Larry Holmes, the legendary boxer known as 'The Easton Assassin', has come clean about his 1988 fight with Mike Tyson. He now says he regrets coming out of retirement for that bout, admitting he did it purely for the money.
Holmes, now 75, shared his thoughts in a recent interview with The Telegraph. He didn't pull any punches when talking about his decision to face 'Iron' Mike.
I shouldn't have come out of retirement against him. I fought Mike Tyson and I lost. He stopped me. Tyson could punch, you can't take that away from him. He would stand in front of you, try and push you against the ropes, but he wouldn't have been able to do that to me in my prime. I would have beaten him.
When asked about his motivation for the fight, Holmes was brutally honest.
Money. It's the money.
The fight took place in January 1988, with Tyson's undisputed heavyweight championship on the line. At that point, Tyson was undefeated through 37 professional fights and had become the youngest heavyweight champion in history two years earlier. He'd won that title by knocking out Trevor Berbick in the second round.
Holmes hadn't stepped into the ring for nearly two years when he faced Tyson. The rust showed, and Tyson knocked him out in the fourth round.
Looking back, Holmes believes he could have beaten Tyson if they'd fought when he was at his best. But coming out of retirement for a payday proved to be a mistake.
Tyson's reign at the top wouldn't last much longer. In February 1990, he suffered one of the biggest upsets in boxing history when James 'Buster' Douglas knocked him out.
As for Holmes, born in Cuthbert, Georgia, he's left to ponder what might have been if he'd stayed retired instead of facing the young champion. His story serves as a reminder of the tough choices fighters face when big money is on the table.
