Former world heavyweight champion Larry Holmes 
must have felt like the guy who was called on stage to sing after Frank Sinatra just wowed an audience.
must have felt like the guy who was called on stage to sing after Frank Sinatra just wowed an audience.The "Easton Assassin" nobly ruled the (back then) most important weight division in boxing for seven, solid years but unfortunately his predecessor was the charismatic Muhammad Ali.
So, during his reign, Holmes never got the appreciation his exquisite ring skills merited.Retired since 2002, the 61 year old Holmes, whose has only been living in the small Pennsylvania city since 1957, looks better with the passage of time.
But, at least, Holmes is getting his props, smelling the roses, while he's still above ground.
Holmes does not believe America's top boxer of today, controversial Floyd Mayweather Jr., will enjoy such reverence in his later years.
"I don't think so." Holmes told me in a face to face conversation. "This guy is a little assh----.
"I don't know what his problem is really but Mayweather has got a big chip on his shoulder. He conducts himself like an ass in public, flashing money and all that. These are hard economic times, lot of people can't find jobs and he's flashing all that cash?
"Could he as popular like Sugar Ray Leonard was? Yeah, if he didn't come as such an an assh---. He just comes off as a bad guy. The way he talks, all that bitch this and bitch that, I don't go for that, either. No one's going to call my sister a bitch, call her out of her name, at least not in front of me," Holmes said.
Holmes doesn't expect Mayweather to listen to him. He said that L'il Floyd doesn't even acknowledge that his boxing skills are mainly inherited from his ex-boxer father and former world champion uncle.
"Yeah, he's a good fighter but he got his ability in boxing from them, from his family. But you don't ever hear him speak on that. You got to be humble. You got to be someone who people can like, who they can admire.
Switch the topic of Manny Pacquiao and Holmes lights up.
"I'm proud of Pacquiao for all he's doing. I think Manny brings a lot of excitement to the ring and makes people want to see his fights. Best thing Manny ever did was getting connected with Freddie Roach as his teacher, his trainer."
Holmes said Roach laid the fistic foundation for Pacman just as his own early career tutors did for him.
"Freddie Roach...he's been there," Holmes said. "Freddie was trained by Eddie Futch. I was trained by Ray Arcel and by Freddie Brown. I also had Eddie in my corner sometimes. I had the greatest minds in boxing working with me. Richie Giachetti, he knew boxing but he couldn't demonstrate it like those other guys could.
"That's why we got no heavyweights in America now...we got no teachers like those guys. It's not just the fact that a lot of big guys are playing pro football or basketball."
Nobody taught Holmes how to take the hammer blows of Earnie Shavers, hit the canvas and rise again to fight on to victory.
With a 69-6, 44 KOs record, Holmes is the voice of authority.
He cheers Pacquiao and jeers Mayweather.
Is anyone surprised by that at this point?
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
