Former world champion Larry Holmes was a dominant force in the late 1970s and early 1980s, making him a true legend.
As one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, Holmes boasts wins over the likes of Muhammad Ali, Ken Norton, and Gerry Cooney.
Holmes retired after an unlikely fight with Butterbean, with a professional record of 69-6. However, Holmes was ever stopped once, by Mike Tyson.
In terms of his own stoppages, one of Holmes’ best helped to set up his huge bout with Ali in 1980.
Larry Holmes had a brutal win over Scott LeDoux in 1980
In March of 1980, Holmes had just made the sixth defense of his WBC World Heavyweight title. Defeating Leroy Jones (24-0-1), it extended Holmes’ record to 34-0.
For his seventh title defense, Holmes would be challenged by Scott LeDoux (26-8-4), who had previously faced George Foreman, Ron Lyle, and Ken Norton.
Although it was not the most prolific opponent Holmes had faced, he still had an impressive performance. The two met in Minnesota in July of 1980 as ‘The Easton Assassin’ defended his title.
The bout would last seven rounds, with Holmes winning each one until the fight’s ending. In what was a clearly one-sided performance, Holmes earned another stoppage to his record against LeDoux.
After LeDoux had his eye inspected by a doctor in round seven, he was allowed to continue fighting. However, as he continued to take punishment from Holmes, the referee stopped the bout with less than a minute left in the round.
Just moments before the conclusion, Even Holmes was looking for the bout to be stopped given the punishment he had given the challenger throughout the fight.
The dominant win would move Holmes to a 30-0 professional, as he took on Ali in his next bout.
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Muhammad Ali challenged Larry Holmes in 1980
Although Holmes and Ali were friends, they fought in October 1980. The heavyweights met in Las Vegas, as Ali was once again looking to claim a world title.
Four years on from Ali’s last stoppage win, ‘The Greatest’ was past his prime at 38 years old. This was telling in the bout, as Holmes had another dominant victory.
After convincingly winning 10 rounds, Ali did not return for the 11th round, under the guidance of his trainer. In what was the only stoppage loss of his career, Ali retired on the stool.
Holmes would defend his heavyweight title a further 12 times after his Ali victory. Then, in a shock upset, Holmes lost his unbeaten record and world title to Michael Spinks in 1985.