of the best jabs in HW history. Was one of the greatest boxers. I have him solid 10 and probably in the top 5. At any given day, in his prime, he might have beaten anyone. I also remember that he struggled harder against Norton than a past his prime 3.5 year layoff Ali did in their 2nd meeting. Also struggled harder against Shavers than an old, slow speaking shouldn't have been in there, Ali. That if his beating an old, worn, slurred 37 year old Ali is a victory, then Marciano beating a 38 year Joe Louis is a real victory, and Mike Tyson beating a 38 year old Larry Holmes is the same as beating a prime Larry Holmes. No, it's not... and we know. We admire your skills, Larry. You are an all time great, but, real talk, you never beat Ali just as Tyson never beat you. Maybe you did in a gym war, but Ali wasn't a bully. He rarely showed his greatness in sparring but actually worked on his weaknesses. He gave sparring opponents opportunities and taught them. Didn't take advantage of them, and gave his money away (to worthy and unworthy causes) because of his altruistic nature, which is why he needed money and had to fight in his old age and damaged state. How does Larry rank against Liston, Foreman, or 1971 Frazier? Larry is an all-time great boxer-puncher and that's it.

Larry keeps it real every time...

He "whooped" an over the hill, Parkinson's afflicted Ali's ass. What an accomplishment. How shameful to brag about that.

Larry Holmes definitely in the top 5 of all time. Too many people focus on his fight with Mike Tyson as a reason to dimish him which is stupid. He had been 2 years retired, aged 38 and Don King gave him something like 6 weeks to get in shape for an undefeated prime 20 year old Tyson. Larry took that fight because he wanted the $3.8m to build an office tower block in Easton. Always the $ with Larry. He loved money. Even Mike admitted he would not have beaten the 30 year old 1980 Holmes, who had the best jab of all time, technically/defensively great, super fast, great stamina and iron chinned who could survive the punch of Earnie Shavers. Not a one punch KO guy but his right hand was good enough to hurt any challengers.

Only thing i don't understand about Larry is why he's so bitter towards the heavyweight scene and any generation of HWs that have come after him. Very strange

I met Larry Holmes in 2015 Oneonta N.Y.. It was so cool!!! Got a couple pictures with him!

Larry had the best LEFT HAND n boxing.. I was in his camp and I use to watch him and Don Turner working...

Larry likes soup. Hot soup. Cold soup. Spicy soup. Lumpy soup. Smooth soup. Any kind of soup.

Larry Holmes was a great champion💯👍 🏆 God Bless you Larry Holmes 🙏 💯👍👑

He beat a very sick ali and he wont admit it thats what put me off him Ali wouldn't go down like he did with Tyson

Larry holmes is among the greats.

Larry would never beat prime Tyson. He's bitter. Tyson too strong. Too accurate.

Ali is king of the ring... He help to free mankind

I would've really liked to have seen a Bowe-Holmes fight. I like Bowe to win, assuming he would have been in shape. I don't think Holmes ever faced a guy that big, with that many skills. The way to beat Holmes was to mug him, overpower him and land big punches. Holyfield and Mercer were not able to do that. But Tyson was. And I think Bowe had the firepower and mean streak to blast Holmes out too.

In another video he said" Muhammad Ali always the champion. Now he said himself is the champion

Prime Ali smokes Holmes everyday of the week. Possibly prime Tyson smokes prime Holmes too

Whenever someone says the words heavyweight champion of the world the first name I think of is Larry Holmes.

prime holmes beats Ali

Larry Holmes was smart. He got a job sparring for Muhammad Ali by not beating him up -- although he could have done that from the beginning -- by showing defensive genius instead. He could beat Ali up any time; jab him in the face, in the belly, on the shoulder, like he said -- till Ali would call him names -- then he would lighten up. He knew he was risking his job as Ali's spar mate. But Holmes said he boxed guys with better fistic abilities: Tim Witherspoon, Ken Norton, Michael Spinks, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, but Ali was an entertainer first. He would grab the judges' eyeballs.

SUCH A GREAT CHAMPON OF BOXING HISTORY !!!!!

Larry Homes is definitely one of the best who ever did it!

1. Lewis 2. Homes 3. Klitschko - best jabbers

Holmes never sparred a prime Ali. He sparred with Ali after his three and a half year layoff.

If he had 10 years to train he never would have beat Tyson

Holmes knows his stuff

I always thought Holmes would’ve been in the top 3/4 opponents for even a prime Ali. He was that good.

The great Larry Holmes in his prime was unbeatable. Lightning jab and right cross meant an early knockout. Ali in his prime could have overcome Holmes if he was serious and hungry for a win.

A true legend and a gentleman of the sport. 🥊

One of the greatest fighters ever God bless you Larry Holmes

Robbed twice against Michael Spinks, first was bad but second was worse.

I loved Holmes,fought a long time.Tyson was knocking everybody out.The Ali fight was a workout because he was past his prime!

Holmes is very underrated

4:13 a great bout, peak for peak!

Larry was one of my favorite fighters. Nice to hear from him. He seems healthy in his mind. That's good to know. And I'll never forget when he told all the promoters and the judges that they could "kiss my big black behind"! And then he just gave the camera a big Larry Holmes smile. And he was right to do so!

How he got up from that shotgun right hand from earnie shavers i will never know ONE HELL OF A FIGHTER!!!!!

Homes did have a excellent jab, seriously that thing was powerful and painful. Larry was a great champion. It was very sad though when he went off on Rocky Marciano, I mean, and Rockys brother I mean that was probably him looking the worst that he looked to people.. I personally love Larry Holmes, because he was a very good champion. He was the second longest reigning champion since Joe Louis, and in the end, Larry got out of the business with his brain intact and money in his pocket he was smart, even though he basically has, I don’t even think a complete high school education. I want time actually called Larry Holmes at his company and he answered the phone. What a nice guy seriously I would have to say that I love Larry Holmes. He is definitely one of my idols.