It would be hard to find an athlete who made a bigger impact on the sports world than Muhammad Ali. Known as “The Greatest” by many, Ali was a professional boxer and an activist. He is also credited with being a pioneer of the heavyweight division.

Larry Holmes

Larry Holmes is a retired American professional boxer who was one of Muhammad Ali’s favorite sparring partners. The two became friends over the years and were able to share the best of each other’s boxing talent.

As an amateur, Holmes had a 19-3 record and went to the 1972 Olympics as a member of the welterweight team. He then turned professional at age 24. He had a great career that lasted 30 years. In fact, he was one of the most dominant heavyweights of his time.

In 1978, Larry Holmes defeated Ken Norton to win the WBC heavyweight title. Although he lost the title to Michael Spinks in 1985, he made his mark with 20 successful title defenses.

After a brief stint in the wilderness, he returned to professional boxing and became an effective knockout machine. His patented “Easton Assassin” jab was one of the most famous in history.

Throughout his 30-year career, Holmes won over 50 fights. Several of his victories were improbable. Aside from his victories, he had several notable comebacks.

One of the biggest highlights of his career was defeating Muhammad Ali. It was the only time that he won the fight by stoppage. When it was all said and done, Holmes was the only boxer to ever beat Ali.

Holmes’s autobiography was published in 1998. He wrote the book with Phil Berger.

Holmes was also a nice guy outside of the ring. He has five children and resides in Easton, Pennsylvania.

Larry Holmes has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. And although he won’t be competing in the ring for the foreseeable future, his legacy continues to live on.

Of course, his most notable accomplishment was winning the heavyweight title. Holmes won the WBC, Ring magazine and lineal titles, as well as the IBF heavyweight championship. This is not a feat that is easily replicated today.

Holmes is now 67 years old and still has speed. He is one of the most popular fighters of his generation.

Joe Frazier

In addition to being a great boxer, Joe Frazier also had an infamous rivalry with Muhammad Ali. They were both heavyweight champions, but they had very different styles.

Joe Frazier grew up in a rural Gullah community in South Carolina. His father was a one-armed farmer. He had one loss in his amateur boxing career. But he went on to win the Golden Gloves championship every year from 1962 to 1964.

After winning gold in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, he turned pro. He began his professional career by beating Woody Goss in 1965. A few years later, he defeated Eddie Machen. Then he beat Jimmy Ellis at Madison Square Garden in 1970. It was the start of a string of spectacular fights.

Joe Frazier defeated George Chuvalo and Jerry Quarry in the late 1960s. He then went on to face Buster Mathis and Oscar Bonavena. At the time, Joe Frazier was the undisputed heavyweight champion. However, he was stripped of his title because of his refusal to serve in the Vietnam War.

Joe Frazier was not willing to defend his title in the alternate fight that was scheduled for 1967. As a result, he refused to take part in the WBA tournament.

Before his first fight against Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier had won 14 fights. He was considered a promising young prospect. Some argued that he had a real chance against Ali.

After his first fight, Muhammad Ali made it clear that he was not interested in fighting Frazier again. Although the two would meet a few times, the rivalry didn’t last long. Eventually, Joe Frazier retired.

When he was younger, Joe Frazier had an interest in watching boxing matches on television. He even started to practice punching on a homemade punching bag.

After his professional career began, Frazier continued to train young boxers. He eventually moved to Philadelphia and worked as a trainer.

When he died in 2011, his funeral was attended by Ali. His wife, Khalilah, had been married to Ali for 50 years. This is the highest civilian award in South Carolina.

George Foreman

Muhammad Ali and George Foreman are two of the most legendary boxers of all time. They were both born in the same decade, and they both won Olympic gold medals. Their fights were often referred to as the Rumble in the Jungle, but neither one ever lost a title in the ring.

In his early career, George Foreman was one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. He was known for his punching power and explosive finishing. At the time of his retirement, he had won 76 professional fights and had an undefeated record.

During his career, he defended his world heavyweight title twice. The first was in September 1973. His opponent, Jose Roman, was ranked seventh in the heavyweight division. After winning the first round, he was knocked out in the second.

George was a former amateur boxer. He turned professional in 1969. A year later, he won the heavyweight title. Afterwards, he became an ordained minister. Despite losing his first fight, he came back in 1997 and won another heavyweight title.

During his second professional career, he avoided dangerous opponents. His final fight was against Jimmy Young. This was a win, but it was not enough to secure a rematch with Ali.

Muhammad Ali is considered to be the best heavyweight of all time. While he has been labeled as the greatest of all time, he has been outmatched in other categories.

Although he is the only boxer to have won the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles, he has yet to beat the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson or Mike Tyson. But, if he beats them, he could become a three-time heavyweight champion.

Regardless of whether he defeats the likes of Robinson and Tyson, Foreman is still a great boxer. He is probably the most explosive of all the heavyweights, and his hooks are deadly.

In addition to his boxing career, Foreman was also a preacher and an entrepreneur. He opened a youth center in his name.

He was the oldest of all the heavyweights. Although his resume is not stacked with the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson or Mike Tyrell, he is definitely on the list of the greatest heavyweights of all time.

Ali vs Frazier

Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier are two of the greatest boxers of all time. Their first meeting was in 1971. In that fight, Ali was 31-0 with 25 knockouts. He also had his boxing titles stripped for refusing to be drafted into the Vietnam War.

They fought three more times. Both fighters were considered the best heavyweights in the world at that point in their careers. During the course of their career, Ali was knocked out just three times, while Frazier was only knocked out once.

When they met for a second time, in 1974, they were both undefeated. They had both beaten every top heavyweight in their respective weight classes. It was a 12-round non-title fight, and it was billed as a trash-talking bout. However, it was considered the least interesting of the Ali-Frazier trilogy.

Both men had completely different styles. After the first two rounds, Ali dominated the fight. He used repeated clinching to keep Frazier from working inside. At this point, the ringside judges could not determine what was fair. Some argued that Ali was not using his full arsenal.

By round seven, Ali was visibly worn out and had a hard time keeping up the pace. Then, Frazier caught him with a vicious left hook, sending him crashing into the ropes. Ali tried to recover, but he regained no ground.

The next round was a reversal of the previous round. Frazier was the one working in the middle. But in the third, Ali was on top. Throughout the middle, Frazier was viciously attacking Ali’s body. His rapier-like jabs often hit the back of his head, leaving welts.

Rounds eight through eleven were dominated by Frazier. Ali tried to get his opponent to stand up, but was unable to. As he started to lose the battle, he grabbed Frazier’s wrists. He closed his left eye in the 12th round.

In the final round, Frazier landed a devastating left hook that sent Ali down for the third time. His eyes swelled shut.

This was one of the greatest boxing victories of all time. Despite the controversy surrounding the event, both boxers are regarded as the greatest of their generation.

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