Holmes won this fight.. Larry should have been a 2 time heavyweight world champion.. much respect to one of the best heavyweights of all time the Easton Assassin Larry Holmes
I took my kids to the Box fan expo in Vegas a few weeks ago and there were long lines for everyone of the fighters except for Michael Spinx. For some reason he was sitting in the back alone at his table. It was like none of these kids had any idea who he was. I was so happy to be able to walk up to his table and talk to him and get autographs without even having to wait for 2 hours. Michael is as a great guy. Very nice man. I'm glad I met him and I'm glad my kids got a chance to as well.
imo one of the greats, moved up a division, defeated Holmes, Cooney.... and others cant remember and he was a small Heavyweight coming from the light heavy (which he was champion of) Very good tactical boxer and had tons of heart
The 3rd greatest lightheavyweight of all time. Behind Ezzard Cincinatti Cobra Charles and Archie Mongoose Moore. The first lightheavyweight champion to the heavy title.
The best compliment to Larry Holmes is this amongst the greatest heavyweights to have fought in the ring, he is in the top 10 and that's a real compliment, AlI , Foreman, Frazier, Norton, Tyson, Holyfield, Lewis , Holmes, Fury
Fury has no business being there and any heavyweight list with no Joe Louis is wrong. Him and Ali are number 1 and 2, you decide who will you put at which place.
@@crabb9966 On the contrary, I've watched a ton of boxing since I was about 10 years old in 1981. Coetzee vs Snipes was total BS also, I agree. Leonard vs Hagler was also a total sham. I was just extra pissed because I thought Holmes did just enough to keep his belt in the first fight with Spinks. They take that away from him, just as he's about to tie Rocky, so he has to go through a ton of training and had to get better at age 36, which is hard for anybody to do. But, he clearly did it, and clearly dominated the rematch, but the judges gave the fight to that little weasel, Michael Spinks, instead. Everybody that watched that fight, in April of 1986, was pissed. Stevie Wonder, could clearly see that fight was totally rigged. I will continue to say it, the two judges that scored a Spinks victory in the rematch, should have been banned on the spot, from ever judging another fight again and led out of Caesar's Palace in handcuffs, by security. Needless to say, I was thrilled to see Mike Tyson completely obliterate Spinks in the first round.
Spinks won the 1st meeting by a hair..but in my honest opinion he was indeed the winner... But the second meeting was clearly Holmes.. Sad that Larry got such a bad decision
I think Holmes won by a hair in the first fight, and demolished Spinks in the 2nd fight. Who do you think would've won in the 90s, between Bowe vs Lewis? I might well be the greatest fight never to happen. I think Lewis would've won, but it would've been great to see. Also, in 1987, I truly feel like the Boston Celtics suffered more from the season ending loss of Scott Wedman than they did with Bill Walton. Both were huge losses, in a season dominated by injuries for the Celtics. Walton was a great backup Center in the 85/86 season, when he was healthy, and only missed a few games all year. But, McHale missed 19 games in a row in 86, and with Wedman taking his spot, and the Celtics were 17-2 in that stretch, including a win in the Forum in LA, against the Lakers. I think it was something like 105-99 or close to that. Wedman could play either forward spot effectively, and also some shooting guard. People rarely talk about the loss of Wedman that season, though, focusing more on Bill Walton's absence, and Lenny Bias' death. I also think the 87 Celtics truly lost their bid to win back to back titles, in the Milwaukee series, that was the Eastern Semi-Finals. They won the first two games easily in The Garden, then predictably lost in The Mecca in Game 3. Against all odds, the Celtics actually won a road game in overtime, in Game 4, to go up with a commanding 3-1 series lead, going home to finish things off. It would've given the very banged up Celtics team a golden opportunity to rest up before their grueling 7 game series against the Detroit Pistons. Instead, the Celtics, inexplicably, lost game 5 at home to Milwaukee, predictably folded like a tent back in The Mecca in game 6, then trailed by 10, with about 5 minutes left, back in Boston in Game 7. The Larry Bird caught fire, and Boston won game 7. The Eastern Finals were as grueling as any series I ever saw, but Boston won a narrow victory in Game 7 to win the East. By the time they played Game 1, against the Lakers, in LA, the Celtics were totally drained. They still took the greatest single season Laker team ever, to 6 games though. Walton played very little, but Wedman was completely ruled out for the series. I truly believe that had Boston had a healthy Scott Wedman, they would have won Game 4, that they lost by 1 point, in the Magic Baby Hook game, and some nauseating officiating in the 4th quarter of that game. Boston would've gone back to LA for 6 and 7, with a 3-2 series lead, instead of going back to LA down 3-2. They knew there was no way in hell they could win both 6 and 7 in The Forum, but if they were up 3-2, only needing 1 game, who knows. I could sense some depression and hopelessness from you, regarding Larry's ridiculous "loss" in the rematch. So my advice to you, is keep your head up. The moral of the story, is, NEVER give up. Would be curious if you have the same thoughts about the 86-87 Celtics, particularly had they had a healthy Scott Wedman all season? May God Bless you, Sir, and may He guide you through this difficult time. - Susan
Holmes was fighting on memory here and I still think he won the fight. Spinks won the first one no doubt but Holmes could barely hold his hands and wing power punches the last few rounds but he still should have won this decision!
Historical reference here: After losing to Spinks Holmes made a comment that Rocky Marciano couldn't hold his jock strap, which Marciano's brother heard. Holmes said this because he had been compared to Rocky as he was trying to tie Marciano's record. Larry has later recanted, even saying he loved Marciano as a champion. But what he said at the time stuck with people. I think that affected the judges here, who may have felt Holmes thought he was bigger than boxing. So they gave all the close rounds here to Spinks, as a message to Larry. The other thinking is that a lot of people (not just Mike Tyson) were upset that Larry agreed to fight Ali. Even though in that fight Holmes somewhat took it easy on Ali, pleading several times in the fight with the referee to stop it, the fight never should have happened, and people were upset at Larry for it. Tyson said he wanted to KO Holmes because of it. Tyson also said he actually tried to kill Trevor Berbick, as Berbick didn't take it easy on Ali, and pounded on him hard.
if Tyson ever said anything about being upset that Larry fought Ali, then Tyson was a moron. Ali and Larry were close, and Ali basically begged Larry to take the fight b/c it was good money for both of them. As you mention, Larry did not try to put a serious bone-crushing hurting on Ali.
Berbick who was a rapist outside the ring did do bad things, but he did take it easy on Ali that night he promised he wouldn't hurt his idol and he didnt
@@monkeyb1820 Mike wanted to avenge Ali's loss he knew that Larry didn't want to hurt Ali.... Mike and Larry have always been friendly with each other and Mike had a ton of respect for Holmes after beating the old and washed Larry Mike said he wouldnt have stood a chance against prime Holmes and that Holmes was a great fighter
Holmes won that fight. Holmes won 6 of the 1st 8 rounds and the rest of the fight was even on the rounds with one draw in the mix. Overall, I say Holmes won 9 rounds to 5 rounds for Spinks with 1 draw round. Larry was robbed.
@@e.a.poecrnimacak354 Okay your point is Ezzard Charles is the most decorated fighter in the light heavyweight division but then we could say Lennox lewis or Muhammed Ali are the greatest in there division or some may argue Larry Holmes or Tyson fury are the best you see I don’t base it of resume that’s all great for me it’s mostly about skill set displayed for example you the same dude that might say Shakur or Terrance Crawford (past tense) or Andre ward or jaron boots Ennis ain’t fought nobody or ain’t the most decorated so we take away there credit Ezzard Charles is great but Roy Jones would spin him in circles which is why there are Era for a reason i base it of Styles make fights
Well I'd certainly agree that Spinks won the first fight without any controversy. But this verdict was a little dubious. Not the worst decision ever by any means, but Holmes was unlucky here.
@@chriswilliamson7694 Honestly, counting punches, it plays to me like one of those controversies where the loser gets the credit, even when he's being outlanded, because he's "on the attack," - or in this case, sometimes just because he's not being controlled like he was last time. I have it coming down to round 14, where I know Larry staggering Spinks stole the show, but it still wasn't a knockdown, and was it really much better than Spinks freezing Holmes in his tracks and whaling on him, just before that? Because even outside of those two moments, Spinks outlanded Holmes by a fair margin.
@@thatguyoverthere11 Holmes landed the cleaner, more powerful shots and rocked Spinks all over the place. Larry stopped Michael in his tracks a few times and was more dominant in this fight. This why we get the feeling that he was robbed. He did enough to retake his title.
every time i watch this fight it breaks my heart to see Holmes robbed like this.A true champion and a real gentlemen.He propped up the heavyweight division for 10 years whilst it was suffering a poor period.He poured his heart into this fight.Fucking disgrace
@@robertkulikowski6380 No he wasn't. Williams won only 5-6 rounds in that fight which is hardly enough for a win. Carl started very well but after the 7th round he did absolutely nothing. He faded, stopped attacking, ran, got countered and heavily landed on. He looked pale in comparison to Larry. He wasted his own potential like many other boxers. And that is what separates the legends like Holmes from the rest.
The punch count is B.S Holmes clearly won this fight anyone who argues otherwise has beer goggles on...He Rocked Spinks numerous times /was the aggressor and had ring generalship....Spinks weak last minute shots here and there clearly didn't win this fight. Holmes gave a few rounds away midway and then persued once again maintaining control...half the shots Spinks threw didn't even land they missed or were blocked.The REAl score would read..only 4 rounds to spinks and that's being generous b/c one rnd was a draw ...you actually don't have to score the entire fight because Holmes clearly wins most of the rounds before the end of the fight. Holmes basically won with the jab but also landed the straight right that wobbled Spinks throughout the fight with the JAB..what ppl see at times always boggles me ,but then again ............ lol Theres a reason why Richie Holmes trainer is going crazy b/c this is clearly a robbery in such Spinks would need a mask on and armed when he left the ring.
+Furious_Styles The Spinks Jinx. He was never a classic or pretty boxer, but his style was confusing to many boxers. Except it didn't bother Tyson a whole lot...
Especially at heavyweight. His knees, particularly the right one, seemed to be giving him trouble. He'd injured it in 1977 and it cost him a year of recovery time.
If he fought him like how he fought Ken Norton would have been no contest . He was young , lighter , and in was coming into his prime . So underrated .
Holmes in his prime no contest you can see him slower and his timing on his right hand was off by this point of his carrier . When he fought Ken Norton would have knocked out slinks . Taking nothing away fromspinks it’s still an accomplishment
Holmes should have worked the body more from the start of the fight , being the full fledged heavyweight he would have burnt spinks out, u can see him wince off body shots in the first round, this was a clear Holmes win tho 146-144 and I was being lenient toward spinks, I tried giving him what ever I could Just can't see how Holmes lost
Foreman's daughter Freeda also got into boxing. I used to call her the "Yummy Mummy". It was so tragic how her life ended. She was a lovely lady. @@aarondigby5054
I've been around the sport of boxing and covered it for over 35 years and I thought the first fight was close and could have gone either way, but anybody who thinks spinks won this fight must be blind or more cracked than the liberty Bell in Philadelphia!!! Larry Won 10 of the rounds on my scorecard. They went 15 rounds, so u do the math!!! I always liked both these guys, and have met Larry Holmes and watched him fight at the mystic lake hotel and casino!!!
I cannot agree more.....also, many bring up how Tyson knocked out Larry in their fight, but Larry was past his prime and took that fight on short notice.....
@@Shovelhook Larry had to dig a lot deeper against Witherspoon. Tim had a great strategy of using his left to deflect Larry's jab, and threw both his own jab, and good quick rights that threw Larry off. That was a great fight that I think Holmes won in the last 2 rounds when Witherspoon stared to slow just a little and Holmes gritted it out.
"EASY" ???, damn , you love HOLMES that much where it makes u not at all give SPINKS any kind of Credit for at least making a hell of an effort to give HOLMES a pretty tough fight ???
This was around the time Tyson was smashing heads and coming up through the ranks! It was good these two enjoyed the end of the relax and fight all day era. Little did they know a tornado was coming to dismantle them both.
these two???? larry holmes is a legend larry in his prime would of ate up tyson with his legendary jab. all you have to do is watch the douglas tyson fight to see what larry would of done to tyson in his prime
@@bb-gc2tx Tyson absolutely ate up every boxer whose specialized in throwing the jab - which was pretty much everyone except Tyson! Once the jab failed, Tyson's opponents resorted to hugging. Honestly, Larry Holmes performed fairly well against Tyson, compared to most. He at least stood his ground (for a little while). I believe a 28 year old Larry Holmes would've put on a decent show against Tyson - but there's no way he would've won. Tyson was unstoppable in his prime!
I had this fight scored even more one-sided than I previously did. Still have Holmes the winner 145-140. So yes, I would have to say that this one was a robbery.
After having seen both Holmes\Spinks fights I now believe Spinks won the first fight fairly and squarely, but when it comes to the second, I think Holmes led early but Spinks managed to close the gap. If Larry had been more aggressive in the final two rounds, especially whenever Spinks walked away from him, it might have swayed the judges more in his favor. Even if the punches weren't "power" punches, they still would have scored points, which is what it's all about once a fighter has passed his prime.
Holmes won by at least 3 clear rounds. He didn’t need to “sway” any judges. He won so clearly that there was no need to sway anyone. Just a bad robbery.
@@PaultheSheik True, he landed more punches and they were much cleaner and more powerful. Spinks never hurt Holmes, not even close. He only touched and grazed him from time to time. Larry was the one who shook and and wobbled Michael a few times. The judges were very unfair, except for Joe Cortez.
@@PaultheSheik I had Holmes winning 12-2-1. What a flat out disgrace this was. The 2 judges that somehow justified Spinks winning should have never been allowed to judge a fight again, and to be honest, should have served 4-5 years of prison time, for obviously fixing a fight. This was one of the biggest black eyes for boxing, in history.
Unquestionably this fight was won by Larry Holmes. If people wonder why Holmes has a chip on his shoulder, the results of this decision should relieve their curiosity.
If Holmes took the first fight seriously like he did here there would be no issues. How they gave this fight to Spinks here is beyond me. Holmes won this fight!
@@jameshogan6142 Exactly my words, thanks for your comments. The thing is, the establishment didn't want Holmes to break Marciano's record... Darealdeal
I see a parallel with the Spinks Ali fights. One commentator dismissed the claims that Ali went away and trained intensely for the second fight which is why he won. This chap claimed that Ali was in even poorer condition in the rematch but that Leon went against him with nothing at all. Michael was really prepared for his second fight with Holmes who was also in his twilight years and really had to convincingly win the fight to reclaim his crown.@@neildarealdeal7129
My scorecard matched Harold Lederman's, round-for-round, 144 - 142 for Holmes. Unlike the first fight (which Spinks won in my opinion), Holmes was able to land his right hand and landed the bigger punches of the fight. Larry Holmes won this fight.
Maybe Spinx was that good or maybe homes was just diminishing but I just don't see how spinks beats him the first time because Larry Holmes imo is one of the best ever. Ali too. Not Frazier, not foreman. Ali and Holmes were the only two guys that came in and out of that era that I can think of, heavyweights, who truly had no intention of losing. It also means that both of them have very good character and I'm afraid I'll have to bet my life that it was the second rematch here where you were probably right and Larry Holmes won and I watched it live as a teenager and it really had you on the edge of your seat because you could see the age start to set in on holmes, I remember really rooting for him, but boy he look like a old man when he threw that jab out and you're thinking to yourself the fight is close he can't afford to take any kind of significant and memorable sort of combination type score where if spinks maybe did that once or twice in the last four or five rounds then you felt like homes would lose for sure, but the bottom line is spinks is just not that good, and homes is supposed to win that fight and I bet my life this is the one where he told Showtime to kiss where the sun don't shine, because I think he out of anybody would know if he won or lost. More than likely it wouldn't surprise me that there's some politics because obviously Larry Holmes is a stand-up guy and he is his own man literally and I am sure that pissed off the same typical cast of characters, the culture of critique, separation and its discontents of that same old group of chosenites who didn't like him no, different than Elvis or those notable others who simply did not play ball and sell out. Don King..... He's beyond sell out. He follows orders.
@@FIVE-0-APOCALYPTO For the first fight, Larry Holmes' trainer (Eddie Futch) was Michael Spinks' trainer. They made a huge fight plan because they knew Holmes considered Spinks as a journeyman fighter, Spinks followed Futch's orders and Larry paid the biggest price for swapping trainers with Spinks.
@@blueterminal7495 I'm very well aware of that and how I can't argue with the results but I can make a few points that are valid. Its arguable it wouldn't have mattered because the rematch, homes did much better in taking the fight more towards Spinks, despite the lack of real effectiveness and that's where we give Michael credit because regardless of journeyman or simply very awkward a fighter, Larry and more than likely due to his age, simply didn't have enough to establish a convincing or decisive win regardless of technically in my opinion, deserved the win, because we also have to ask Michael what in the hell was he doing to truly be deserving of the title itself but that's just an opinion and we all know to beat the champ you can't just win it like that, it has to be convincing and decisive at the very least. And I also argue that if anyone certainly wasn't going to get a favorable lean or bias or consideration, it was LARRY HOLMES and for reasons I believe, is probably the same reason why he switched trainers in a sense. That entity behind the scenes of boxing don't like the Larry Holmes type. He's a stand up man of character who tells it the way it is, and regardless of the fighter and trainer rule of two where regardless of who's being paid, one is being paid to teach and the other is paying to listen in this case, and if the man Larry Holmes switched trainers, I'm sure it was for good reasons or a reason.... And that's that, I don't see how Larry Holmes is a difficult person in general and he is his own man and that's all the reason he needs, and that entity behind the scenes hates that because they can't manipulate him and therefore they hate what they can't control and do the utmost to work against him. Larry told either Showtime or HBO I can't remember it was so long ago after the second fight for them to kiss Larry where the sun don't shine.....oh bitter grapes, and sure that's fair to say, it wasn't HBO or Showtime that lost the fight for him, its not tactful or strategic to say something like that, but let's be real about this as well, there's nothing else he can do but tell the entity what he thinks and it's definitely valid and definitely legitimate. There's a documentary with Larry Holmes and his upcoming fight with Muhammad Ali and that's where I could clearly see that Larry Holmes is a stand-up guy and a winner and is not going to subject himself to any bullshit he doesn't want and wherever he draws that line is his book of rules and while others might not respect it, i do. Larry Holmes is a legitimate tough dude. He's not trying to put on an act or get anything more than he knows he deserves and I like that. He keeps it real. In the documentary he's driving down the road in his Cadillac THAT HE EARNED, and he had some things to say about Muhammad Ali and how Ollie is always so gracious and so forth and Larry pointed out it's because Ali is on top and as long as he is on top then everything is cool, but that doesn't mean Ali is cool or gracious because when things aren't going his way then you see who he truly is. Larry isn't bitching about it he's just stating the way it is and once again I have to agree with him, because too many times, heroes and Legends are painted a certain way when the reality fits the saying more times than not...."never meet your heroes". I remember meeting Evel Knievel a few years before he died where him and his young wife spent a lot of their time playing golf on the road on route 66 in his plush motorhome and here I walk into the bar just a have a glass of water it was so damn hot and there was five people in there in the early afternoon and I'll be damned there's evil Knievel himself talking to a couple of others at the bar but from like around the corner and three stools over..... I said to myself lucky me there's nobody sitting next to him and I pull up and ask the bartender for some water and I wasn't paying attention to what he was saying but I could feel the vibe as if whoever was on the receiving end didn't really care or wasn't impressed and after a half hour I quickly found out why. Here I am thinking I'm the luckiest guy in the world and trying to figure out how I can break some bread with this legend, a man with true balls of steel. And so I figured it's like anything else and simply don't be phony and let the chips fall where they may and I looked at him and I said I know who you are you old son of a bitch, most people who love you don't even have a clue of how much balls you have,.... He just stared at me.... I said to myself oh you like that here, get an ear full of this old man.... I told him that me and my cousin after watching his son jump The fountains at Caesar's Palace, repeated for weeks after what you said while we were high as fuck on mushrooms weed and drinking beer: (With a salty old man drone)..... IF MY BIKE HAD THE SUSPENSION THAT THESE GUYS BIKES HAVE BACK IN MY DAY I WOULD JUMP THE MOOOOOOON......(grumpy, bitter, unimpressed) He still stared at me and I repeated it again, IF MY BIKE HAD THE SUSPENSION THAT THESE GUYS BIKES HAVE BACK IN MY DAY I WOULD JUMP THE MOOOOOON ....and again, but this time at the bartender....HEY, IF MY BIKE HAD THE SUSPENSION THAT THESE GUYS BIKES HAVE BACK OF MY DAY I WOULD HAVE JUMPED THE MOOOOOOOON..... Evel chuckles and says that's right, and I said I never understood why whether it's your son or whoever in my opinion it doesn't matter, that they are trying to share the spotlight in your failures where you paid the price for the attempt as you said in a speech one time that it doesn't matter if you fail, where I come from the only thing that matters is that you get in and try..... But you're doing it on a stool with wheels.... I would like to see how many times all these guys today would be willing to get in there and try after failing one time... Evel says to me, nobody else in the world had as big a set of balls as he did and I was one of the few who understood where he was coming from, but let me tell you something kid blah blah.... You think you have any guts?... Blah blah blah blah blah, my father had more guts in his pinky than you or anybody else does in their whole body..... I literally started the size him up in my mind and thought what would happen if I just drilled him right in the jaw? Yes he's got more balls and I can ever imagine or ever have.... I said I had to go to the bathroom but let me buy you a drink and I'll be back.... He didn't say anything but I motion to the bartender pointing over evil's head and the little circle hand gesture, and it was the funniest thing because the bartender looked at evil to see if he was looking and he wasn't and then quickly looked at me and shook his head and I started laughing.... In other words they didn't want to serve him anymore cuz he was already drunk as a skunk. I went to the bathroom and left. I wasn't insulted or anything, it's just that he was boring. Obviously some would call him an asshole, actually that's what most people close enough to him thought of him. I know Ali is not evil Knievel, but I also know that Larry Holmes is not full of shit. My question to you is if do you think Larry Holmes made the trainer switch because he has bad character and a power trip? I don't think that is the case but I could certainly see where he draws the line on his book of rules first as having strong principle even if it's detrimental at times but that's the way it is with unique types like Larry Holmes and he is unique in the sense that I believe that he truly believes in himself, and for good reason because he's a legitimate world champion because the fact is, he truly is a master class boxer.... He knows all those angles, and tricks and lean on with weight or leverage..... Like Larry Bird in a sense where it doesn't look impressive and that's the point, because he understands position so well in which now it's simple.... Because of all those years of the complexity involved. Anyway I hear you but I will admit bias towards really respecting Larry Holmes. He's a worthy champion with no scandal or drama in his circle, married to the same woman and always consistent, I think he wanted more respect that was due that he didn't get and only he would understand what that means or what level that is. I remember at 17 years old watching that rematch fight and on the edge of the couch the whole time, and here's Larry or even I have to admit especially when he jobs that he just looks like an old man, and anytime he might start to get a little bit of the best of Michael, the strain of pulling teeth to get anything more as far as a devastating combination and then knockout where your instinct just scream the whole time that it wasn't going to happen, but..... And God there was just so much to despise about Michael especially after having a few words with Larry in the ring after the results and Larry leaves and now Michael looks up towards the sky talking in certain terms of his own greatness and belief as if he did something.... Thank God for Mike Tyson who cleared the record straight as to who Michael truly was, in my opinion he had no business being in the ring with Larry Holmes.
This is why a fighter can't rely on the judges, KO the opponent when the opening is there. In the 1st fight, Holmes never threw a right hand when Spinks was open for the picking, neither did he in this one, although IMO, he should had won. Larry Holmes was one of the good guys of boxing, didn't talk trash & was merciful to Frazier's kid, kept looking at the ref to stop the pounding in the 1st round in 1983, finally he did. Plus had a 7.5 year championship reign that has yet to have been snapped. One could argue that it should had been Holmes, rather than Spinks, to have the big payday against Tyson to unify all the titles. At least he would had lasted longer than 91 (or so) seconds.
This is why you just can't leave an outcome in the hands of judges. I had Larry 4 rounds ahead, but in boxing, who knows? I had Michael winning the first bout, but now here.
Did he tell his mate fanning him during his interview 'stop, you trying to give me a cold?! 😂 just been 15 with larry and worried about a sniffle!'... and that little cherub in the background..bless!! Spinks definatley a character!
Larry Holmes won this fight hands down! Even in the twilight of his career Larry got in good shape trained hard and did everything necessary to avenge his first loss. The loss\fluke from his first fight with the overblown Michael Spinks! Larry Holmes would have beaten the late great Heavyweight Champion Rocky Marciano's unbeaten heavyweight title reign if it wasn't for Michael Spinks! What an injustice!!!!
holmes deserved this win, he was the aggressor landed better punches did more damage backed his man up. he was boss in the ring, michael was a good champ and was there for a reason he had good reflexes good chin and sneaky punches. would of liked to see michael spinx and holy field
Larry won this fight imo....his Marciano comments (Marciano couldnt carry my jockstrap) after the first Spinks cost him in this fight for sure but I believe Holmes has to be included in the top ten best of all time list.
I remember watching this - must have been about 11 years old when I saw the replay on UK television. That was the first fight I watched in entirety, and even then I thought that Holmes won. Some 35 years later, with a new-found interest in boxing, I thought I'd watch the two fights again and score then to the best of my knowledge. I thought Spinks won the first by a wide margin. This one, like Lederman, I had Holmes winning by three rounds. There were some difficult rounds to score in the middle of the fight, to be sure, but it shows what difference it makes when you consider what a judge is looking for. Although competent and gutsy, I didn't really take to Spinks' constant back-pedalling and ineffectual flurries. He threw some occasional good hooks, but he often also threw a hook that would miss Larry's left hip - what was that all about? Anyway, looks like the 11-year-old me was right.
@@antonboludo8886 Another famous controversy. With a fight that close, you have to forgive the judges for having a preference one way or the other. I think I would have given that fight to MMH, on the basis that he was a few rounds ahead thanks to forward movement and more effective aggression. It's a shame that he seemed to take his foot off the pedal in places, as a bit more consistent aggression would surely have seen him win.
@@paulvsmith We are the observers, though, not the actual combattants. I was at the Matthew Hilton/ Buster Drayton bout in Montréal in 1987. 15 rounds. They actually liked each other. They respected each others' training teams. It is a very difficult sport. They are Gladiators.
I feel the pain of Holmes and with Holmes. For the judges to do this to a great champion, a Great warrior, a determined legend, in the twilight of his career, is just sad, scandalous and disappointing. It was a good fight, and kudos to Michael Spinks too. BUT Holmes fought his heart out and won this second fight. For sure.
I seen a interview with Mike Spinks and they asked him about Larry Holmes and he laughed at Larry Holmes. I laughed at Mike Spinks when Iron Mike Tyson knocked his azz out.
@@norristammislideshowmulgre877 And i laughed when Tyson crushed Holmes. Atleast Spinks made 13,5 million dollars against Tyson. How much did Holmes get. He is the minimum wages HW champion of all the time because he was boring and no one wanted to pay the price to watch his fights.
The things Larry Holmes said about Rocky Marciano and the city of Boston after the first fight lost him the rematch every boxing expert knows he won the second one hands down. like Ali and Tyson Larry Holmes gave every fighter a chance to make money and the press still hated him for it so sad.
Maybe the judges needs a pre & post fight drug test, they must had been watching a different fight. I can see why Larry Holmes, in a very unusual fashion for him, to leave out w/out uttering a word. I kind of, although the decision was a bit easier, question why he lost the first, stealing Holmes of the chance to tie the Rocky Marciano record. After all, Holmes was never knocked down in either fight. At any rate, was a fucked up decision.
I believe the difference in this fight is the judges gave no credit to Holmes for the many body shots. Body shots are suppose to score points, but in many cases judges fail to factor this into how they score each round. I also believe Spinx was credited for landing shots that did not land. I've watched this fight numerous times over the years. Each time I've scored it 144-141 for Holmes. Of course I've had an advantage over the judges due to being able to review each round as many times as I felt necessary. But even with that advantage I found my initial scoring of a round rarely changed after a review. There were a couple, but each fighter benefited equally. There was one round I originally scored for Holmes and then gave to Spinx following a review. Then there was another round awarded to Holmes which I had first awarded to Spinx. Yeah, it was close, but the win should have gone to Holmes.
That is just not the case as far as body punches. A bias against Holmes due to a not so admired personality, and what he had said about other boxers and other topics etc etc.....could be in the minds of many judges. He definitely was not liked or respected by a large majority of people back then. JMHO
I noticed that in a lot of fights with Larry Holmes he always seems t ok b wearing white trunks as does his opponent! I'm used to seeing dark vs light ! Lol
@@KEICRUMBIE Fuck the gators. That's why they'll never beat UGA as long as Smart coaches there. Haha Haha!! Mark my words. Mullet won't ever beat Smart. Cus D'amato said he thought Marciano would beat most champs as of 1985.....so fuck your insignificant opinion. Undefeated Baby!!! Most Rocky haters have a problem with his skin color.... SALTY (echo echo)
That's the most profound statement yet. When he started badmouthing Marciano, BEFORE the fight, I KNEW he'd better get a KO, period. He forgot who he was and where he lived. As far as white people are concerned, the undefeated heavyweight champion record, is the exclusive property of the WHITE MAN. Also, it was obvious, Holmes didn't train properly for either fight.
Larry Holmes havn't won this fight only in your opinion my brother, but for almost everybody who got eyes to see. They know that Larry won this rematch, even those who deeply hate him. I won't even talk about his fight in 1997 vs nielssen while he was, once again, clearly robbed from another title. Officially, he could have been, at least, 3 times champion... while in FACT, he really is many times champion, cause the fights were filmed and are here to stay, there's no way to hide the truth ! People could hate or love him, it makes no difference, the truth is the truth, taht's why he is one of the greatest heavyweights ever, no matter what !
Cerrada la pelea con un Holmes cansado al final pero creo que Holmes acumuló los puntos necesarios en los primeros rounds y en los asaltos intermedios para doblegar a Spinks.
Holmes won Rounds 1-4,7th,9th,and 14th.Spinks won Rounds 5,6,8,10,11,12,13 and 15.143-142 Spinks.Holmes foolishly tried to KO Spinks early,and he ran out of gas.After the 4th,Spinks hit him at will with combos and jabs,while Holmes occasionally landed a big right hand.Spinks suckered him in,and Holmes fell for it.Calling this a robbery is laughable.Close?Yes?Controversial?Perhaps,since all close,high profile fights are.
Halfway through the round I agree,but Spinks landed some good left hooks and combos that was certainly enough to take it.Even Merchant said "I gave that round narrowly to Spinks".
Dean Rockwell And I agree with your point regarding Spinks, as he did come on in the last half of the round. However, Harold Lederman gave the round to Holmes, as did Joe Cortez, the lone judge who had the fight scored for Holmes. I have the round for Holmes based on the harder, more telling shots landed.
Well of course Holmes punches were always harder,he was the bigger and stronger fighter.But,Holmes really had only that big right hand and a good body shot.This compared to Spinks landing more than a few really good lefts and a couple good combos.That seemed to be the the pattern of the fight,Holmes rounds were dominant,while Spinks I think won close rounds.
Dean Rockwell Spinks love taps were not effective. It's not the amateurs here. Holmes punches moved Spinks. And Larry was the one landing his punches constantly coming forward with Spinks largely in retreat. Michael's offense here is strictly negative in nature.
James Mcwright Yea right the 7 first rounds he clearly won and lost 3 after 7.....yea lets call it no one dominated?lol...Lets also ignore the running and getting battered throughout the fight spinks endured along with all the picked shots larry schooled hi with ,all the while eating him alive with power jabs that rocked spinks and buckeled him round after round?rea its a DRAW... :)
I'm of the controversial opinion that Spinks took the 14th. He was winning that round widely until Holmes landed that great shot but Holmes didn't capitalize and Spinks was back to outlanding him as soon as he recovered. I see it as a "one punch can't win you a round" issue.
@@esunsalmistaHolmes connected with more than that "one punch" which nearly deposited Spinks to the canvas. Holmes thereafter had him in full retreat mode and managed to land a few follow-up rights along the ropes and body shots as he did early on in the round as well. Spinks had a strong middle of the round and he did flurry back towards the end. Regardless, if you give the round to Spinks, I would still have Larry winning the fight.
Stallone had better footwork in Rocky. The Spinks are lucky the mob found two brothers that would do business and let them have their time in the spotlight.
1,2,3,4,5,7,9,12,13 - Holmes 6,8,10,11,15 - Spinks 14 - Even Spinks never hurt Holmes. He also didn't land a big shot in the entire fight, only a few were clear. Larry walked Michael down, hit him heavy to the head and body, countered, bossed him from corner to corner and wobbled him plenty of times. This was a classic robbery, because even if we gift Spinks with two rounds that he didn't win, Holmes would still be a clear point ahead.
The boxing world for some reason started turning on Holmes, he'd ruled the division at least held the belt going on eight years, Larry wasn't charismatic in expressing himself like Ali, who's foot steps were hard to step in to. Holmes should've let those tools fly like a champion fighting to regain his coveted title after winning a few controversial decisions over the coarse of his reign. Larry never was able to regain that title.
+clip11 By my criteria. Besides Larry didn't shit himself like Spinks did when he fought Tyson. I think the longevity of Holmes' reign and second career says it all.
Great rematch. Horrible decision. If was Holmes fault for not going in for the kill and leaving it to the judges. 1:01:40 the worst combover in the history of mankind.
Larry Holmes hurt himself by throwing Spinks to the ground and stupid stuff like that. Gives them an excuse to rip you off. Because Holmes clearly won this fight.
I remember this like it was yesterday. Don King set Larry up for failure. Since Larry went on his own, King could not sit by and watch Larry retire as undisputed and undefeated. The rigging was obvious.
Larry lost this fight on the mic and in the press. Larry Holmes is my favorite athlete, but his mic skills were horrible. I think the comments about the judges and officials being drunks, the Marciano meltdown, defeating Ali, promoting his own fights, leaving the WBC, etc. all came to a head in this fight. Holmes should have won the belt back from Spinks this night. I understand Larry's bitterness...
So professional judge is going to be butt hurt because Holmes made a comment so let’s give it to Michael because I don’t like Holmes’s comments kind of logic is that ?
This fight was not a robbery. I had it 144-141 for Spinks. Holmes was the aggressor most of the time, but he was not the effective aggressor. Spinks threw more punishing combinations, moved better, and defended better than Holmes. Many of Holmes punches missed and he was flat-flooted at times during this fight. Even in the 14th round when Spinks seemed dazed he was throwing and often landing.
Give Spinks credit for fighting his way out of the 14th round. Spinks never hurt Larry. Larry had Spinks in trouble, but never cashed in. The challenger must win the decision overwhelmingly.
Spinks won again , but closer than first fight , I give it Spinks by 2 or 3 , Spinks is just awkward so difficult to beat , he took the latter part of the fight easily
Besides Jeff Fenech only getting a draw in the first fight with Azuma Nelson in Las Vegas, THIS was the WORST decision I have seen in Boxing. AWFUL appalling officiating.
