Larry Holmes is widely regarded as being one of the greatest heavyweights to have ever graced the sport.
Known by his nickname ‘The Easton Assassin’, Holmes took the heavyweight division by storm during the late 70’s where he reigned as the world heavyweight champion for seven years between 1978 and 1985.
He fought on no less than 75 occasions throughout the course of his professional career, racking up 69 victories along the way. Holmes remained undefeated throughout his first 48 bouts, defeating a number of notable opponents such as Leon Spinks, Trevor Berbick and the iconic Muhammad Ali.
Despite facing off with a number of legendary heavyweights, there was one man who Holmes never crossed paths with at any stage of his career, although he famously dubbed this late-great heavyweight as the ‘biggest phoney’ in boxing.
In resurfaced Youtube footage, Holmes sensationally branded George Foreman as a fraud before claiming that ‘everyone’ knew that he couldn’t fight.
“Everybody know that George Foreman can’t fight, everybody know that Tommy Morrison kicked his butt, everybody know that Shannon Briggs kicked his butt, everybody knew that he wouldn’t fight me .. George Foreman is the biggest phoney ever.”
‘Big George’ left a remarkable legacy behind, winning the world heavyweight championship on two occasions throughout his storied professional career which stretched across 30-years. He remains the oldest world heavyweight champion of all time, a record that he set back in 1994 when he knocked out Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their bout in November 1994.
A showdown between Holmes and Foreman never did come to fruition, although it had been reported that the legendary duo had been in negotiations for a bout before ‘Big George’ decided to take a 10-year hiatus from the sport between 1977 and 1987.