DOG COMMENTARY:
Larry “The Easton Assassin” Holmes first gained credibility as a contender when he upset the hard-punching Earnie Shavers in March 1978…..as he won by a lopsided twelve-round unanimous decision by winning every round on two scorecards and all but one on the third….as Holmes’s victory over Shavers set up a title shot between Holmes and WBC Heavyweight Champion Ken Norton in Las Vegas on June 9, 1978.
While it might be going a bit far to classify Ken Norton as a “hard-luck fighter”….it is difficult not to see him as such when one considers all the twists and turns of his fateful career…..for in this lil ole chiweenie Sportsphile’s opinion….the term should never apply to a boxer whose record boasts a win over “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali. As I have often said….this was the golden age of boxing (1964 – 1995)….and while it’s not luck of a good sort that sees you competing for the world title at the same time as both Ali and George Foreman…..two heavyweight boxing legends….Norton was not the only big, talented heavyweight faced with that prospect. He would lose to both all-time greats and years later he confessed that the judges’ verdict for Ali in their third battle in 1976 broke his heart and he was never quite the same ever after.
But if that were so…..he sure did summoned up some vintage toughness and tenacity for his thrilling tilt with another heavyweight legend of the golden age of boxing, Larry Holmes….although once again, this match too provided significant evidence of Norton’s hard-luck.
After Ali lost to unlikely heavyweight champion Leon Spinks in 1978 in one of the sport’s biggest upsets…..“The Greatest” demanded a rematch….to which the WBC objected by pointing to the fact their rules forbade immediate returns in such circumstances….which is a rule the WBC would disregard when it suited them, ie. Sugar Ray Leonard vs Roberto Duran II….but also because they had been pressuring Ali to give Norton another title match after Ken had defeated Jimmy Young in a WBC “elimination” bout. When the contracts for Ali-Spinks II were signed, the organization promptly stripped Spinks of their belt and awarded it to Norton….but such was the hardness of Norton’s luck that they then ordered their new champion to immediately defend his title against Holmes…..a boxer who in the years to come would prove himself among the greatest heavyweights to ever lace up the gloves….who at the time, however, no one was quite sure what to make of the 28-year-old challenger from Easton, Pennsylvania….as few disputed his talent but many questioned his heart and grit,…which in retrospect as big an irony as one might find in boxing considering the tests Larry would face in the years to come. Two things combined to undermine Holmes’ reputation….his defeat in the 1972 Olympic Trials against Duane Bobick for which he was unfairly branded as a quitter….and his status as a long-time sparring partner for top heavyweights Smokin’ Joe Frazier, Earnie Shavers and Muhammad Al….as career sparring partners rarely distinguish themselves in actual competition….but Holmes had asserted himself as deserving of a title shot three months before when he boxed brilliantly against Shavers by posting a shut-out on national television against boxing’s most dangerous puncher. Thus, while some questioned Holmes’ heart….none could question whether he deserved his chance against Norton.
Held in Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas and nationally broadcast on ABC Sports with the inimitable Howard Cosell providing the blow-by-blow….Holmes vs Norton was in fact a showdown between the two best heavyweight boxers on the planet at that time…..as “The Greatest” was clearly finished…..and Foreman, Frazier and Jerry Quarry had retired….as few took Spinks seriously….while Ron Lyle and Jimmy Young had suffered losses to, variously, Ali, Foreman, Norton or Shavers.
People at the time did not fully appreciate the great match-up this bout represented….but when the thrilling 15 round struggle had ended….all preconceptions were cast aside and Norton vs Holmes is now rightfully regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight contests in boxing history….which makes this video below a rare gem in the Imasportsphile boxing library.
Part of what fueled the fight’s intensity was the mutual dislike between the two combatants….as Norton could be arrogant and it grated on Holmes….as the two got into a shoving match at a pre-fight publicity event….with Holmes taunting Norton and the champion calling Larry “a pinhead.” During the referee’s instructions, Holmes attempted to intimidate with an angry glare which Norton ignored.
A keyed-up Holmes set a brisk pace and after a skittish first round which saw both men land hard shots….he settled into his rhythm by keeping Norton at the end of his potent left jab and following up frequently with the straight right. Norton pursued, bobbing up and down as he shuffled forward….but he failed to effectively cut off the ring and was missing frequently. In the 3rd round, he tried to establish his own jab….but that only left openings for the sharper challenger to exploit….when in the 4th, Holmes took advantage, scoring with a series of vicious combinations….but a minute into the 5th, Norton connected with a powerful counter right….which proved to be a harbinger of things to come….to which Holmes responded by ripping home his own hard right….and as the crowd came to its feet….the two big men traded heavy shots toe-to-toe before Larry got on his bicycle and outboxed Norton for the remainder of the round. Five rounds in and the champion was well behind on points….but before the bell for the sixth, he turned to his trainer and said, “Now it’s my turn.”
Applying more intense pressure, Norton started walking Larry down….throwing heavy left hooks as he did…..then, just when Holmes began to anticipate the hook…Norton changed up his attack and connected with two thudding overhand rights. Holmes boxed beautifully in the 7th….but near the end of the round the relentless Norton….who now was palming many of Larry’s jabs with his right….when he caught “The Easton Assassin” with wicked shots from both hands and a series of thudding jabs….when a hard right to the body had the challenger in full retreat at the bell.
Norton had seized the initiative. With Holmes visibly tiring, the champion took over in the 8th by out-jabbing the jabber and making him pay dearly every time he tried to take a respite from constantly circling the ring. Bleeding from a cut inside his mouth….Holmes appeared to be weakening as Norton pursued with fury and the challenger twice received warnings from the referee for holding….when by the end of the stanza, Holmes had no choice but to go to the ropes where the fighters slugged it out,…with Norton landing solid overhand rights and left hooks to the body.
In the 9th and 10th….the two heavyweight great fought on fairly even terms….but with Norton connecting with the heavier blows…..and in the 11th he battered Holmes after trapping his tired and bleeding challenger on the ropes more than once to unload his heavy artillery, hooks and crosses to body and head. The12th saw Holmes again forced to battle with Norton toe-to-toe….as it was the champion who got the better of it as the match had become a brawl. Both men were tired and both were suffering from the punishment….as the scoring was virtually dead even as the two courageous warriors faced the climactic three rounds.
Holmes desperately needed to alter the course of the fight….so, in the 13th round he did just that….which required nothing novel tactically….as Holmes, who, incredibly, was nursing a partially torn left bicep suffered just six days before….simply brought the snap back to his rapier-like left jab….as the openings presented themselves for the right hand. Once again the momentum shifted as a tiring, plodding Norton now appeared vulnerable and Holmes beat him to the punch again and again….even staggering Norton with a right hand counter a minute into the round….and then, for the first time in the match, Holmes threatened to end it as he pounded Norton with a series of flush shots…..and as the crowd had risen to their feet, roaring as Holmes battered a hurt Norton….and at the bell the champion returned to his corner on unsteady legs.
The challenger now appeared in command and there could be little doubt Holmes enjoyed a decided edge on the scorecards. But incredibly, the very next round brought more thrills to the capacity crowd and the millions watching on television as Norton, constantly pursuing, regained the upper hand. Near the end of the round he trapped his quarry in a neutral corner and teed off, landing one big punch after another….as the stage was now set for a monumental finish.
While a case could be made for a slight points edge for the challenger….it was also clear that the contest was razor close and the final three minutes had the potential to decide matters one way or the other. Both men knew it….as both summoned up every last vestige of energy to try and take it. The final round of this great heavyweight war will be forever remembered as one of the monumental finales in boxing history.
Norton struck first, landing the right and backing Holmes up. Exhausted, the challenger had no choice but to hold his ground and slug it out. The two heavyweights again stood face-to-face and took turns getting home hard, thudding shots as the crowd stood and roared. Norton had the edge in power as he knocked out Larry’s mouthpiece….but then, with 30 seconds left to go….Holmes, demonstrating incredible spirit and heart while suddenly taking over by staggering Norton with the right cross and then sending him reeling with a huge uppercut. Still, Norton never stopped firing back and the final bell found the gallant warriors throwing and landing wild punches.
The judges’ scores were, as they had to be, extremely close, separated by a single point, and while one scorecard gave it to the champion….the other two went the challenger’s way. Larry Holmes, in what, decades later, he would unhesitatingly deem the toughest battle of his entire career….had wrested the WBC title from Ken Norton….and thus had begun his long championship run of 21 title defenses….which is the second longest in heavyweight boxing history after Joe Louis. .
