Holmes, who held the heavyweight title from 1978 to 1985 and won his first 48 fights, faced Ali at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The WBC heavyweight title fight ended when Holmes stopped Ali in the tenth round.
"I don't regret fighting Muhammad Ali in Las Vegas — I had to get out of his shadow and get paid."
The fight has been a topic of discussion for years due to Ali's declining health at the time. Reports suggest Ali's condition was deteriorating rapidly before the bout. Despite this, Ali's team made little effort to cancel the fight.
Holmes, who counts victories over Earnie Shavers, Ken Norton, and Trevor Berbick among his career highlights, explained his mindset going into the Ali fight:
"Ali was a friend in my eyes. I knew Ali couldn't beat me. When I fought Ali it was like me going to the store and getting whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it. That's what I did, anything I wanted to in the ring."
The fight marked Ali's penultimate bout. "The Greatest" fought once more against Trevor Berbick in 1981 before hanging up his gloves for good.
Holmes' clarification about the Ali fight doesn't change his status as one of the greatest heavyweights in boxing history. His words show he saw the bout as a necessary step in his career, both to emerge from Ali's shadow and to secure his financial future.