Reasons

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Was Larry Holmes...???The Greatest?????

 

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I know, I know.

 

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There???s only one ???Greatest???; but let???s open our minds, get past the rhetoric, and examine the in-ring accomplishments of this often overlooked and unheralded champion.

 

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The argument of ???who was the best heavyweight who has ever lived??? generally falls on the shoulders of two men: Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali.

 

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But is the answer so locked in that No One can challenge it?

 

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Is it really heresy to suggest that ???The Easton Assassin??? not only measures up to these two titans; but, quite possibly, surpasses them?

 

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Is it that obscene of a question to ask? His numbers are comparable: 20 successful defenses, 7 years as world champion, 48 consecutive victories; or, to put it another way: only Joe Louis held the title longer (and he was inactive as a champion for 4 years during WWII), only Joe Louis made more title defenses (Muhammad Ali made 19 total defenses over the course of two reigns), and Holmes came within one win of tying Marciano???s record of 49-0 (and Holmes was 3 years older than Marciano when he racked up his 49th fight, while eclipsing Rocky???s defenses by 14). Folks, that???s not too shabby.

 

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It couldn???t have been easy to be Larry Holmes following a fistic legend.

 

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It must have felt like a being a playwright in the time of Shakespeare or a struggling American musician following the British Invasion or an actor trying out for a part alongside Robert Dinero???..an utterly un-winnable situation.

 

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No matter what you do, how impressive you look, it???s never going to be enough; you???re never going to measure up.

 

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It simply can???t be done. How do you follow a demi-god?

 

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Surely, Larry???s personality didn???t help matters, either. He was always at war with the press and came off as a guy with a Gibraltar-sized chip on his shoulder.

 

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???Rocky couldn???t carry my jock-strap??? didn???t win Larry any fans, nor did ???Mike Tyson???s going down in history as an S.O.B.???

 

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If Larry hadn???t made it as a fighter, he surely could have made a living as a contortionist, for I can think of no one as skilled as Holmes at putting both of his feet in his mouth at the same time.

 

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His pre-fight interviews made the purest scream from the very depths of his soul, ???LARRY, SHUT UP AND FIGHT, ALREADY!!???

 

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I suspect if a fighter???s greatness were determined solely by his public relations skills, Larry Holmes would rank just slightly above Sonny Liston.

 

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That???s it, isn???t it?

 

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That???s the key.

 

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We associate the word ???champion??? with the concept of being a role-model.

 

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That???s why Floyd Patterson was so popular as a champ, even though he wasn???t one of the best to ever hold the belt.

 

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I can think of very few people who would rank Patterson in their top 10 Heavyweight Champions of all time; but those same people would readily admit that Patterson wore the crown with class.

 

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. Here???s a thought: If Larry Holmes had Floyd???s personality, would we rank Holmes at the top of the heap?

 

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Public perception; it really does make a difference, as do our preconceived notions.

 

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It???s so hard to admit when we???re wrong, even in the face of irrefutable evidence.

 

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Of course, judging a boxer???s worth in the annals of time is a purely subjective endeavor, which is what make it so much fun???..and so nerve-racking.

 

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It wasn???t until after Larry had retired (the first time) that most people began to admit that he was ???pretty good???.

 

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Larry had three strikes against him. He wasn???t highly touted as an amateur or as a young pro, he never came off in the press as the friendliest of guys, and he followed the most charismatic athlete of all time.

 

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If you throw in the fact that he used to be that athlete???s sparring partner, Larry???s strike-count climbs to four. That???s a lot of obstacles to overcome.

 

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Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali were both groomed to be champions, though, in truth, no one really expected young Clay to beat Liston.

 

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Maybe that???s what helped Ali climb to the top in the some of the public???s mind???his continual defiance of the odds.