Larry Holmes is a former professional boxer. He was born on November 3, 1949, to John and Flossie Holmes in Cuthbert, Georgia, the fourth of twelve children. His family moved to Easton, Pennsylvania, when he was five years old. Growing up, they experienced financial hardship and relied on welfare. To help support his family, Holmes dropped out of school in the seventh grade and worked various jobs, including at a car wash for $1 an hour, driving a dump truck, and working in a Lehigh Valley quarry.
Holmes began his amateur boxing career at the age of 18. He competed in the semifinals of the 1972 National Olympic Trials in Fort Worth, Texas, where he lost to Nick Wells in the first round. He later faced Duane Bobick at the Olympic box-offs at West Point, New York, after being selected by a committee of the National Olympic authorities. Holmes lost the fight to Bobick after being disqualified for holding. He completed his amateur career with a record of 19 wins and 3 losses.
Holmes turned professional in 1973, winning a four-round decision against Rodell Dupree. His first significant victory came in March 1978 when he defeated Earnie Shavers by unanimous decision in 12 rounds. This win earned him a title shot for the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight championship against Ken Norton in June 1978. Holmes won the title by split decision after 15 rounds. He successfully defended his title in rematches against Norton and Shavers and later defeated notable opponents Muhammad Ali (for whom he had earlier been a sparring partner), Trevor Berbick, and Leon Spinks.
In June 1982, Holmes defended his WBC heavyweight title against Gerry Cooney. Leading up to the match, controversy arose when promoter Don King promoted Cooney as the “Great White Hope.” Holmes faced racist threats from white supremacists who said they would shoot him as he entered the ring. In response, Black groups pledged to protect him. Despite the tension, Holmes defeated Cooney by technical knockout in the 13th round.
Holmes remained the WBC heavyweight champion until 1985, when he suffered his first loss to Michael Spinks by unanimous decision after 15 rounds. He lost a rematch to Spinks the following year by split decision. Afterward, Holmes retired from professional boxing at age 37.
He returned to the ring in 1988 to fight Mike Tyson for the undisputed heavyweight title but lost the match. Holmes retired again but made another comeback in 1991. During this time, he faced several prominent heavyweight contenders, including Ray Mercer, Evander Holyfield, Oliver McCall, Brian Nielsen, and Eric “Butterbean” Esch. However, he never regained the heavyweight championship. Holmes officially retired from boxing in 2002 at the age of 52, with a record of 69 wins and 6 losses.
In 2008, Holmes was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He married Diane Robinson in 1979, and the couple have two children together. He also has three daughters from two previous relationships.
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