Larry Holmes pulled no punches inside or out and was never fond of any other heavyweight icon.
Holmes was a legend in his own right, holding the world heavyweight title from 1978 to 1985, making an incredible 20 successful title defenses during that time.
During his reign he defeated the likes of Muhammad Ali – although Ali was well past his prime – as were Earnie Shavers and Trevor Berbick, but he lost his titles in back-to-back defeats to Michael Spinks and later suffered a knockout defeat to Mike Tyson.
Holmes would have two more chances to win the world title in the 1990s, losing to Evander Holyfield and Oliver McCall, but there is one other notable name from that era that the “Easton Killer” never stepped into the ring with.
That man is Lennox Lewis, a former undisputed champion who many fans consider one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
However, it appears Holmes doesn’t share that view, telling Boxing News that he doesn’t think there’s anything impressive about what Lewis has achieved.
“Lennox Lewis has never impressed me. The guy got hit, he’s substantial and mighty and anything can happen. I wish him all the best.”
In an interview with Boxing Insider, Holmes delved deeper into the issue. When asked where he rated Lewis as one of the best, he said:
“I don’t deal with rankings. I don’t even rate myself. I let the media, the so-called experts, do that. But for now I can’t put Lennox Lewis in the top 100 because I saw someone knock him out, I saw him leave – it was with Oliver McCall.
“So I can’t rate him as a great champion yet. He’s just a guy who’s been lucky enough to fight guys who aren’t skilled enough to fight for a title… someone says, ‘He’s got a great jab.’ Well, they didn’t see the stabbing. They must have forgotten about MY stabbing.”
Lewis has won multiple world accolades and became undisputed with his victory over Holyfield, while also beating the likes of Tyson, McCall and Vitali Klitschko in his career. He ultimately retired with a record of 41 wins in 44 fights. His two defeats – one to McCall in the first meeting and the other to Hasim Rahman – were avenged in the rematches.
As for Holmes, he last fought in 2002, almost 30 years after his debut, and his final record was 69 wins from 75 fights.