Larry Holmes
Holmes with the Jaycees trophy in 1979
Statistics
Real name	Larry Holmes
Nickname(s)	Easton Assassin
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Reach	81 in (206 cm)
Nationality	American
Born	(1949-11-03) November 3, 1949 (age 62) Cuthbert, Georgia, USA
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	75
Wins	69
Wins by KO	44
Losses	6
No contests	0

Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is a former professional boxer. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, which gave birth to his boxing nickname, The Easton Assassin.

Holmes, whose left jab is considered one of the greatest weapons in the history of sports,^[1] was the WBC Heavyweight Champion from 1978 to 1983, The Ring Heavyweight Champion from 1980 to 1985, and the IBF Heavyweight Champion from 1983 to 1985. He made twenty successful title defenses, second only to Joe Louis' twenty-five.

Holmes won his first forty-eight professional bouts, almost matching Rocky Marciano's streak of 49 straight wins, including victories over Ken Norton, Muhammad Ali, Gerry Cooney, and Marvis Frazier.^[2] He is frequently ranked by many boxing experts as one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time.^[3]

Early life[link]

Holmes was the fourth of twelve children born to John and Flossie Holmes. When the family moved to Easton in 1954, Holmes' father went to Connecticut, where he worked as a gardener until his death in 1970. He visited his family every three weeks. "He didn't forsake us," said Flossie Holmes. "He just didn't have anything to give." The family survived on welfare.

To help support his family, Holmes dropped out of school when he was in the seventh grade and went to work at a car wash for $1 an hour. He later drove a dump truck and worked in a quarry.^[4]

Amateur boxing career[link]

When Holmes was nineteen, he started boxing. In his twenty-second bout, he boxed Duane Bobick in the 1972 Olympic Trials. Holmes was dropped in the first round with a right to the head. He got up and danced out of range, landing several stiff jabs in the process. Bobick mauled Holmes in the second round but couldn't corner him. The referee warned Holmes twice in the second for holding. In the third, Bobick landed several good rights and started to corner Holmes, who continued to hold. Eventually, Holmes was disqualified for excessive holding. ^[5]

Early boxing career[link]

After compiling an amateur record of 19-3, Holmes turned professional on March 21, 1973, winning a four-round decision against Rodell Dupree. Early in his career, he worked as a sparring partner for Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Earnie Shavers, and Jimmy Young. He was paid well and learned a lot. "I was young, and I didn't know much. But I was holding my own sparring those guys," Holmes said. "I thought, 'hey, these guys are the best, the champs. If I can hold my own now, what about later?'"

Holmes first gained credibility as a contender when he upset the hard-punching Earnie Shavers in March 1978. Holmes won by a lopsided twelve-round unanimous decision, winning every round on two scorecards and all but one on the third. Holmes's victory over Shavers set up a title shot between Holmes and WBC Heavyweight Champion Ken Norton in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 9, 1978.

WBC Heavyweight Champion[link]

The fight between Holmes and Norton was a tough, competitive fight. After fourteen rounds, all three judges had the fight scored dead even at seven rounds each. Holmes rallied late in the fifteenth to win the round on two scorecards and take the title by a split decision. ^[6]

In his first two title defenses, Holmes easily knocked out Alfredo Evangelista and Ossie Ocasio. His third title defense was a tough one. On June 22, 1979, Holmes faced future WBA Heavyweight Champion Mike Weaver, who was lightly regarded going into the fight sporting an uninspiring 19-8 record. After ten tough rounds, Holmes dropped Weaver with a right uppercut late in round eleven. In the twelfth, Holmes immediately went on the attack, backing Weaver into the ropes and pounding him with powerful rights until the referee stepped in and stopped it. "This man knocked the devil out of me," Holmes said. "This man might not have had credit before tonight, but you'll give it to him now."^[7]

Three months later, on September 28, 1979, Holmes had a rematch with Shavers, who got a title shot by knocking out Ken Norton in one round. Holmes dominated the first six rounds, but in the seventh, Shavers sent Holmes down with a devastating overhand right. Holmes got up, survived the round, and went on to stop Shavers in the eleventh.^[8]

His next three defenses were knockouts of Lorenzo Zanon, Leroy Jones, and Scott LeDoux.

On October 2, 1980, at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Holmes defended his title against Ali, who was coming out of retirement in an attempt to become the first four-time World Heavyweight Champion. Holmes dominated Ali from start to finish, winning every round on every scorecard. At the end of the tenth round, Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee, stopped the fight.^[9] After the win, Holmes received recognition as World Heavyweight Champion by The Ring magazine.

Ali blamed his poor performance on thyroid medication that he had been taking, claiming that it helped him lose weight (he weighed 217½, his lowest weight since he fought George Foreman in 1974), but it also left him drained for the fight.^[10]

After eight consecutive knockouts, Holmes was forced to go the distance when he successfully defended his title against future WBC Heavyweight Champion Trevor Berbick on April 11, 1981. In his next fight, two months later, Holmes knocked out former Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Leon Spinks in three rounds. On November 6, 1981, Holmes rose from a seventh-round knockdown (during which he staggered into the turnbuckle) to stop Renaldo Snipes in the eleventh.

Holmes vs. Cooney[link]

On June 11, 1982, Holmes defended his title against Gerry Cooney, the undefeated #1 contender and an Irish-American. The lead up to the fight had many racial overtones. Holmes said that if Cooney wasn't white, he wouldn't be getting the same purse as the champion (Both boxers received $10 million for the bout).^[11] Although Cooney tried to deflect questions about race, members of his camp wore shirts that said "Not the White Man, but the Right Man."^[11]

Many^[who?] felt Holmes was unfairly slighted leading up to the fight. In their fight previews, Sports Illustrated and Time put Cooney on the cover, not Holmes. President Ronald Reagan had a phone installed in Cooney's dressing room so he could call him if he won the fight. Holmes had no such arrangement. Lastly, boxing tradition dictates that the champion is introduced last, but the challenger, Cooney, was introduced last.^[11]

The bout was held in a 32,000 seat stadium erected in a Caesar's Palace Parking lot, with millions more watching around the world. After an uneventful first round, Holmes dropped Cooney with a right in the second. Cooney came back well in the next two rounds, jarring Holmes with his powerful left hook. Holmes later said that Cooney "hit me so damned hard, I felt it - boom - in my bones.|^[12]

Cooney was tiring by the ninth, a round in which he had two points deducted for low blows. In the tenth, they traded punches relentlessly. At the end of the round, the two nodded to each other in respect.^[12]

Cooney lost another point because of low blows in the eleventh. By then, Holmes was landing with ease. In the thirteenth, a barrage of punches sent Cooney down. He got up, but his trainer, Victor Valle, stepped into the ring and stopped the fight.^[12]

After the fight, Holmes and Cooney would become close friends.^[12]

Trouble with the WBC[link]

Holmes' next two fights were one-sided decision wins over Randall "Tex" Cobb and Lucien Rodriguez. On May 23, 1983, Holmes defended his title against Tim Witherspoon, the future WBC and WBA Heavyweight Champion. Witherspoon, a six to one underdog and with only 15 professional bouts to his name, surprised many by giving Holmes a difficult fight. After twelve rounds, Holmes retained the title by a disputed split decision.^[13] Boxing Monthly named it one of the ten most controversial decisions of all time.

On September 10, 1983, Holmes successfully defended the WBC title for the sixteenth time, knocking out Scott Frank in five rounds. Holmes then signed to fight Marvis Frazier, son of Joe Frazier, on November 25, 1983. The WBC refused to sanction the fight against the unranked Frazier. They ordered Holmes to fight Greg Page, the #1 contender, or be stripped of the title. Promoter Don King offered Holmes $2.55 million to fight Page, but the champion didn't think that was enough. He was making $3.1 million to fight Frazier and felt he should get as much as $5 million to fight Page.^[14]

Holmes had an easy time with Frazier, knocking him out in the first round.^[15] The following month, Holmes relinquished the WBC championship and accepted recognition as World Heavyweight Champion by the newly formed International Boxing Federation.^[16]

IBF Heavyweight Champion[link]

Holmes signed to fight Gerrie Coetzee, the WBA Champion, on June 15, 1984 at Caesar's Palace. The fight was being promoted by JPD Inc., but it was canceled when Caesar's Palace said the promoters failed to meet the financial conditions of the contract. Holmes was promised $13 million and Coetzee was promised $8 million. Even after cutting the purses dramatically, they still couldn't come up with enough financial backing to stage the fight.^[17] Don King then planned to promote the fight, but Holmes lost a lawsuit filed by Virginia attorney Richard Hirschfeld, who said he had a contract with Holmes that gave him right of first refusal on a Holmes-Coetzee bout. Holmes then decided to move on and fight someone else.^[18]

On November 9, 1984, after a year out of the ring, Holmes made his first defense of the IBF title, stopping James "Bonecrusher" Smith on a cut in the twelfth round. In the first half of 1985, Holmes stopped David Bey in ten rounds for his 19th title defense. His next against Carl "The Truth" Williams was unexpectedly tough. The younger, quicker Williams was able to out-jab the aging champion, who was left with a badly swollen eye by the end of the bout. Holmes emerged with a close, and disputed, fifteen-round unanimous decision.

On September 21, 1985, Holmes lost the IBF title by a close fifteen-round unanimous decision to Michael Spinks, who became the first reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion to win the World Heavyweight Championship. If Holmes had been victorious against Spinks, he would have tied Rocky Marciano's career record of 49-0.^[19] After the fight, a bitter Holmes said, "Rocky Marciano couldn't carry my jockstrap." Holmes received a lot of criticism for the remarks. Shortly afterward, he apologized.^[20]

Holmes had a rematch with Spinks on April 19, 1986. Spinks retained the title with a disputed fifteen-round split decision. The judges scored the fight: Judge Joe Cortez 144-141 (Holmes), Judge Frank Brunette 141-144 (Spinks) and Judge Jerry Roth 142-144 (Spinks.)^[21] In a post-fight interview with HBO, Holmes said, "the judges, the referees and promoters can kiss me where the sun don't shine - and because we're on HBO, that's my big black behind."^[22]

On November 6, 1986, three days after his 37th birthday, Holmes announced his retirement.^[23]

Comebacks[link]

On January 22, 1988, Holmes was lured out of retirement by a $2.8 million purse to challenge reigning Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson. Tyson dropped Holmes in the fourth round with an overhand right. Holmes got up, but Tyson put him down two more times in the round, and the fight was stopped. It was the only time Holmes would be knocked out in his lengthy career. After the fight, Holmes once again retired.^[24]

Holmes returned to the ring in 1991. After five straight wins, he fought Ray Mercer, the undefeated 1988 Olympic Gold Medalist, on February 7, 1992. Holmes pulled off the upset and won by a twelve-round unanimous decision.^[25] The win got Holmes a shot at Evander Holyfield for the Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship. On June 19, 1992, Holyfield defeated Holmes by a twelve-round unanimous decision.^[26]

Holmes won seven consecutive fights and then got another title shot. On April 8, 1995, he fought Oliver McCall for the WBC title. Holmes lost by a close twelve-round unanimous decision. Two of the judges had him losing by only one point, while the other judge had him losing by three points.^[27]

On January 24, 1997, Holmes went to Denmark to fight Brian Nielsen, who was 31-0. Nielsen won by a twelve-round split decision to retain the International Boxing Organization title.^[28]

Holmes and George Foreman signed to fight on January 23, 1999 at the Houston Astrodome. Foreman called off the fight several weeks before it was to take place because the promoter failed to meet the deadline for paying him the remaining $9 million of his $10 million purse. Foreman received a nonrefundable $1 million deposit, and Holmes got to keep a $400,000 down payment of his $4 million purse.^[29]

Holmes' next two fights were rematches with old foes. On June 18, 1999, he stopped “Bonecrusher” Smith in eight rounds,^[30] and on November 17, 2000, he stopped Mike Weaver in six.^[31]

Holmes in Beaufort, South Carolina in 2010.

Holmes' final fight was on July 27, 2002 in Norfolk, Virginia. He defeated Eric "Butterbean" Esch by a ten-round unanimous decision.^[32]

Honors[link]

Holmes was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008.^[33]

Life after Boxing[link]

Holmes invested the money he earned from boxing and settled in his hometown of Easton. When he retired from boxing, Holmes employed more than 200 people through his various business holdings. In 2008, he owned two restaurants and a nightclub, a training facility, an office complex, a snack food bar and slot machines.^[34] Holmes currently co-hosts a talk show "What The Heck Were They Thinking?" ^[35]

Professional boxing record[link]

69 Wins (44 knockouts), 6 Losses, 0 Draws [1]
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Rounds	Date	Location	Notes
Win	69–6	Eric Esch	UD	10	27/07/2002	Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia
Win	68–6	Mike Weaver	TKO	6 (10)	17/11/2000	Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi
Win	67–6	James Smith	TKO	8 (10)	18/06/1999	Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Win	66–6	Maurice Harris	SD	10	29/07/1997	MSG Theater, New York, New York
Loss	65–6	Brian Nielsen	SD	12	24/01/1997	Brondby hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark	For IBO heavyweight title.
Win	65–5	Anthony Willis	KO	8 (10)	16/06/1996	Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Win	64–5	Quinn Navarre	UD	10	16/04/1996	Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Win	63–5	Curtis Sheppard	KO	4 (10)	09/01/1996	Casino Magic , Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Win	62–5	Ed Donaldson	UD	10	19/09/1995	Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Loss	61–5	Oliver McCall	UD	12	08/04/1995	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada	For WBC heavyweight title.
Win	61–4	Jesse Ferguson	UD	10	09/08/1994	Mystic Lake Casino, Shakopee, Minnesota
Win	60–4	Garing Lane	UD	10	08/03/1994	Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut
Win	59–4	Jose Ribalta	UD	10	28/09/1993	Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Win	58–4	Paul Poirier	TKO	7 (10)	18/05/1993	Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Win	57–4	Ken Lakusta	TKO	8 (10)	13/04/1993	Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Win	56–4	Rocky Pepeli	TKO	4 (10)	09/03/1993	Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Win	55–4	Everett Martin	UD	10	05/01/1993	Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi
Loss	54–4	Evander Holyfield	UD	12	19/06/1992	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada	For Lineal, WBC, WBA, & IBF heavyweight titles.
Win	54–3	Ray Mercer	UD	12	07/02/1992	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	53–3	Jamie Howe	TKO	1 (10)	12/11/1991	Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida
Win	52–3	Art Card	UD	10	17/09/1991	Marriott World Center, Orlando, Florida
Win	51–3	Michael Greer	KO	4 (10)	24/08/1991	Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
Win	50–3	Eddie Gonzales	UD	10	13/08/1991	Hyatt Regency, Tampa, Florida
Win	49–3	Tim Anderson	TKO	4 (10)	07/04/1991	Diplomat Hotel, Hollywood, Florida
Loss	48–3	Mike Tyson	TKO	4 (12)	22/01/1988	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey	For WBC, WBA, & IBF heavyweight titles.
Loss	48–2	Michael Spinks	SD	15	19/04/1986	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada	For The Ring & IBF heavyweight titles.
Loss	48–1	Michael Spinks	UD	15	21/09/1985	Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada	Lost The Ring & IBF heavyweight titles. Ring Magazine Upset of the year.
Win	48–0	Carl Williams	UD	15	20/05/1985	Lawlor Events Center, Reno, Nevada	Retained The Ring & IBF heavyweight titles.
Win	47–0	David Bey	TKO	10 (15)	15/03/1985	Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained The Ring & IBF heavyweight titles.
Win	46–0	James Smith	TKO	12 (15)	09/11/1984	Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained The Ring & IBF heavyweight titles.
On 11 December 1983, Holmes relinquished the WBC title and accepted recognition as champion by the newly-created IBF
Win	45–0	Marvis Frazier	TKO	1 (15)	25/11/1983	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained The Ring heavyweight title.
Win	44–0	Scott Frank	TKO	5 (15)	10/09/1983	Harrah's Marina Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Retained WBC & The Ring heavyweight titles.
Win	43–0	Tim Witherspoon	SD	12	20/05/1983	Dunes Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC & The Ring heavyweight titles.
Win	42–0	Lucien Rodriguez	UD	12	27/03/1983	Watres Armory, Scranton, Pennsylvania	Retained WBC & The Ring heavyweight titles.
Win	41–0	Randall Cobb	UD	15	26/11/1982	Reliant Astrodome, Houston, Texas	Retained WBC & The Ring heavyweight titles.
Win	40–0	Gerry Cooney	TKO	13 (15)	11/06/1982	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC & The Ring heavyweight titles.
Win	39–0	Renaldo Snipes	TKO	11 (15)	06/11/1981	Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Retained WBC & The Ring heavyweight titles.
Win	38–0	Leon Spinks	TKO	3 (15)	12/06/1981	Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan	Retained WBC & The Ring heavyweight titles.
Win	37–0	Trevor Berbick	UD	15	11/04/1981	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC & The Ring heavyweight titles.
Win	36–0	Muhammad Ali	RTD	10 (15)	02/10/1980	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC & won The Ring heavyweight titles.
Win	35–0	Scott LeDoux	TKO	7 (15)	07/07/1980	Metropolitan Sports Center, Bloomington, Minnesota	Retained WBC heavyweight title.
Win	34–0	Leroy Jones	TKO	8 (15)	31/03/1980	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC heavyweight title.
Win	33–0	Lorenzo Zanon	KO	6 (15)	03/02/1980	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC heavyweight title.
Win	32–0	Earnie Shavers	TKO	11 (15)	28/09/1979	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC heavyweight title.
Win	31–0	Mike Weaver	TKO	12 (15)	22/06/1979	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	Retained WBC heavyweight title.
Win	30–0	Ossie Ocasio	TKO	7 (15)	23/03/1979	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC heavyweight title.
Win	29–0	Alfredo Evangelista	KO	7 (15)	10/11/1978	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC heavyweight title.
Win	28–0	Ken Norton	SD	15	09/06/1978	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada	Won WBC heavyweight title.
Win	27–0	Earnie Shavers	UD	12	25/03/1978	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada	WBC heavyweight title eliminator.
Win	26–0	Ibar Arrington	TKO	10 (10)	05/11/1977	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	25–0	Fred Houpe	TKO	7 (10)	14/09/1977	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	24–0	Horace Robinson	TKO	5 (10)	17/03/1977	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Win	23–0	Tom Prater	UD	8	16/01/1977	Aboard USS Lexington, Pensacola, Florida
Win	22–0	Roy Williams	UD	10	30/04/1976	Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
Win	21–0	Fred Askew	TKO	2 (10)	05/04/1976	Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
Win	20–0	Joe Gholston	TKO	8 (10)	29/01/1976	Kirby Sports Center, Easton, Pennsylvania
Win	19–0	Billy Joiner	TKO	3 (10)	20/12/1975	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Win	18–0	Leon Shaw	KO	1 (10)	09/12/1975	D.C. Armory, Washington, D.C.
Win	17–0	Rodney Bobick	TKO	6 (10)	01/10/1975	Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City, Philippines
Win	16–0	Charlie James	PTS	10	26/08/1975	Honolulu, Hawaii
Win	15–0	Obie English	TKO	7 (10)	16/08/1975	Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania
Win	14–0	Ernie Smith	KO	3 (8)	16/05/1975	Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	13–0	Robert Yarborough	KO	4 (?)	26/04/1975	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario
Win	12–0	Oliver Wright	TKO	3 (?)	09/04/1975	Honolulu International Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
Win	11–0	Charley Green	KO	1 (8)	24/03/1975	Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio
Win	10–0	Joe Hathaway	TKO	1 (8)	11/12/1974	Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania
Win	9–0	Bob Mashburn	TKO	7 (8)	29/05/1974	Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania
Win	8–0	Howard Darlington	TKO	4 (6)	24/04/1974	Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania
Win	7–0	Kevin Isaac	TKO	3 (6)	28/11/1973	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Win	6–0	Jerry Judge	PTS	6	14/11/1973	Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania
Win	5–0	Bob Bozic	PTS	6	10/09/1973	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	4–0	Don Branch	PTS	6	22/08/1973	Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania
Win	3–0	Curtis Whitner	TKO	1 (4)	20/06/1973	Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania
Win	2–0	Art Savage	TKO	3 (4)	02/05/1973	Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania
Win	1–0	Rodell Dupree	PTS	4	21/03/1973	Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania

See also[link]

• List of heavyweight boxing champions
• List of WBC world champions

References[link]

External links[link]

	Book: Larry Holmes
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Larry Holmes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Larry Holmes

• Larry Holmes Official Web Site
• Larry Holmes fight-by-fight career record at About.com
• Professional boxing record for Larry Holmes from BoxRec
• Bio - file profile QA with Larry Holmes at Boxinginsider.com

Trevor Berbick (August 1, 1954 – October 28, 2006) was a Jamaican-Canadian heavyweight boxer who fought as a professional from 1976 until 2000. Berbick briefly held the WBC heavyweight championship in 1986 (after beating Pinklon Thomas via 12-round unanimous decision), before losing it to 20-year old Mike Tyson, via 2nd-round TKO. He was the last man to fight Muhammad Ali, winning a 10-round unanimous decision in Nassau, Bahamas on December 11, 1981.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

He was born on August 1, 1954 in Norwich, Port Antonio, Jamaica. During interviews with the press, he claimed to have a vision from God at the age of 16.^{[citation needed]}

Amateur career[link]

At 21, Berbick represented his native Jamaica in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada as a heavyweight boxer, despite having had only 11 prior amateur bouts. His lack of experience was plainly evident as he lost to the eventual silver medalist, Mircea Şimon of Romania. However, he still displayed a lot of promise as a young heavyweight boxer. He lost a decision to future heavyweight champion Michael Dokes in the Pan-Am semifinals.

Professional career[link]

Berbick left Jamaica after the Olympics. He opted to stay in Canada and fight professionally out of Montreal and Halifax. He won his first 11 fights (10 by knockout) before suffering his first pro loss to another rising contender, Bernardo Mercado, on April 3, 1979. As an amateur, Berbick had soundly beaten Mercado. However, with 10 seconds remaining in the first round of their only professional meeting, Berbick walked into a punch and was knocked out cold. Nevertheless he remained in contention for the heavyweight title.

A 1980 upset of ex-champ John Tate (9th round KO) secured a title shot against Larry Holmes on April 11, 1981, but Berbick lost a 15-round unanimous decision. In his second fight after the loss, he beat 39-year-old Muhammad Ali in the final fight of Ali's career.

In 1982 he beat undefeated prospect Greg Page, and in 1984 he moved to Miramar, Florida and signed with promoter Don King. Wins over undefeated Mitch "Blood" Green and David Bey scored him another title fight, and he won the WBC world heavyweight title by upsetting Pinklon Thomas with an easy unanimous decision on March 22, 1986. However, his reign as champion would be brief.

On November 22, in his first defense of the title, he was knocked down twice in the second round by 20-year-old Mike Tyson. Berbick got up from the first knockdown, but after the second he fell to the canvas three times while trying to get up, prompting referee Mills Lane to stop the fight, which gave Berbick a TKO loss. Again, he made boxing history—this time by being the man who Tyson defeated for his first heavyweight title, symbolically bridging the eras of Ali and Tyson, as fight commentator Barry Tompkins said after the knockout: "And we have a new era in boxing!"

Mike Tyson tells YES Network's Michael Kay in a new CenterStage premiering May 26, 2010 that he wanted to exact revenge on champion Trevor Berbick during their 1986 title bout for the beating Berbick gave Muhammad Ali in Ali's last fight in 1981.

"I just thought he unmercifully beat the crap out of Ali," Tyson says. "I just thought that he didn't have to do that. This guy, Ali, was absolutely helpless. … Ali couldn't do nothing." Along with Larry Holmes, Berbick is one of only two men in professional boxing history to have fought both Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.

In 1991, he went to the UWFI in Japan to fight Nobuhiko Takada in a "boxer vs. wrestler" bout. Berbick claimed that he had been double-crossed and that he had expected the fight to be like American kickboxing, but it turned out that the rules allowed Takada to kick Berbick below the belt. Berbick refused to mount any offense, instead repeatedly complaining to the referee as Takada kicked him repeatedly in the legs. Takada claimed victory by default when Berbick exited the ring.^[1]

Afterwards, his career deteriorated further. He eventually fought his last bout in 2000 against Canadian journeyman Shane Sutcliffe, winning a 12-round unanimous decision. Afterwards, a CAT scan revealed a blood clot in his brain and his boxing license was revoked. His final professional record was 49 wins (33 by knockout), 12 losses, and 1 draw.

Outside the ring[link]

Berbick was a preacher at the Moments of Miracles Pentecostal church in Las Vegas.

Troubles with the law[link]

Berbick was arrested on a number of occasions throughout his life and was sentenced in Florida to 5 years in prison for sexually assaulting his children's babysitter in 1992. He served 15 months. In 1997, he violated his parole and was deported from the United States.

Feud with Larry Holmes[link]

Berbick had a well-publicized feud with Larry Holmes, whom he fought in 1981. Their feud culminated in a public brawl in 1991 which was caught on tape. Holmes landed a flying drop kick on Berbick off the hood of a car while Berbick was being escorted from the scene by police; Berbick was complaining about being kicked and punched by Larry Holmes moments before a camera caught Holmes fly kicking Berbick.[1].

Retirement[link]

He retired in Florida to be with his wife and four children (he had three children with his first wife in Montreal) and started to train boxers at Kenny Barrett's Gym in Tamarac, Florida. Berbick's problems escalated. He was again deported from the U.S. on December 2, 2002.

Murder[link]

On October 28, 2006, he was murdered at a church in Norwich, Jamaica by an assailant wielding a 2-inch-thick (51 mm) steel pipe. He suffered multiple blows to the head and died at the scene.^[2]

Police arrested two men, one of whom was Berbick's 20-year-old nephew Harold Berbick,^[3] in connection with the murder. They were interrogated at the Port Antonio police station in Portland as of early in the morning of October 29.^[4] Local residents indicated that the suspect was involved in a land dispute with Berbick.^[5] On November 3 it was reported that Berbick's nephew, 20-year-old Harold Berbick, and an unidentified 18-year-old man had been charged with his murder by Jamaican police.^[6] On December 20, 2007, Harold Berbick was found guilty of the murder of his uncle. His alleged accomplice, Kenton Gordon, was found guilty of manslaughter. Both were sentenced on January 11, 2008.^[7] Harold Berbick was sentenced to life in prison; Kenton Gordon was sentenced to fourteen years in prison.^[8]

He had three sons who live in Halifax, Nova Scotia: Quinn, Jamaal and Shawn.

Professional boxing record[link]

49 Wins (33 knockouts, 16 decisions), 11 Losses (2 knockouts, 9 decisions), 1 Draw [2]
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Win	49-11-1	Shane Sutcliffe	UD	12	26/05/2000	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	Retained Canada Heavyweight title. Shortly after this fight, Berbick retired and vacated the title.
Loss	48-11-1	Tony LaRosa	SD	8	12/08/1999	Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada
Win	48-10-1	Iran Barkley	UD	8	29/06/1999	Molson Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win	47-10-1	Shane Sutcliffe	TKO	12 (12)	05/02/1999	Pierre-Charbonneau Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Won Canada Heavyweight title. Berbick recaptures the Canadian heavyweight crown 14 years after vacating the title.
Win	46-10-1	Ben Perlini	UD	10	06/08/1998	Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada
Loss	45-10-1	Lyle McDowell	SD	12	15/09/1997	Convention Centre, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada	For vacant IBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight title.
Loss	45-9-1	Hasim Rahman	UD	10	15/10/1996	Caesar's Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	45-8-1	Louis Monaco	UD	10	18/09/1996	Music Fair, Westbury, New York, United States
Win	44-8-1	Ken Smith	TKO	4 (10)	26/04/1996	Westbury, New York, United States
Win	43-8-1	Bruce Johnson	TKO	3 (?)	25/08/1995	Columbus, Ohio, United States
Loss	42-8-1	Jimmy Thunder	PTS	12	15/03/1995	Mounds View, Minnesota, United States	For vacant WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title.
Win	42-7-1	Melvin Foster	SD	10	13/09/1994	Westbury, New York, United States
Win	41-7-1	Marcellus Brown	KO	2 (10)	10/08/1994	New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Win	40-7-1	Paul Phillips	KO	4 (10)	30/07/1994	Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Win	39-7-1	Danny Wofford	PTS	8	14/03/1994	Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States
Win	38-7-1	Garing Lane	PTS	8	02/08/1991	Palais des Festivals, Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Win	37-7-1	Bobby Crabtree	KO	5 (10)	14/12/1990	Diplomat Hotel, Hollywood, Florida, United States
Win	36-7-1	Jeff Sims	TKO	6 (10)	18/07/1990	Varsity Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Loss	35-7-1	Buster Douglas	UD	10	25/02/1989	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	35-6-1	O T Davis	KO	3 (10)	20/09/1988	Central Plaza Hotel, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Loss	34-6-1	Carl Williams	UD	12	27/06/1988	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	For USBA Heavyweight title. IBF Heavyweight title eliminator.
Win	34-5-1	Robert Evans	UD	10	24/11/1987	The Forum, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win	33-5-1	Lorenzo Boyd	TKO	3 (10)	29/10/1987	Musical Center, Sunrise, Florida, United States
Win	32-5-1	Art Terry	TKO	5 (10)	31/07/1987	Lee Civic Center, Fort Myers, Florida, United States
Loss	31-5-1	Mike Tyson	TKO	2 (12)	22/11/1986	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Lost WBC Heavyweight title. Berbick knocked down twice in round 2. After trying to rise from the second knockdown he fell another two times.
Win	31-4-1	Pinklon Thomas	UD	12	22/03/1986	Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won WBC Heavyweight title.
Win	30-4-1	Mike Perkins	TKO	10 (10)	17/01/1986	The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), United States
Win	29-4-1	Mitch Green	UD	12	10/08/1985	Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained USBA Heavyweight title.
Win	28-4-1	David Bey	TKO	11 (12)	15/06/1985	Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won USBA Heavyweight title.
Win	27-4-1	Walter Santemore	UD	10	28/11/1984	Harrah's Marina Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	26-4-1	Andros Ernie Barr	TKO	4 (12)	01/09/1984	Nassau, Bahamas	Retained Commonwealth (British Empire) Heavyweight title. Berbick forfeited title for failing to defend within stipulated period.
Win	25-4-1	Mark Lee	PTS	10	13/03/1984	Empire Pool, Wembley, London, United Kingdom
Win	24-4-1	Mike Cohen	TKO	4 (10)	19/02/1984	Hyatt Regency, Tampa, Florida, United States
Win	23-4-1	Ken Lakusta	TKO	10 (12)	09/09/1983	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada	Retained Commonwealth (British Empire) & Canada Heavyweight titles.
Loss	22-4-1	S. T. Gordon	UD	10	28/05/1983	Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	22-3-1	Renaldo Snipes	PTS	10	02/10/1982	Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Berbick down in the 1st round.
Win	22-2-1	Greg Page	UD	10	11/06/1982	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Page broke his right thumb in the 2nd round.
Win	21-2-1	Gordon Racette	TKO	11 (12)	05/03/1982	Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada	Retained Commonwealth (British Empire) & Canada Heavyweight titles.
Win	20-2-1	Muhammad Ali	UD	10	11/12/1981	Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, Nassau, Bahamas	Ali fought at the heaviest of his professional career (at 236 1/4 lbs.).
Win	19-2-1	Conroy Nelson	KO	2 (15)	21/07/1981	Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada	Retained Canada Heavyweight title & won vacant Commonwealth (British Empire) Heavyweight title. Commonwealth title had vacated by John L. Gardner.
Loss	18-2-1	Larry Holmes	UD	15	11/04/1981	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	For WBC Heavyweight title.
Win	18-1-1	Chuck Gardner	TKO	3 (10)	31/01/1981	Kingston, Jamaica
Win	17-1-1	Chuck Findlay	KO	1 (10)	11/11/1980	Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win	16-1-1	Ron Rouselle	KO	1 (12)	27/08/1980	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada	Retained Canada Heavyweight title.
Win	15-1-1	John Tate	KO	9 (10)	20/06/1980	Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Tate turned away from Berbick early in round 9 after being hit by an overhand right.
Win	14-1-1	Johnny Warr	SD	10	11/03/1980	Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win	13-1-1	Ngozika Ekwelum	KO	5 (10)	11/12/1979	Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Draw	12-1-1	Leroy Caldwell	PTS	10	14/06/1979	Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Win	12–1	Earl McLeay	TKO	7 (12)	26/05/1979	Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada	Won vacant Canada Heavyweight title. Title had been vacated upon the retirement of George Chuvalo.
Loss	11–1	Bernardo Mercado	KO	1 (12)	03/04/1979	Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada	For WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title.
Win	11–0	Greg Sorrentino	TKO	1 (10)	08/10/1978	Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win	10–0	Gregory Johnson	KO	4 (10)	12/09/1978	Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win	9–0	Tony Moore	TKO	6 (10)	01/08/1978	Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win	8–0	Horst Geisler	KO	1 (10)	28/06/1978	Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win	7–0	Eugene Green	UD	10	08/12/1977	Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win	6–0	Eddie Owens	TKO	5 (10)	08/09/1977	Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win	5–0	Willie Moore	KO	4 (10)	18/08/1977	Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win	4–0	Joe Maye	TKO	7 (10)	25/01/1977	Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win	3–0	Michael (Ace) Lucas	TKO	2 (6)	09/01/1977	New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win	2–0	Bobby Halpern	TKO	3 (6)	23/11/1977	Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win	1–0	Wayne Martin	TKO	5 (6)	27/09/1977	Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada	Pro debut for Berbick.

References[link]

External links[link]

	Book: Trevor Berbick
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Trevor Berbick

• Professional boxing record for Trevor Berbick from BoxRec
• Sports Illustrated Obituary
• American Heritage on Trevor Berbick vs. Muhammad Ali

Ken Norton
Statistics
Real name	Kenneth Howard Norton
Nickname(s)	"The Black Hercules"[1] "The Jaw Breaker" or "The Fighting Marine"
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2]
Reach	80 in (203 cm)
Nationality	American
Born	(1943-08-09) August 9, 1943 (age 68) Jacksonville, Illinois, USA
Stance	Unorthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	50
Wins	42
Wins by KO	33
Losses	7
Draws	1
No contests	0

Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. (born August 9, 1943, Jacksonville, Illinois) is a former heavyweight boxer and former WBC Heavyweight Champion. He is best known for his 12-round victory over a peak Muhammad Ali where he famously broke Ali's jaw, on March 31, 1973, becoming only the second man to defeat a peak Ali as a professional (after Joe Frazier, who won a 15-round unanimous decision against Ali on March 8, 1971).

He and Ali would fight twice more in their trilogy, with Ali officially winning narrowly both returns, although many felt Norton truly deserved their 3rd fight. Norton was awarded the WBC title (by virtue of his win over Jimmy Young in a 1977 title elimination bout) when Leon Spinks declined a mandated title defense against Norton, the No. 1 contender. But Ken lost it in his first defense on a split-decision by 1 point to Larry Holmes in a great contest. (Holmes-Norton is ranked as the 10th greatest heavyweight fight of all time by Monte D. Cox, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization.)

Early years[link]

Norton was an outstanding athlete at Jacksonville High School. He was a member of the state championship football team and was selected to the all-state team on defense as a senior in 1960. His track coach entered him in eight events and Ken placed first in all. As a result, the "Ken Norton Rule" was instituted in Illinois high school sports which limits participation of an athlete to a maximum of three track and field events. After graduating from high school, Norton went to Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) on a football scholarship and studied elementary education.^[3]

Boxing career[link]

Norton started boxing when he was in the United States Marine Corps from 1963–1967, compiling a 24-2 record en route to three All-Marine Heavyweight titles.^[4] Following the National AAU finals in 1967, he turned professional.

Norton built up a string of steady wins, including some over fringe contenders like the giant Jack O'Halloran. But after he suffered a surprise defeat, ironically just after Ring magazine had profiled him as a prospect, at the hands of Jose Luis Garcia in 1970. Down in the first he had a surprise 5 round Knock out. It was Garcia's career peak. Norton was given the motivational book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill,^[5] which he states in his autobiography, Going the Distance, changed his life (Norton, et al., 2000, p. 46). Upon reading it he went on a fourteen fight winning streak, including a shocking victory over Muhammad Ali in 1973 to win the North American Boxing Federation Heavyweight Champion title.^[6] Ken Norton once said "In boxing, and in all of life, nobody should ever stop learning!".^[7]

Versus Ali, first & second matches[link]

'Name' opponents were elusive however in his early career. But his first big break came with a clear win over respected contender Henry Clark. This helped get him his world recognition break when Ali agreed to a match. Beforehand Joe Frazier, who'd sparred with Norton, presciently said, of Ali, "He'll have plenty of trouble!" Though both top boxers in the 70s, Norton and Frazier surprisingly never fought each other for various reasons.

On 3/31/1973, Norton won a 12 round split-decision over Muhammad Ali in his own home town of San Diego to win the NABF Heavyweight Title. In this bout, Norton broke Ali's jaw (he maintains in round eleven but Angelo Dundee said earlier), leading to only the second defeat for "The Greatest" in his career. (Ali's only previous loss was to Smokin' Joe Frazier, and Ali would later go on to defeat George Foreman to regain the heavyweight title in 1974).

Almost six months later, on 9/10/1973, Ali avenged the Norton loss, but only just, when he got the return by another split-decision. There were some furious exchanges in this hard fought battle. From Ali's point of view, a loss here would have seriously dented his claim of ever being 'The Greatest'.

Championship challenge against Foreman[link]

In 1974, Norton fought George Foreman for the World Heavyweight Championship, but was stopped easily in two rounds.

In 1975, Norton regained the NABF Heavyweight Title when he impressively defeated Jerry Quarry by TKO in the fifth round. Norton then avenged his above-mentioned 1970 loss to Jose Luis Garcia by decisively knocking-out Garcia in round five.

Third Ali match[link]

In 1976 Norton would again fight Ali, who was now the World Heavyweight Champion since regaining the title with an eighth round knockout of George Foreman in 1974. Many observers have felt this was the beginning of Ali's decline as a boxer. In one of the most disputed fights in history, the fight was even on the judges' scorecards going into the final round, which Ali won on both the referee and judges' scorecards to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. The judges scored the bout 8-7 for Ali and the referee scored it 8-6 for Ali.

At the time of the third Ali-Norton bout, the last time a heavyweight champion lost the title by decision was Max Baer to Jim Braddock, and forty-one years later Ali-Norton III was no exception. The January 1998 issue of Boxing Monthly listed Ali-Norton as the fifth most disputed title fight decision in boxing history. The unofficial UPI scorecard was 8-7 for Norton, and the unofficial AP scorecard was 9-6 for Ali. But Ali had received a pounding. His tactics were to try to push Norton back but they had failed. He'd refused to 'dance' until the 11th in sheer desperation, although the crowd then roared its appreciation.

Aftermath, against Bobick and Young[link]

1977 was a top year. Norton knocked out previously unbeaten top prospect Duane Bobick in one round and after despatching European title holder Lorenzo Zannon easily, he beat number two contender Jimmy Young (who himself had beaten George Foreman and Jody Ballard) in a 15-round split-decision in a WBC big mandatory title-elimination fight. Both boxers fought a smart fight, however observers thought the decision controversial. The winner was supposed to fight Ali for the world title, as some thought it was Norton's due from a year earlier. "No way we want Norton again" was an Ali camp quote in Ring Magazine.

Following the Leon Spinks upset of Muhammad Ali for the championship on February 15, 1978, Spinks elected to fight a return bout against Ali ^[8] rather than face the still dangerous Norton, the top contender.^[9] The World Boxing Council, which had mandated a Spinks-Norton bout for their championship, withdrew its recognition of Spinks as champion. On March 18, 1978, the WBC named Norton its champion by virtue of his win over Young.^[10] The WBC stated that they considered Norton's victory over Jimmy Young, which was sanctioned by the WBC as a title eliminator, a retroactive championship ^[11]

Larry Holmes title fight[link]

In his first defense of the WBC title on June 9, 1978, Norton and new #1 contender Larry Holmes met in a classic fight. After 15 brutal rounds, Holmes was awarded the title via an extremely close split decision. The three judges' cards were as follows: 143-142 for Holmes, 143-142 for Holmes and 143-142 for Norton.^[12] The March 2001 edition of The Ring magazine listed the final round of the Holmes-Norton bout as the 7th most exciting round in boxing history. As noted above, Holmes-Norton is ranked as the 10th greatest heavyweight fight of all time by Monte D. Cox, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO). Holmes went on to become the second longest reigning World Heavyweight Champion in the history of boxing, behind Joe Louis. Holmes years later wrote, in Ken's autobiography, of his experience that this was his own toughest match in over 70 contests.

Retirement looms[link]

"You're only as good as your last fight" was a boxing saying. Somehow a decline set in. Whilst he KO'd fringe contender Randy Stephens with a single thunderous left hook, Earnie Shavers stopped Norton in the first and went on to match Larry Holmes for the world title. Norton's Shavers' match was a mandatory eliminator.

Only a year later Norton retired from the ring temporarily in 1979 following a disappointing draw with Scott LeDoux. Norton carried the match until sustaining an injury when he took a thumb in the eye in the eighth round, which immediately changed the bout (Norton was down in the 10th and narrowly survived being stopped).^[13] Norton didn't like the way his career ended,^[14] so at the advanced age of 37, he staged a comeback in 1980 and beat previously undefeated, tough if basic Randall "Tex" Cobb by a split-decision in an all-action bout.

In 1981 Norton now way past his prime, accepted a title-eliminator bout with new top prospect Gerry Cooney. Cooney, who is rated No. 53 in The Ring Magazine's 100 Greatest Punchers, won by first round KO, 54 seconds into the fight. Norton retired from boxing after this bout. Norton's professional boxing record was 42-7-1.

Awards and recognitions[link]

Ken Norton is a 1989 inductee of the World Boxing Hall of Fame,^[15] a 1992 inductee of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame,^[16] a 2004 inductee into the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame,^[17] and a 2008 inductee into the WBC Hall of Fame.

The 1998 holiday issue of The Ring ranked Norton #22 in "The 50 Greatest Heavyweights of All Time." Norton received the Boxing Writers Association of America J. Niel Trophy for "Fighter of the Year" in 1977.

Norton, a proponent of motivational author Napoleon Hill's writings ^[18] (e.g. Think and Grow Rich ^[19][20] as noted above and Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude ^[21] by Hill and W. Clement Stone) also received the "Napoleon Hill Award" for positive thinking in 1973 (Norton, et al., 2000, p. 46).