Larry Holmes, a retired heavyweight champion, thinks he's better than Muhammad Ali. The former boxer made this claim in an interview that's recently come back into the spotlight.
Holmes, known as "The Easton Assassin," held the world heavyweight title from 1978 to 1985. He beat some tough opponents during his career, including Muhammad Ali, Tim Witherspoon, and Trevor Berbick. Holmes ended his career in 2002 with a win over Eric 'Butterbean' Esch, capping off a total of 75 fights.
In the interview, Holmes didn't hold back about where he thinks he stands among boxing greats. He said:
"Number 1. One of the reasons why is because I love me, and I'm gonna tell you exactly how I feel about me. There's a lot of room to put me as one of the top great heavyweights and I really don't care about that, I don't get into that but if you ask me I'm gonna say I'm number one. Ali couldn't beat me, he didn't have the jab that I had. The only man to stop Ali so I would have to put myself at the top. I was superior to all the top fighters, including Muhammad Ali."
Holmes pointed out that he was the only boxer to stop Ali in the ring. He also bragged about having a better jab than "The Greatest."
Ali, who fought for over two decades, won the world heavyweight championship three times. One of his most famous fights was "The Rumble In The Jungle" against George Foreman in 1974. In that bout, Ali used his "rope-a-dope" style to beat Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire.
Holmes rose to stardom in the 1970s and had some big wins during his time as champion. Even though he lost a few fights in his career, Holmes is still seen as one of the best heavyweights ever to step into the ring.
You can watch Holmes' full interview on YouTube, where he talks more about his boxing career and his thoughts on other fighters.
