Larry Holmes: “These heavyweights today were born at the right time so that they don’t have to fight a guy like me.”

Boxing legend Larry Holmes is considered by most to be one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time, but in his long professional career that included 20 title defenses, he was also under appreciated. Holmes had the impossible task of following “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali, and while he had a great career, he never got the level of respect his accomplishments were deserving of.

In part 2 of my interview with Larry Holmes, I talk with him about the biggest events of his boxing career, and get his views on some of the more controversial fights. Larry also shares his thoughts on the current state of the heavyweight division and how he feels the fighters of today would do in his era. Additionally, Holmes talks about the super fight boxing fans want to see most today, Mayweather-Pacquiao. Here is what Larry Holmes had to say.

Robert Brown: In your fight with Gerry Cooney, you had to give Cooney an even split of twenty million dollars. How did you feel about that?

Larry Holmes: I was always short changed by the promoters, by Don King, by everybody. I never was given my just dues, I never got my credit, I never got all my money but that’s the way they did it. Bob Arum never paid me my money. I signed to fight Holyfield for twelve million dollars but at the end of the day I only got six.

Boxing promoters are assholes and they treat us like we’re assholes and dummies or whatever because we don’t know what we’re doing. We’re out there for them to take advantage of us and that’s what they do, they take advantage of us instead of giving us what we deserve and we agreed upon because they think we’re fools and that we just go out there to take punches to be taking punches. I think we should get what we were promised because we’re the ones that earn it. We should get what we’re supposed to get.

Robert Brown: If I remember correctly, you were meant to have a fight with George Foreman in 1999, am I correct on that?

Larry Holmes: You’re very correct on that and it was recently my birthday and guess who called me to say happy birthday to me? George Foreman. He called me and he said, “I want to say happy birthday to you.”

George has changed a lot tremendously, he’s doing well and I keep wishing him the best because that’s really what it’s all about, not forgetting where you come from. I don’t know where George comes from but he didn’t forget Larry Holmes and I appreciate the fact that George Foreman mentioned me and called me up on the telephone and wishing me the best on my birthday.

I have nothing to say too much about George — yes, I wish we could have fought, I wish I could have made the ten million dollars that they were gonna give me but unfortunately somebody didn’t do the right thing and that’s why the fight didn’t come up.

Robert Brown: Can you give us your thoughts on the two fights you had against Michael Spinks?

Larry Holmes: I think the first fight was very close; it could have gone either way. I had no problem with that. The second fight, I beat Michael Spinks but they took it away from me. I understand why they did it, because the devil was with them. The devil told them to do it and they did it, so they took me and they robbed me.

I brought boxing to Las Vegas, I fought ninety percent of my fights in Las Vegas and I took a lot less money to fight there to make Las Vegas the boxing capital of the world, and then they did that to me. It was uncalled for. They stuck a knife in their friends’ back and threw me to the dogs. That’s why I say, “the hell with Las Vegas.”

Robert Brown: How do you feel about the heavyweights of today? If you were fighting in today’s era, how long do you reckon your championship reign would be?

Larry Holmes: First of all let me say this to you, when I was fighting in the prime, when there was George Foreman, Kenny Norton, Larry Holmes, Muhammad Ali, Earnie Shavers, Ron Lyle, Jerry Quarry, you would not have heard of these guys.

These guys were born at the right time so that they don’t have to fight a guy like me. They don’t have to fight Muhammad Ali, they don’t have to fight George Foreman or Earnie Shavers because these guys would not last. They would not last with us, they would not even get in the top twenty.

Robert Brown: Do you think if Deontay Wilder wins and gets the title from Bermane Stiverne and America has a heavyweight champion again, that we’ll get the excitement back in the heavyweight division?

Larry Holmes: Oh yeah, you’ll get a heavyweight champion back here in America because these guys, a lot of them are hungry. They’re coming up and they’ll come back and learn because they have the determination.

They need somebody to teach them, they need teaching. Right now, they’re lacking teaching, people don’t really want to teach you. They need somebody that’s experienced like me, like George Foreman, guys like that to teach, then it will be alright here.

Robert Brown: Back in your era, all the greats fought each other. Why do you think the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight hasn’t come about?

Larry Holmes: Mayweather vs. Pacquiao have not happened because they’re both greedy and that’s what the devil does, he makes you hungry and you want it all and you don’t want to give nobody none of the meat, not thinking that if you eat, he has to eat.

You came down the road the same way, so if he eats, you eat and you both will go out full. But no, it’s not like that, it’s that, “I’m greater than you, I’m prettier than you, I’m faster than you, people want to see me more than you.” Stuff like that. They’re forgetting that it takes two people to do all those things that they’re thinking about doing.

Robert Brown: If Mayweather and Pacquiao fought, who do you think would win?

Larry Holmes: I don’t know, I don’t really care. The best man who wants it the most. You have to beat Mayweather because he’s got a hard head and he wants to win. If Pacquiao isn’t ready, he’ll get beat but he wants to win too. It takes both of them guys to get it together.