“There is no quit in me.” –Larry Holmes
Each story we tell depicts the unending fight at the root of every human triumph. Larry Holmes waged one hell of a fight.
He emerged in the “Golden Era” of great heavyweights. He struck from range with the most legendary jab in boxing history. And the “Easton Assassin,” undefeated from 1973-1985 — largely unsung in his time, yet definitively one of the greatest to ever do it — left it all in the boxing ring.
Holmes was on a mission during a vibrant time in boxing’s history, holding the heavyweight title for an astounding seven-and-a-half years. He broke through against Ken Norton in 1978 at Caesars Palace by winning the heavyweight title, and from there began his collection of hallowed names.
Earnie Shavers. Muhammad Ali. Trevor Berbick. Leon Spinks.
The jab? Lethal. The man? Intimidating. The run? Legendary. His place in history? Before Mike Tyson’s reign in the mid-to-late 1980s, it was Holmes thumping to the synthesized beats of the era. He threatened to break Rocky Marciano’s record (49-0), which was a long way from his humble beginnings in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he worked in a rock quarry at a young age to help make ends meet.
Holmes rhapsodized about it himself after becoming a world champion, saying famously, “I came from a dirt farm, now I’m filthy rich.” Humble? No, what Holmes had was some of that good swagger. He worked for it. He earned it. His name is forever cast among the greatest boxers in history.
We celebrate the “Easton Assassin,” a true icon of the boxing ring, and a gentleman outside of it.
“There is no quit in me.” –Larry Holmes
Each story we tell depicts the unending fight at the root of every human triumph. Larry Holmes waged one hell of a fight.
He emerged in the “Golden Era” of great heavyweights. He struck from range with the most legendary jab in boxing history. And the “Easton Assassin,” undefeated from 1973-1985 — largely unsung in his time, yet definitively one of the greatest to ever do it — left it all in the boxing ring.
Holmes was on a mission during a vibrant time in boxing’s history, holding the heavyweight title for an astounding seven-and-a-half years. He broke through against Ken Norton in 1978 at Caesars Palace by winning the heavyweight title, and from there began his collection of hallowed names.
Earnie Shavers. Muhammad Ali. Trevor Berbick. Leon Spinks.
The jab? Lethal. The man? Intimidating. The run? Legendary. His place in history? Before Mike Tyson’s reign in the mid-to-late 1980s, it was Holmes thumping to the synthesized beats of the era. He threatened to break Rocky Marciano’s record (49-0), which was a long way from his humble beginnings in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he worked in a rock quarry at a young age to help make ends meet.
Holmes rhapsodized about it himself after becoming a world champion, saying famously, “I came from a dirt farm, now I’m filthy rich.” Humble? No, what Holmes had was some of that good swagger. He worked for it. He earned it. His name is forever cast among the greatest boxers in history.
We celebrate the “Easton Assassin,” a true icon of the boxing ring, and a gentleman outside of it.