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00:00:00Two prolific champions, two distinct eras in heavyweight history.
00:00:20The story of the aging champion coming back to challenge the new kid on the block takes
00:00:28us back to the turn of the century.
00:00:32James J. Jeffries won the heavyweight title back in 1899.
00:00:36After seven successful title defenses, he retired undefeated in 1905.
00:00:42But five years later, the 35-year-old Great White Hope returned to challenge the reigning
00:00:47champion, Jack Johnson.
00:00:49Jeffries was stopped in the 15th.
00:00:51In 1937, Joe Louis began his 12-year reign of terror in the heavyweight division.
00:00:57In his prime, the Louis right hand was a lethal weapon.
00:01:01But in 1951, after losing a comeback title fight to Ezra Charles, a 37-year-old Joe Louis
00:01:07lost to the heir apparent to the heavyweight throne, Rocky Marciano.
00:01:12In the 60s and 70s, the greatest, Muhammad Ali, ruled the division with a grace and a flair
00:01:18for the dramatic.
00:01:19But at the age of 38, a 31-year-old champion clipped the wings of the butterfly and took
00:01:26the stinger out of the bead.
00:01:29Larry Holmes had ruled the heavyweight division for seven and a half years.
00:01:33And now, a 38-year-old former champion steps out of retirement and into the ring one more
00:01:39time.
00:01:39The new undisputed heavyweight champion stands menacingly in his way.
00:01:45The new undisputed heavyweight champion stands menacingly in his way.
00:01:53You're looking at an
00:02:21Oceanside Resort in the dead
00:02:22Of winter
00:02:23Outdoor activities are at a standstill
00:02:25But indoors, the action is hot
00:02:28We're live at the convention center
00:02:30In Atlantic City, New Jersey
00:02:31As HBO Sports presents
00:02:33World Championship Boxing
00:02:36Undisputed heavyweight champion
00:02:38Mike Tyson defends his title
00:02:39Against former champion Larry Holmes
00:02:42It's scheduled for 12 rounds
00:02:44It is an estimated
00:02:46$4 million game
00:02:48The toughest ticket Atlantic City
00:02:50Has ever seen
00:02:51The reason, it's hoped 20 years from now
00:02:53People will be talking about Tyson vs. Holmes
00:02:55And these people can say
00:02:57I was there
00:02:59A seven and a half year former champion
00:03:01Takes on the new era in the heavyweight division
00:03:04As you've seen
00:03:05It's a fight with a historical precedent
00:03:07Now the question is
00:03:08Will it be a competitive fight
00:03:10In the ring?
00:03:12Hello everybody, I'm Barry Tompkins
00:03:15Along with Larry Merchant and Sugar Ray Leonard
00:03:17It is an evening that is wrought with questions
00:03:19Can the fight itself be as big as the event?
00:03:22Can Larry Holmes possibly win this fight?
00:03:25And if he can win it
00:03:26How can he win it?
00:03:28Many have tried as you saw
00:03:29And not one has heard that last hurrah
00:03:32True enough, Jersey Joe Walcott
00:03:34Did win the heavyweight championship at age 37
00:03:36But he never stepped away from the ring
00:03:38And Ray, I can't help but wonder
00:03:40If people aren't looking at you, Ray Leonard
00:03:42Particularly Larry Holmes
00:03:44And saying, well, Ray did it
00:03:45Why can't I do it?
00:03:47Is that the reason he's coming back?
00:03:48You've talked to him on a couple of occasions
00:03:50Or is there another reason?
00:03:51Barry, let me patronize myself
00:03:53I'm especially at comebacks
00:03:55But I was able to come back for one reason
00:03:58That was to beat Marvin Haggard
00:03:59Not the money
00:04:01Not the attention
00:04:02No, the limelight
00:04:03Larry Holmes
00:04:04I have problems with his reasons for coming back
00:04:06He said that he wanted to avenge those two losses
00:04:08Against Michael Spinks
00:04:09And also, kind of
00:04:10It's like a vindication
00:04:12To get back at what he did
00:04:14Against Michael Spinks
00:04:16And the first question
00:04:16On everybody's lips here in Atlantic City
00:04:18Whether it's to the press
00:04:19Or whether it's to former fighters
00:04:21Or to just the folks
00:04:22Around and about the casinos
00:04:24Is do you give Larry Holmes
00:04:25Any chance whatsoever?
00:04:27The almost unanimous verdict is no
00:04:30What about you?
00:04:31Do you give him a chance?
00:04:31I give Larry Holmes a chance
00:04:33Mainly because of his past experience
00:04:35He's a very intelligent man in the ring
00:04:37And he has the height and reach advantage
00:04:38In other words, he has the physical attributes
00:04:40To compete with the Mike Tyson
00:04:41If he's okay upstairs
00:04:43For him, the first round is vital
00:04:46He has survived the first round
00:04:47But also gained respect in the first round
00:04:50Well, there's another question
00:04:51That's been asked all week long, too
00:04:52And that is
00:04:53Can Mike Tyson take Larry Holmes seriously
00:04:56As a challenger?
00:04:57I asked it to Mike Tyson myself
00:04:59And the answer is an unequivocal yes
00:05:00He takes everybody serious
00:05:02Business, you see
00:05:03For Mike Tyson
00:05:04Is business
00:05:05There's no alarm clock
00:05:12No wake-up call
00:05:14After eight years
00:05:15It's Mike Tyson's body
00:05:17That signals the beginning
00:05:18Of a new day
00:05:19No one wants to get up at four
00:05:22And run it when it's pitch dark
00:05:23It has to be done
00:05:24And the only reason I do it so early
00:05:26Is because I believe that the other guy
00:05:29Isn't doing it
00:05:30And that it gives me a little edge
00:05:33The most difficult part about fighting
00:05:36Is the training
00:05:37Because believe it or not
00:05:39The easy part about fighting
00:05:40Is the fighting
00:05:41Returning to bed after his morning run
00:05:44The champ awakens once again
00:05:45To start the day's activities
00:05:47These are the members of Camp Tyson
00:05:50Five weeks prior to a fight
00:05:52They gather in Atlantic City
00:05:54To initiate the training program
00:05:55There is no entourage
00:05:58When a fight scenario takes place
00:06:00We act as a family
00:06:03Kevin, Mike and I
00:06:06We live together
00:06:07We go out together
00:06:08We go to the gym together
00:06:10Monday through Saturday
00:06:11Mike Tyson goes to work
00:06:13During this period
00:06:14He'll train an estimated 55 hours
00:06:16Spar 200 rounds
00:06:18And shed approximately 15 pounds
00:06:20A champion's life
00:06:21Is very monotonous
00:06:23Around the months before the fight
00:06:25The only thing I think about
00:06:26Is just training
00:06:27Constantly training
00:06:28I enjoy it
00:06:29But you know
00:06:29It gets sometimes boring
00:06:31Because it's just constantly repetitious
00:06:34Over and over
00:06:35The same thing
00:06:36Over and over
00:06:36From sparring to speed bag
00:06:53From jumping rope to heavy bag
00:06:55Most fighters use similar
00:06:57Training techniques
00:06:58Yet Tyson's camp
00:07:00Has developed a few tricks
00:07:01Of its own
00:07:02Well the purpose of the slip bag
00:07:03Is to get the fighter
00:07:05Moving his head
00:07:06To get him in the habit
00:07:06Of moving his head correctly
00:07:08You have to try to be elusive
00:07:10See as long as the fighter
00:07:12Is trying to be elusive
00:07:13He's going to be alright
00:07:14That's what I emphasize
00:07:15That's what
00:07:16That's what
00:07:16That's what we're trying
00:07:18That's what we got
00:07:18On everybody else
00:07:19After seven years
00:07:21Of slipping and dodging
00:07:22This sand filled pendulum
00:07:23Mike Tyson has become
00:07:25One of the most evasive fighters
00:07:27In boxing today
00:07:28There you go
00:07:30There you go
00:07:30That's what I'm told
00:07:31That's a combination
00:07:32We haven't seen
00:07:33When I'm on a heavy bag
00:07:34With Michael
00:07:35I'm working on his form
00:07:37I tell him
00:07:38You're not moving enough
00:07:39Because you've got to move
00:07:39At least three times
00:07:40Certain punches
00:07:42You throw a straight punch
00:07:42You move three times
00:07:43You throw a hook
00:07:44You move twice
00:07:45Most impressive
00:07:46Is the power and quickness
00:07:47He's developed
00:07:48This four punch combination
00:07:49Seems basic
00:07:50For a heavyweight
00:07:51Four punches in under a second
00:07:53Is incredible
00:07:54Watch closely
00:07:55There you go
00:07:57There you go
00:07:57Besides videotaping
00:07:59The punches that are thrown
00:08:00Mike has instructed
00:08:01What to throw
00:08:02Each type of punch
00:08:04Has been assigned
00:08:05A number
00:08:05With my hand
00:08:06I took my hand
00:08:07I give you
00:08:08One, five, one
00:08:09We use
00:08:12A number system
00:08:14Where I call out
00:08:15I call out
00:08:15The different numbers
00:08:16For the different punches
00:08:17You know
00:08:17Nine, ten, eleven
00:08:19You know
00:08:20Body, body, head
00:08:21When Kevin tells me
00:08:22The numbers
00:08:22Of four, five, six
00:08:23I know exactly
00:08:25What they are
00:08:25I don't even have to think
00:08:26I want you to five, one now
00:08:28Seven, seven
00:08:29Come around
00:08:29Let's get it
00:08:30For five, one
00:08:31Or five, five, one
00:08:32Such a system
00:08:33Provides a quick
00:08:34And private means
00:08:35Of communication
00:08:36And it's not just training
00:08:38The press
00:08:39Must also be attended to
00:08:41To break up
00:08:44His formatted
00:08:44Training schedule
00:08:45Tyson often
00:08:46Passes time
00:08:47By shopping
00:08:47Still, this doesn't
00:08:49Ease the worry
00:08:50Of the constant
00:08:51Anticipation
00:08:52Of fight night
00:08:53Eighty percent
00:08:54Of the training
00:08:55Is all emotional
00:08:57I try not to think
00:08:58About the fights
00:08:58But usually
00:08:59I always think
00:08:59About the fight
00:09:00In my mind
00:09:00When I'm in training
00:09:02I would dream
00:09:02About the fight
00:09:03And I always dreamed
00:09:05That I'd lose
00:09:05And it was very scary
00:09:06And I thought
00:09:07Oh my god
00:09:07What am I going to do now
00:09:08And it's funny
00:09:09When you dream you lose
00:09:10You wake up
00:09:11And you wake up
00:09:11Thinking that you lost
00:09:12And it's scary
00:09:14On a good night
00:09:16The group may rent a video
00:09:18But on this night
00:09:19They choose to screen
00:09:21And analyze
00:09:22The day's workouts
00:09:23And in just nine hours
00:09:30It'll be time to start
00:09:32All over again
00:09:34My favorite part
00:09:35About training
00:09:35Is when the training
00:09:36Is over
00:09:37And it's time to fight
00:09:38And I know
00:09:39I'm in supreme shape
00:09:40And no one's going
00:09:41To beat me
00:09:41And then
00:09:42After the fight's over
00:09:43And I'm victorious
00:09:44And I say wow
00:09:46I'm going to do this
00:09:47Next time
00:09:48I'm going to train harder
00:09:49So coming up
00:09:51A former champion
00:09:52Tries to gather up
00:09:54All the skills
00:09:55That once were there
00:09:56Just one more time
00:09:57And beat a man
00:09:5817 years his junior
00:10:00Who appears
00:10:01For the moment at least
00:10:02To be invincible
00:10:03Larry Holmes
00:10:05Fights Mike Tyson
00:10:06For the undisputed
00:10:07Heavyweight championship
00:10:08Of the world
00:10:09Now with his own
00:10:10Perspective
00:10:11On this suddenly
00:10:11Big event
00:10:12Here's Larry Merchant
00:10:14Larry
00:10:14Why is Larry Holmes
00:10:19Doing this
00:10:20Money
00:10:21It doesn't appear
00:10:22That that's the case
00:10:23Although obviously
00:10:24He wouldn't be here
00:10:25Without the money
00:10:26Is he doing it
00:10:28For ego
00:10:28Well sure
00:10:30All champions
00:10:31Have championship
00:10:32Size egos
00:10:33Curiosity
00:10:34What's this kid
00:10:35Really got
00:10:35I've got to test him
00:10:36Myself
00:10:37Now we're getting
00:10:38Close
00:10:38And add this
00:10:39No real fighter
00:10:41Thinks he can't
00:10:42Do it again
00:10:42Until he's beaten up
00:10:44Not just beaten
00:10:45But beaten up
00:10:46So what we have
00:10:48Tonight in my judgment
00:10:49Is this
00:10:50We're all here
00:10:51Larry Holmes
00:10:52And Mike Tyson
00:10:53You and us
00:10:54For a ceremony
00:10:55A kind of collective
00:10:57Amnesia has set in
00:10:58Forgetting that Larry Holmes
00:10:59Wasn't the Larry Holmes
00:11:01We remember
00:11:01Even two and three years ago
00:11:03So we could attend
00:11:05So we could attend
00:11:05This ceremony
00:11:06This passing of the torch
00:11:08Ceremony
00:11:08From the old king
00:11:10To the new king
00:11:11It's a ritual
00:11:12As old as time
00:11:13It's as natural
00:11:14As the life cycle
00:11:16Of a champion
00:11:17As natural as
00:11:18Leaves turning brown
00:11:20And falling off trees
00:11:22Of course Larry Holmes
00:11:23Wouldn't agree to this
00:11:24Larry Holmes
00:11:25Wouldn't agree to a lot
00:11:26That's been said
00:11:27About him in the past
00:11:28And sometimes
00:11:29He's been very justified
00:11:31If they cheer for me
00:11:44It's great
00:11:45You know what I mean
00:11:46But throughout my career
00:11:47They've always been against me
00:11:48Because of you guys
00:11:49You say what you feel
00:11:59Write what you feel
00:12:00You feel that I'm going to lose
00:12:02Bite it
00:12:02Don't bite your tongue about it
00:12:04But when you see me win
00:12:06You write it
00:12:07Larry Holmes
00:12:08Was an underappreciated boxer
00:12:10Whose frustrations
00:12:11Led to no-win feuds
00:12:12With the press
00:12:13As a former sparring partner
00:12:16Of Muhammad Ali
00:12:17Holmes first was downgraded
00:12:19As championship material
00:12:20Even his courage
00:12:22Was questioned
00:12:22A thrilling victory
00:12:24Over Ken Norton
00:12:25For the title
00:12:26Only temporarily
00:12:27Silenced skeptics
00:12:29This has been a great
00:12:31Boxing show
00:12:32Both by the Spirates
00:12:33As Holmes comes back
00:12:34Goes a good
00:12:35He's getting under trouble
00:12:37Yes
00:12:39Larry Holmes has done it
00:12:41Those people
00:12:42Said that I couldn't
00:12:43Be anything
00:12:44Gave me the desire
00:12:45They gave me the motivation
00:12:47They gave me the determination
00:12:48To show
00:12:49That I can
00:12:50And when I did that
00:12:51I said
00:12:52I showed you
00:12:53I told you
00:12:54In the post-Ali era
00:12:57Not even a gallant
00:12:58Comeback against
00:12:59Killer puncher
00:13:00Ernie Shavers
00:13:01Earned Holmes
00:13:02The respect he craved
00:13:04He became a champion
00:13:06He became a champion
00:13:06Ali was a hero
00:13:07And beating up the 38-year-old hero
00:13:11Surely ended one era
00:13:13But didn't start his
00:13:15Ali's my idol
00:13:17If you want to say that
00:13:18I'm going to shout out
00:13:19Muhammad Ali
00:13:19I'm a comic copy
00:13:21Great
00:13:22I still admire the man
00:13:24I still love the man
00:13:24Ema today
00:13:25And I hate when people
00:13:26Sit down beside me
00:13:27And say man
00:13:27It's a shame
00:13:28I don't want to see that
00:13:29Happen to you
00:13:30When an unproven white challenger
00:13:33Jerry Cooney
00:13:34Got more recognition
00:13:35Than he did
00:13:36Before their fight
00:13:37Holmes' disappointment
00:13:38Turned to bitterness
00:13:39I felt like
00:13:41Two cents
00:13:42Fighting Jerry Cooney
00:13:43I wish Jerry Cooney
00:13:44At the time
00:13:45Was black
00:13:46Because
00:13:46Then people would
00:13:48Just root for the best fighter
00:13:49Not for the color of their skin
00:13:51Don King
00:13:52And Dennis Rappaport
00:13:53They saw racism
00:13:53They never really gave me
00:13:56My just dues
00:13:58They really didn't think
00:13:59I ever had the ability
00:14:00Holmes' bitterness
00:14:02Blinded him to the recognition
00:14:04That he did win
00:14:05And he thought that
00:14:07Equaling Rocky Marciano's
00:14:0849-0 record
00:14:10Would win it
00:14:11But Michael Spinks
00:14:12Upset him
00:14:13And the bitterness
00:14:14Showed
00:14:16Spinks the aggressor
00:14:18By combinations
00:14:19By Michael Spinks
00:14:20You got three minutes
00:14:21To be taken
00:14:22So that's got
00:14:23Over here
00:14:25You punch with him
00:14:26You're gonna hit him
00:14:27You gotta go after him
00:14:28This is no tomorrow
00:14:30You hear me?
00:14:31Holmes will not do it
00:14:33Looking for the one punch
00:14:35And he
00:14:36Is just about
00:14:38Out of time
00:14:39This one is over
00:14:40Listen to the crowd
00:14:41If you hurt me
00:14:43I won't hurt your back
00:14:44You know what I mean?
00:14:46And they hurt me that night
00:14:47They took away something
00:14:49That I worked
00:14:4919 years for
00:14:51Heavyweight Championship
00:14:52Of the World
00:14:53I mean
00:14:54If you really
00:14:54Really want to get
00:14:56Techno
00:14:57About the whole thing
00:14:58Rocky couldn't carry
00:15:01My jockstrap
00:15:02I could have said
00:15:03Things in a different manner
00:15:04When I said
00:15:05Marciano couldn't
00:15:05Carry my jockstrap
00:15:06The other day
00:15:07I said to the newspaper
00:15:08The other day
00:15:09That Mike Tyson
00:15:10Can't carry my jockstrap
00:15:11Are you gonna make
00:15:12A big thing out of it
00:15:13Holmes had always been credited
00:15:15With being an intelligent fighter
00:15:17But criticizing fight officials
00:15:19Before the rematch
00:15:21With Spinks
00:15:21Was anything but
00:15:23I learned that
00:15:24These guys get drunk
00:15:25When they go to judge fights
00:15:26It was a good idea
00:15:28For Holmes
00:15:29To win decisively
00:15:30After that
00:15:31And there was a right hand
00:15:33By Holmes
00:15:34That Spinks
00:15:35Is in a world of trouble
00:15:36Right now
00:15:37Most observers
00:15:38Thought Holmes
00:15:39Had pulled it out
00:15:40With a determined effort
00:15:41Surprised
00:15:42The judges didn't
00:15:44And still
00:15:46And I can say
00:15:52To the judges
00:15:53The referees
00:15:54The promoters
00:15:55The kids
00:15:56Where the sun don't shine
00:15:57And since we're on HBO
00:15:59That's my big black behind
00:16:00And people say
00:16:02You shouldn't have said that
00:16:03Larry on national TV
00:16:04Well they did it
00:16:05Until they kicked my behind
00:16:07Red on national TV
00:16:08Nobody said anything about that
00:16:09Now Holmes has another bad idea
00:16:12Insulting Mike Tyson
00:16:14I'm going down to history
00:16:15Not Mike Tyson
00:16:16He go down to history
00:16:17As a SOB
00:16:18If he do happen to win
00:16:20The fight
00:16:21Down the line
00:16:23He's going to destroy himself
00:16:25So at 38
00:16:27Larry Holmes
00:16:28Still has the dexterity
00:16:29To put both feet
00:16:30In his mouth
00:16:31The issue tonight
00:16:32Is whether he has the dexterity
00:16:34To fight Mike Tyson
00:16:35The issue tomorrow
00:16:38May very well be
00:16:39Whether he will be remembered
00:16:41For the outstanding fighter
00:16:43He really was
00:16:44And so Larry Holmes
00:16:49Will try to do
00:16:50What Jersey Joe Walcott
00:16:51Did at age 37
00:16:52Only Holmes will try to do it
00:16:54At age 38
00:16:55A grandfather
00:16:56And has there ever been one before
00:16:58That's fought for
00:16:59Or won
00:17:00A heavyweight championship
00:17:01Walcott did it
00:17:02Against Ezra Charles
00:17:03He knocked him out
00:17:04In 1951
00:17:05But remember
00:17:05Jersey Joe Walcott
00:17:07Never stepped away
00:17:08From the ring
00:17:08As Larry Holmes has
00:17:10And he was a knockout fighter
00:17:11Who caught his opponent
00:17:12With one great punch
00:17:14Not likely to happen tonight
00:17:1617 years the difference
00:17:18Between these two
00:17:20Second largest age difference
00:17:22In a heavyweight title fight
00:17:23Of course Patterson Floyd
00:17:25Patterson knocking out
00:17:25Archie Moore
00:17:26Who was then 42 years old
00:17:28At least
00:17:29Archie Moore
00:17:30Incidentally quarters
00:17:31Saying he gives Larry Holmes
00:17:32A chance
00:17:33Wouldn't you know it
00:17:33Well maybe that's why
00:17:35So much interest
00:17:36Is generated in this fight
00:17:38We've got all the
00:17:39The gray people out there
00:17:41This fight has really
00:17:43Brought him out
00:17:44Celebrity count here
00:17:45Probably as big
00:17:45As I've ever seen
00:17:46Well certainly in Atlantic City
00:17:49Kirk Douglas
00:17:52Who came to prominence
00:17:54Doing a fight
00:17:56Of a movie called
00:17:57Champion
00:17:57And a short story
00:17:59By Ernest Hemingway
00:18:00And that is only part
00:18:04Of the celebrity crowd
00:18:06That's on hand here
00:18:07The heavyweight champions
00:18:09To regain the heavyweight title
00:18:10Floyd Patterson of course
00:18:11Knocking out Ingmar Johansson
00:18:13In 1960
00:18:13The last one
00:18:14Memorable wasn't it
00:18:16Tim Witherspoon
00:18:16To Tony Tubbs
00:18:17A dog of a fight
00:18:19If I was an editor
00:18:21I would have to say
00:18:22I'd cross that one out
00:18:23My general principle
00:18:25Hardly falls into
00:18:27One of the great moments
00:18:28In sports
00:18:29And 15 years ago tonight
00:18:33George Foreman
00:18:34Defeated Joe Frazier
00:18:35Tonight
00:18:37George Foreman's
00:18:3840th birthday
00:18:39And of course
00:18:39He's trying to make
00:18:40A comeback
00:18:41At 40 years of age
00:18:43And he considers himself
00:18:44A bona fide
00:18:45Contender down the road
00:18:47For Mike Tyson's title
00:18:49Larry Holmes incidentally
00:18:50Coming back
00:18:50Saying this isn't only
00:18:51For the money
00:18:52For the money
00:18:52That question has been
00:18:53Asked all along
00:18:54He says it's not only
00:18:55For the money
00:18:55He says it gives me
00:18:56The opportunity
00:18:57To kick back
00:18:58I wonder where Larry is
00:19:00Is he having second thoughts
00:19:02Just playing a little bit
00:19:07Of a tactical game
00:19:08Speaking of playing games
00:19:09Who's that
00:19:10I know that guy
00:19:10I know that guy
00:19:11From somewhere
00:19:12I can't place him
00:19:13And right in front of him
00:19:15Michael Spinks
00:19:16So a couple of the
00:19:20Boxing
00:19:21Greats
00:19:22I think it's fair to say
00:19:23Barbra Streisand
00:19:24Don Johnson
00:19:27That's your old
00:19:28Tennis partner
00:19:29That's my buddy
00:19:30Played with him
00:19:31At Aspen
00:19:32Not terribly long ago
00:19:34And here of course
00:19:35Perhaps the most
00:19:36Familiar face
00:19:37Present company included
00:19:38I think it's fair to say
00:19:39In the sport of boxing
00:19:41And Donald Trump
00:19:41Our host
00:19:42Ladies and gentlemen
00:19:44Two time economy
00:19:45Award winner
00:19:46Here brings that
00:19:47Mr. Jack Nicholson
00:19:48In a sense
00:19:49Larry Holmes continues
00:19:51To just sit it out
00:19:52Putting everybody
00:19:53This crowd
00:19:54Not Mike Tyson so much
00:19:56But everybody else
00:19:56On ice for the moment
00:19:57Yeah
00:19:58In a sense
00:19:59This big crowd is here
00:20:00As a tribute to Holmes
00:20:01Because
00:20:01The promotion itself
00:20:03Just has gone out of sight
00:20:04Quite unexpectedly
00:20:06By everybody
00:20:07Who is close to it
00:20:08They're really stunned
00:20:09By the response to this
00:20:11And in a way
00:20:12It's saying
00:20:13Yeah
00:20:13Larry Holmes
00:20:14Was a quality athlete
00:20:15A champion
00:20:16For seven years
00:20:17How many
00:20:18Great looking prospects
00:20:20Short term champions
00:20:21There were in that time
00:20:22Who couldn't sustain it
00:20:24And this man did
00:20:25And he is
00:20:27Still
00:20:27Judging by
00:20:28This crowd
00:20:29And the audience
00:20:30We know
00:20:30That's out there
00:20:31In television land
00:20:32Regarded as
00:20:33One of the marquee names
00:20:34Presently in boxing
00:20:36And it's as you said
00:20:38Actually really
00:20:39Perhaps a case of amnesia
00:20:40Because you look
00:20:41At some of these figures
00:20:42And it really tells you
00:20:42Just how good
00:20:43Larry Holmes once was
00:20:44Yeah
00:20:44And here are some
00:20:45Of the things
00:20:46He accomplished
00:20:47Over a long period
00:20:49He fought all
00:20:50All the guys out there
00:20:52Another thing about him too
00:20:54Is he is an underdog
00:20:56Interestingly enough
00:20:56For the first time
00:20:57Since 1978
00:20:58When he fought
00:20:59Ken Norton
00:20:59For the title
00:21:0023 fights ago
00:21:01That was the last time
00:21:02Larry Holmes was an underdog
00:21:04And he is a big underdog
00:21:05Tonight
00:21:05Well about this time
00:21:08Just in every fight
00:21:10Ray Leonard
00:21:10We take a look
00:21:12At the things
00:21:12That both fighters
00:21:13Need to do
00:21:13To win the fight
00:21:14So why don't we
00:21:15Do that now
00:21:15While we await
00:21:16The arrival of
00:21:17Larry Holmes
00:21:17And let's have
00:21:18Your tip of the night
00:21:19In this one
00:21:19Well Barry
00:21:20The left jab
00:21:21Of Larry Holmes
00:21:22Would prove to be
00:21:22A valuable weapon
00:21:23Tonight against Mike Tyson
00:21:24Against Ernie Shavers
00:21:26His jab was so effective
00:21:27Barry
00:21:27And the reason I say
00:21:28That is because
00:21:28He snapped it
00:21:29It would snap the head
00:21:31Back of his opponent
00:21:31Beautiful jab
00:21:33Very effective jab
00:21:34But while he was
00:21:35Defending his title
00:21:36Against Michael Spinks
00:21:37His jab wasn't present
00:21:38He was trying to
00:21:40Stick his jab out
00:21:41But he pulled it
00:21:42It was not that
00:21:43That effective
00:21:44But as you can see
00:21:45Here in the second
00:21:46Encounter
00:21:46It was a different
00:21:47Larry Holmes
00:21:48Apparently he trained
00:21:49Hard because he was
00:21:50Very aggressive
00:21:50He turned it
00:21:52Into a street brawl
00:21:52I doubt very seriously
00:21:54If he's able to do that
00:21:55To Mike Tyson
00:21:56Now Holmes right hands
00:21:58All of his been criticized
00:21:59But here
00:22:00Against Michael Spinks
00:22:02It was evident
00:22:03There was a lot of power
00:22:04Behind a great deal
00:22:05Of leverage
00:22:06Here Mike Tyson
00:22:07Or as I call him
00:22:08Mr. Body Puncher
00:22:09Pushed away at Biggs
00:22:11And did most of the
00:22:12Damage to his body
00:22:13And we should pretty much
00:22:14See the same scenario
00:22:15Against Larry Holmes
00:22:17Now he must stay busy
00:22:18Because what happens
00:22:19When he's not busy
00:22:20As Bunker Smith
00:22:22Is showing us
00:22:22He ties his man up
00:22:24He becomes very
00:22:25Very vulnerable
00:22:25To being
00:22:26Slow down his rhythm
00:22:28His hands
00:22:29Bees incredible
00:22:30That's why
00:22:31Respect about Mike Tyson
00:22:32He puts his punches
00:22:33Together very very well
00:22:34Good combination fighter
00:22:36Is Larry Holmes
00:22:37Going to be able
00:22:38To rough up Mike Tyson
00:22:39I think that may be
00:22:39The bottom line
00:22:40Of this whole fight
00:22:41I think we may see
00:22:42Larry Holmes
00:22:43Jumping right on Mike Tyson
00:22:44He has to
00:22:45He has to initiate
00:22:46Some respect
00:22:46But can he do it
00:22:47I mean what they say
00:22:48What everybody says
00:22:49Is the only way
00:22:50You're going to beat
00:22:50A fighter like Tyson
00:22:51Is to move him back
00:22:53Now every fighter says
00:22:53Yeah I'm able to do that
00:22:55And we haven't seen
00:22:55Anybody do it yet
00:22:56Can Larry Holmes do it
00:22:57I don't necessarily agree
00:22:58Just move him back
00:22:59You just have to frustrate
00:23:00Mike Tyson
00:23:01And commit two mistakes
00:23:02And capitalize on those mistakes
00:23:04Larry Holmes
00:23:06Larry Holmes is just making
00:23:11Mike Tyson wait
00:23:13Of course the challenger
00:23:13Is going to come
00:23:14Into the ring first
00:23:14So Tyson's going to
00:23:15Wait for Holmes
00:23:16As long as it takes
00:23:16But Mike Tyson
00:23:17Is just getting
00:23:18Angrier and angrier
00:23:19Now you might think
00:23:20That that would
00:23:21Behoove Larry Holmes
00:23:22But when I asked
00:23:23Kevin Rooney
00:23:23About that just the other day
00:23:24Because I kind of thought
00:23:25He might come out
00:23:26As Ray said
00:23:27And really rough him up
00:23:28Larry Merchant
00:23:28He said
00:23:29Kevin Rooney said
00:23:30That Mike Tyson
00:23:31Is actually better
00:23:31When he's a little bit ticked off
00:23:33I just heard something
00:23:34We've got to report
00:23:35That Mike Tyson
00:23:36Was so upset
00:23:36Because of the stalling
00:23:38Of Larry Holmes
00:23:38He punched a hole
00:23:39Through the wall
00:23:41In his dressing room
00:23:41Can you believe that
00:23:43Is that anger or what
00:23:44I'll have to see it
00:23:48I'm with you too Larry
00:23:50What about the old thing
00:23:53That Larry Holmes
00:23:54Has been saying
00:23:55That you leave the battery
00:23:57On too long
00:23:58And the battery goes dead
00:23:59He says
00:23:59But you rest it
00:24:00And the battery
00:24:01Recharges itself
00:24:02Do you buy that
00:24:03Does the battery
00:24:03Recharge itself
00:24:04Well Barry
00:24:05What I've assumed now
00:24:07Is the fact that
00:24:07Larry Holmes is trying
00:24:08To relive the days
00:24:10Of yesterday
00:24:10Because he's playing
00:24:11The same song
00:24:13That he played years ago
00:24:15Ain't no stopping us now
00:24:16Well Larry Holmes
00:24:20Is making his way
00:24:21Toward the ring now
00:24:21But interestingly enough
00:24:22It's not the way
00:24:23That he was supposed
00:24:24To come into the ring
00:24:25And it just seems
00:24:25That Larry Holmes
00:24:26Is doing everything he can
00:24:28Just to disrupt things here
00:24:30Well I think that
00:24:32The guy who eventually
00:24:33Beats the champion
00:24:35Is somebody who
00:24:36Has similar skills
00:24:38To Larry Holmes
00:24:39When Larry Holmes
00:24:40Is on top of his game
00:24:41Someone who could
00:24:42Frustrate him
00:24:43Make him anxious
00:24:44Make him wild
00:24:46And have the nerve
00:24:49And the poise
00:24:49To stand in there
00:24:50While the bombs
00:24:52Are flying all around him
00:24:53Let me ask you
00:24:54Another thing Ray
00:24:55Richie Giacchetti
00:24:56Who of course
00:24:57Is Larry Holmes
00:24:57Trainer and has been
00:24:58But for an 18 month period
00:25:00Since the very very early days
00:25:02Of Larry Holmes career
00:25:02Says that Mike Tyson
00:25:04Is made to order
00:25:05For Larry Holmes
00:25:06Because he's right
00:25:07In front of you
00:25:07And he has to get set
00:25:09To be able to punch
00:25:09But Kevin Rooney
00:25:11Says that Mike Tyson
00:25:12Definitely has a lot
00:25:13Of head movement
00:25:14And you can't just punch him
00:25:15Mike Tyson used to be
00:25:16In front of you
00:25:17But now Kevin Rooney
00:25:18Has him getting angles
00:25:19He's slipping and sliding
00:25:20And all those methods
00:25:21Of training
00:25:21Has paid off
00:25:23Larry Holmes now in the ring
00:25:24And Mike Tyson
00:25:26Waited about a second
00:25:28And a half
00:25:28And he almost
00:25:29Is running down here
00:25:30And you might
00:25:31Notice too
00:25:32There's no music
00:25:33No fanfare
00:25:34For Mike Tyson
00:25:35Goes right along
00:25:37With his outfit
00:25:37No robe
00:25:38Black trunks
00:25:38No socks
00:25:39Black shoes
00:25:40All business
00:25:40Talk about
00:25:41Let's get it on
00:25:42He didn't even
00:25:44Want to wait that long
00:25:45Incidentally
00:25:46We did have reports
00:25:47That there was a death threat
00:25:49Against Mike Tyson
00:25:50That's all we know
00:25:51We don't know
00:25:52Where it came from
00:25:53How it was delivered
00:25:54And we don't even know
00:25:55If Mike Tyson
00:25:55Knows about it
00:25:56There is a look
00:26:05At an angry young man
00:26:06Larry Holmes
00:26:07Looks to me
00:26:08He's going to fight
00:26:09This man
00:26:09In the first round
00:26:10Don't get exercised here
00:26:14Ray
00:26:14Let's not get over excited
00:26:15And there is the record
00:26:17Of Larry Holmes
00:26:18Won 48 in a row
00:26:20Of course
00:26:20Before he lost
00:26:21Those two fights
00:26:23To Michael Spinks
00:26:24He's a businessman
00:26:29He says
00:26:30This isn't a sport
00:26:30It's a sporting business
00:26:31That's the way
00:26:32He looks at it
00:26:33And speaking of all business
00:26:34Mike Tyson
00:26:3532 and 0
00:26:36With the 28 knockouts
00:26:38He fights about
00:26:39Four times a year
00:26:40As champion
00:26:41He is moving up
00:26:44In the record books
00:26:44Getting up there
00:26:45With some
00:26:46Very very big names
00:26:47In heavyweight history
00:26:49Just 21 years old
00:26:52And fighting
00:26:52His sixth
00:26:53Heavyweight championship
00:26:55Fight already
00:26:55And the tale of the tape
00:26:58We told you about
00:26:58The 17 year age difference
00:27:00And the weight
00:27:01Really not any kind of a factor
00:27:02Tyson a little bit lighter
00:27:03Than he might have expected
00:27:04But he was 218
00:27:05The day before the fight
00:27:06And Holmes a couple pounds
00:27:07Heavier than he was
00:27:08In the second Spinks fight
00:27:10Now that reach difference
00:27:1110 inches
00:27:11Might have meant something
00:27:12When Larry Holmes
00:27:14Had that great
00:27:15Snapping jab
00:27:16That he could impale
00:27:17An opponent on
00:27:18And here is our
00:27:22Punch stat numbers
00:27:23This is a device
00:27:25To get a statistical profile
00:27:28Of the activity
00:27:29Of fighters
00:27:30And as you can see
00:27:31The figures are roughly the same
00:27:32Tyson throws a few
00:27:34Few fewer punches
00:27:35Than Holmes did in the past
00:27:38But the Holmes numbers
00:27:39Are hard to measure
00:27:40Because he hasn't been active
00:27:42And there you see
00:27:45The jabs
00:27:46Tyson throwing fewer
00:27:47Holmes of course
00:27:48Throwing many more
00:27:49And the rules for this
00:27:52But it is a 12 round fight
00:27:53Incidentally
00:27:54WBA and WBC
00:27:55Now 12 rounds
00:27:56Other than that
00:27:57They're the rules
00:27:57For just about every fight
00:27:58You see here on HBO
00:27:59No three knockdown rule
00:28:00And a fighter can be saved
00:28:01With a belt only
00:28:02In the last round
00:28:03Normally that's not
00:28:04The rule in New Jersey
00:28:05But they have changed it
00:28:06For this particular fight
00:28:08So what's left then
00:28:09Is to get it on
00:28:10And to do that
00:28:10Let's go up to the ring announcer
00:28:11Michael Buffer
00:28:12For the pre-fight introductions
00:28:13Ladies and gentlemen
00:28:16Welcome to heavyweight history
00:28:18Here in Conduction Hall
00:28:20In Atlantic City
00:28:21Now before the official introductions
00:28:24I would like to acknowledge
00:28:25A man here in the ring
00:28:27Who is indeed a man
00:28:28Of heavyweight history
00:28:29In 1960
00:28:30He was an Olympic gold medal champion
00:28:32In 1964
00:28:34He became the heavyweight champion
00:28:36Of the world
00:28:36In 1974
00:28:38He again won the heavyweight title
00:28:41And in 1978
00:28:42He became the only man
00:28:44In heavyweight history
00:28:45To win three world championships
00:28:48Ladies and gentlemen
00:28:50The former three-time
00:28:53Heavyweight champion of the world
00:28:55Muhammad Ali
00:28:57Muhammad Ali
00:29:02Muhammad Ali
00:29:03And now
00:29:21Donkey Productions
00:29:23And the Trump Plaza
00:29:24Hotel and Casino
00:29:25Present heavyweight history
00:29:27This ballot is presented
00:29:28In association with
00:29:29The undisputed
00:29:30Undefeated king of beers
00:29:31But wiser
00:29:32It is sanctioned
00:29:34By the New Jersey
00:29:35State Athletic Control Board
00:29:36Boxing Commissioner
00:29:37Larry Hazzard
00:29:38Chairman
00:29:39Jerry Gormley
00:29:40Deputy Commissioners
00:29:41Nick D. Balistrarian
00:29:42Lawrence Wallace
00:29:43Representing the World Boxing Council
00:29:45Its President
00:29:46Jose Sulemaine
00:29:48And Ringside Supervisor
00:29:49Dwayne Ford
00:29:50Here for the World Boxing Association
00:29:52Legal Counsel
00:29:53James Jabin's Esquire
00:29:55The three judges
00:29:57Doing the scoring for this contest
00:29:59Rudy Ortega
00:30:00Nicasio Drake
00:30:02And Charlie Spina
00:30:04The timekeeper is
00:30:05Lindsay Tucker
00:30:06Counting for the knockdown seconds
00:30:08Frank Cappuccino
00:30:09Chief ringside position
00:30:11Dr. Frank B. Doggett
00:30:12Also in attendance
00:30:13Dr. Charles Wilson
00:30:14And Dr. Stanley Eddin
00:30:15And the referee for this foul
00:30:17Is Joe Cortez
00:30:20And now ladies and gentlemen
00:30:26Let's get ready to rumble
00:30:29Twelve rounds
00:30:32For the undisputed heavyweight championship
00:30:36Of the world
00:30:37Introducing Hurst
00:30:39Fighting out of the blue corner
00:30:41He's wearing the white trunks
00:30:43With red trim
00:30:44And weighs 225 and three quarter pounds
00:30:47From Easton, Pennsylvania
00:30:49His professional record
00:30:5148 victories
00:30:52Only two defeats
00:30:5434 KOs
00:30:56For seven and a half years
00:30:58He ruled the division
00:30:59As an undefeated champion
00:31:00With 20 successful defenses
00:31:03Tonight
00:31:04He's the challenger
00:31:06Ladies and gentlemen
00:31:07The man known
00:31:08As the Easton Assassin
00:31:10Former heavyweight champion
00:31:12Of the world
00:31:13Larry Holt
00:31:16And in the red corner
00:31:28Wearing the solid black trunks
00:31:30Weighing 215 and three quarter pounds
00:31:35From Catskill, New York
00:31:36Which is the home
00:31:38Hometown of the late great
00:31:39Trainer of champions
00:31:40Kasimato
00:31:41His professional record
00:31:43A perfect 32 and 0
00:31:4528 KOs
00:31:4723 KOs
00:31:49In four rounds or less
00:31:51And 16 knockouts
00:31:53In the first round
00:31:54Ladies and gentlemen
00:31:55I present you
00:31:57The undefeated
00:31:59Undisputed
00:32:01Heavyweight
00:32:02Champion of the world
00:32:04Iron Mike
00:32:06Pison
00:32:08Alright gentlemen
00:32:19I gave you both the rules
00:32:21In the dressing room
00:32:22Remember what I told you
00:32:23I'm here to enforce my rules
00:32:24Obey my commands at all times
00:32:26Any questions?
00:32:27Alright
00:32:27Say thanks
00:32:28Good luck to both of you
00:32:29To me guys
00:32:30The real issue here
00:32:32Is how Larry Holmes
00:32:33Is going to deal
00:32:34With this force of nature
00:32:36In front of him
00:32:36When he gets hurt
00:32:37Will he just fold up?
00:32:40Will he fight back
00:32:41As he did
00:32:42All through his career?
00:32:43Or will he just hang on?
00:32:45I think that's really been
00:32:46The mystique of this fight
00:32:47This week
00:32:48And I think that's really
00:32:49What's made it the event
00:32:50That it is
00:32:51Round one
00:32:53I called Larry Holmes
00:32:56From my home
00:32:57And he said that
00:32:57Ray I would not run
00:32:59For Mike Tyson
00:33:00Which implies
00:33:01He's ready to
00:33:03Exchange punch for punch
00:33:05Ray I have to ask you
00:33:06Any fudge set
00:33:07Anybody with an iota
00:33:09Of tactical wisdom
00:33:10Would go after the body
00:33:11And take away
00:33:12Larry Holmes legs
00:33:13Agree?
00:33:14You notice exactly
00:33:15But you see what
00:33:16Larry Holmes is trying to do
00:33:17He's trying to
00:33:18Use that reach advantage
00:33:20Keep that stiff hand out there
00:33:22And not let Mike Tyson
00:33:23Get his punches off
00:33:24Again we see
00:33:25Mike Tyson not throwing
00:33:26Punches inside
00:33:27We see a lot of tying up
00:33:29From Larry Holmes
00:33:29And we should see
00:33:30A lot of tying up
00:33:31Holmes does work
00:33:35The body
00:33:35Rather Tyson
00:33:36Works the body early
00:33:37Again Larry's preserving
00:33:41Those legs
00:33:42He's not doing a lot
00:33:43Of dancing
00:33:44A lot of moving
00:33:45But you need to see
00:33:46More jams
00:33:46He's keeping his man off
00:33:48By extending
00:33:49A stiff left hand
00:33:50Holmes has contradicted
00:33:52Himself as far as
00:33:53Whether or not
00:33:54He's going to use the jab
00:33:55Sometimes he says
00:33:56He will
00:33:56Other times he says
00:33:57I don't need it
00:33:58I'll go to the right hand
00:33:59And right uppercuts
00:34:00See
00:34:06Tyson's having a few
00:34:07Problems here
00:34:08Not being able to
00:34:09Measure
00:34:10Larry Holmes
00:34:11And I think that's
00:34:13What Larry Holmes
00:34:14Has in mind
00:34:14To try to frustrate
00:34:15Mike and make him
00:34:16Run it to him
00:34:17Alright
00:34:19Break out
00:34:19Break out
00:34:20Alright break out
00:34:20Stop pushing Mike
00:34:20I'm going to do
00:34:21Break out
00:34:21He also noticed
00:34:32That there's not a snap
00:34:33Larry Holmes does not
00:34:34Snapping his jab
00:34:35But actually
00:34:36Which has proven
00:34:37To be effective thus far
00:34:38He's extended his left hand
00:34:40Just holding Mike Tyson off
00:34:42Alright break out
00:34:42Let's go
00:34:43Break out
00:34:43Break out
00:34:44Break out
00:34:44Break out
00:34:45What Tyson has to do
00:34:46He has to try to do
00:34:48A couple head fakes
00:34:48And work his way inside
00:34:50And work the body
00:34:51Alright Larry
00:34:54Let's go Larry
00:34:54Break out
00:34:55Break out
00:34:55But once again
00:34:56The popular school of thought
00:34:58Is that Larry Holmes
00:34:59Is going to have to
00:35:00Back up
00:35:00Mike Tyson
00:35:01Nobody's been able
00:35:02To do it yet
00:35:03Left hand by Tyson
00:35:08Holmes got out of there
00:35:09Didn't seem to hurt him
00:35:10Though
00:35:10What Tyson needs to do
00:35:12Is just pick the pace up
00:35:13He's drew the right hand
00:35:14To the body
00:35:15Good idea
00:35:15Because again
00:35:16He's trying to slow
00:35:17The movement down
00:35:17Alright let him go
00:35:19Let him go Larry
00:35:20Let him go
00:35:21Let's go
00:35:21Let's go
00:35:23Joe Cortez
00:35:24The referee
00:35:25In this game
00:35:26Ironically
00:35:26He was the judge
00:35:28Who gave Larry Holmes
00:35:30The fight
00:35:31Against Michael Spinks
00:35:32The second Michael Spinks fight
00:35:34He cannot score
00:35:37In this fight
00:35:38However
00:35:38Tyson was trying to
00:35:41Jump in with the left hook
00:35:41In that round
00:35:53Any way
00:35:53The landmark
00:35:55Avoided the record's fall
00:35:57You understand?
00:36:08Don't fucking out
00:36:09This guy
00:36:09Get crunch right on this guy
00:36:11Spin it right in there
00:36:12Spin it in there
00:36:13Now listen to me
00:36:17I want you to be impressed
00:36:19On your left hand
00:36:20Range on your jab
00:36:21Make it hurt a little more
00:36:22You got to make the jab
00:36:23Count a little more
00:36:24Ten down
00:36:24That's right
00:36:25Ten down
00:36:26Then when you do
00:36:26For the jab
00:36:27Then you come up with it
00:36:28Then come back
00:36:28With your left hook
00:36:29Come up
00:36:29Then come back
00:36:30Three punch combination
00:36:31Pop pop
00:36:32Pop pop
00:36:32Remember pop pop
00:36:34Okay
00:36:34Larry Holmes only threw
00:36:44Ten punches in the first round
00:36:45And not too many of them
00:36:47In anger
00:36:48And just to elaborate on that
00:36:52By comparison
00:36:53Tyrell Biggs threw 44
00:36:54And Tony Tucker
00:36:56Threw 61
00:36:57Larry Holmes is being
00:37:00Very economical in there
00:37:01He's not wasting a lot of energy
00:37:03Just trying to preserve
00:37:06That strength
00:37:07A right hand thrown
00:37:18With serious convictions
00:37:19By Larry Holmes
00:37:19Didn't land
00:37:20But he tried to measure
00:37:22We see once again
00:37:31The tie-in out
00:37:32By Larry Holmes
00:37:33Kevin Mooney
00:37:36Where I wanted
00:37:37Mike to go to the body
00:37:39Good stiff jab
00:37:41By Mike
00:37:42Strong jab
00:37:43Kevin Mooney also told Mike Tyson
00:37:48Three punch combinations
00:37:49All right
00:37:49Bring out
00:37:50Let it go
00:37:50Let it go Larry
00:37:51Remember the numbering system
00:37:58We talked about
00:37:59Before the fight
00:38:00That Mike Tyson
00:38:02And Kevin Rooney used
00:38:04Larry Holmes must be careful
00:38:06When he tries to evade
00:38:08Mike Tyson
00:38:09Because his hands are down
00:38:10And the way Mike throws
00:38:12Those looping
00:38:13Powerful punches
00:38:14He make it caught
00:38:15With one of those
00:38:16Hooks
00:38:17Holmes so far
00:38:27Going off a lot of right hand leads
00:38:28And a lot of uppercuts
00:38:30Larry basically
00:38:31Is abandoning his left jab
00:38:34And trying to
00:38:34Actually set up
00:38:35Mike with the right hand
00:38:36He's trying to time
00:38:38Mike coming in
00:38:39All right
00:38:40Let it go Larry
00:38:40Bring up
00:38:41He's not letting Mike
00:38:43Get his punches off
00:38:43He's tying them up
00:38:44Every opportunity
00:38:45Opportunity he gets
00:38:46There was another attempt
00:38:51It fell short
00:38:52The body's wide open
00:38:59And Tyson attacks him
00:39:00I'm watching for an uppercut
00:39:14From Larry Holmes
00:39:14A right uppercut
00:39:16He's trying a couple of them
00:39:18Very close to a headbutt
00:39:19Right there also
00:39:20What Larry's doing
00:39:21He's throwing his jab
00:39:22Not with a lot of force
00:39:23But he's throwing it
00:39:24And he's waiting for Mike
00:39:25To duck down
00:39:26To come under
00:39:27With a right hand
00:39:27Right up the back
00:39:28Come on
00:39:29Let's go work out of that
00:39:31Work out of that
00:39:31Work out of this side guys
00:39:31Let's go
00:39:32All right
00:39:33Larry free
00:39:34Larry you're holding out Larry
00:39:36Let's go
00:39:37Joe Cortez
00:39:40Talking to Larry Holmes
00:39:42About holding
00:39:42There's the left hook
00:39:49By Tyson
00:39:50So far
00:39:54This is a fight
00:39:55That only the
00:39:55American Medical Association
00:39:57Could love
00:39:58Also my wife
00:40:00Who hates violence
00:40:01That's really
00:40:02Tyson
00:40:07He's sending
00:40:08In the
00:40:09He's sending
00:40:10He's sending
00:40:11He's sending
00:40:12Bullshit
00:40:12Bullshit
00:40:13Don't tell me
00:40:13I ain't holding you
00:40:14Tight
00:40:14You ain't going to
00:40:14Let it hold you
00:40:15Don't hear me
00:40:16That crap
00:40:17Spin down
00:40:19We don't have
00:40:19Another fucker
00:40:20Now spin down
00:40:20That one
00:40:20Go ahead
00:40:21Take that
00:40:23Come here
00:40:23Mount Pitch
00:40:24Take it
00:40:25Take it
00:40:25Take it
00:40:25Take it
00:40:26Take it
00:40:26Take it
00:40:27Take it
00:40:27One jab
00:40:28Tyson did get closer to Larry at the end of the round
00:40:35with that wide combination of right to the body
00:40:38and a left that just grazed the mouth area.
00:40:53Holmes is practicing what Archie Moore used to call escapology.
00:40:56The question is, when is he going to start to practice fightology?
00:41:01Both guys must be extremely careful.
00:41:03For Larry Holmes, he can't move away with those hands down
00:41:05because of the way Mike Tyson punches.
00:41:08For Mike Tyson, he has to be careful of not getting over anxious
00:41:11and coming in, winging those shots,
00:41:14because they become telegraphed because of frustration.
00:41:17Tyson using a long left jab,
00:41:19much more than we've seen him do in his last two or three fights.
00:41:21See, Larry Holmes, Barry's trying to time Tyson coming in.
00:41:26That's the right hand.
00:41:29Tyson says, no, it didn't hurt.
00:41:30That usually means it hurt.
00:41:32Again, it really happened again there.
00:41:35Tyson must be extremely careful about just rushing in there.
00:41:40All right, break out.
00:41:41Break out, please.
00:41:42Break out.
00:41:42In the corner, Tyson complained to Kevin Rooney
00:41:46that Larry Holmes was holding him,
00:41:48and Kevin Rooney disagreed.
00:41:51He said, forget about that.
00:41:52You just go ahead and fight your fight.
00:41:55We see some snapping jazz from Larry Holmes now.
00:41:59The uppercut.
00:42:02All right, break.
00:42:03Break out, team.
00:42:03Let's go.
00:42:04Get the arms out.
00:42:04Get them out.
00:42:05Let's go.
00:42:08Holmes is using every advantage that he has,
00:42:10the height, the long arms,
00:42:12and a little bit of movement.
00:42:16And just waiting and trying to time Mike Tyson,
00:42:19and he has done it a couple of times.
00:42:21Hasn't hurt Tyson, but he has caught him a couple of times.
00:42:23No question about it.
00:42:24Larry Holmes has studied the tapes of bone pressure smoke.
00:42:32There's a right-hand lead by Tyson.
00:42:34That fell short.
00:42:35Caught Larry on the shoulder.
00:42:37Left-hand, caught Holmes tucking in, but no damage.
00:42:52Larry Holmes goes to the body.
00:42:56What Tyson has to maintain is his composure.
00:42:59You can't get frustrated.
00:43:00Break out, leave.
00:43:01Break out, leave.
00:43:02Holmes doing a lot of grabbing, a lot of clutching.
00:43:07Again, you see what happened there.
00:43:09A little bit of an elbow there from Larry Holmes, too.
00:43:12Well, actually, Larry Holmes is just really, really trying to upset Mike
00:43:16and get Mike out of this fight plan.
00:43:26I think Mike Tyson should pick up the pace.
00:43:31He's fighting Larry Holmes' pace.
00:43:32Bells to the count of shots that create a lot of damage.
00:43:44Holmes is complaining about a low blow, and I think he was right.
00:43:47Joe Cortez says keep him up to Mike Tyson.
00:43:51That was a big right hand.
00:43:53Best punch of the fight.
00:43:56Followed up by another good punch right after the bell.
00:43:59Holmes did do more fighting in that round,
00:44:04but he's playing a game called Beat the Clock.
00:44:08Trying to fight about 30 seconds of each round.
00:44:12Big one, big one, big one.
00:44:17All right, Big Jack.
00:44:19Another one.
00:44:22Me, me.
00:44:22Let him do it, okay?
00:44:24Okay.
00:44:24All right.
00:44:25Okay, all right.
00:44:26Okay, hold on.
00:44:27Let's go now.
00:44:27Come on now.
00:44:29You got to go, church.
00:44:33It ain't over till it's over.
00:44:34This round had its best action right at the very end
00:44:38and right after the bell.
00:44:40Neither punch damaging.
00:44:43Get closer.
00:44:44Stay flat.
00:44:45Keep your knees bent.
00:44:46Your defense type.
00:44:47Keep your balance.
00:44:48Working behind a good hard jab.
00:44:49When you get inside, no, you got it.
00:44:51Who scored?
00:44:51I got it.
00:44:52Who got it?
00:44:52I got it.
00:44:53I got it.
00:44:53I got it.
00:44:53I got it.
00:44:53All right.
00:44:55Second slide.
00:44:55Go, Mike.
00:44:56Get this in.
00:44:57It was Customato who said that sometimes a great old fighter who appears to be shot
00:45:07can pull together one big effort.
00:45:10Look at Larry Holmes.
00:45:11Larry Holmes is trying it right here.
00:45:13Look at the jab.
00:45:14It's starting to stick out.
00:45:15It's now.
00:45:19And the crowd is really into this.
00:45:21It has been from the opening bell.
00:45:22Look at the jab.
00:45:23Larry Holmes is trying it right here.
00:45:25Larry Holmes is trying it right here.
00:45:26He's popping the jab.
00:45:27Watch.
00:45:32Listen to the crowd now, Barry.
00:45:33It's fascinating how they change all of a sudden.
00:45:42I seem to hear that same kind of reaction, I think, in another fight out in Las Vegas not
00:45:46too many months ago.
00:45:47Oh, yeah.
00:45:48People change their mind because all of a sudden, Larry Holmes is putting up a pretty good fight.
00:45:52Well, we talked about the fact that Holmes one day said he would jab and the next day
00:45:55said he'd use his right hand and an uppercut.
00:45:58He's done both.
00:45:59Larry got hit by a left hook, Barry, because he stood straight up and wasn't moving and he
00:46:04didn't have his hands up.
00:46:05And that's going to happen time and time again.
00:46:10He cannot afford to do that.
00:46:12Like, like here, for example, most times ran up.
00:46:15Let's go, Larry.
00:46:16Let's go, Larry.
00:46:16Let's go, Larry.
00:46:17Let's go, Larry.
00:46:17Let's go, let's go, let's go.
00:46:20Come on.
00:46:26Larry, you're holding.
00:46:27Let's go, Larry.
00:46:28We're coming in, guys.
00:46:29Larry, let's go.
00:46:30All right, bring out, bring out, bring out, let's go.
00:46:32You guys, let's go.
00:46:33Let's go.
00:46:33That was a right hand.
00:46:39And down goes Holmes from a crashing right hand.
00:46:46The old Larry Holmes would always get up and fire back.
00:46:51But he's in against a guy who is a tremendous finisher.
00:46:58And down he goes again from another right.
00:47:03There's a full minute left in this round.
00:47:06Now I try to clear his hands why he's walking around.
00:47:08What he was, what he needs to do now is he can toss man up.
00:47:12He can't move because he's not steady.
00:47:14He needs to hold on.
00:47:15It will take every bit of savvy that this man has.
00:47:19Tries to fight back.
00:47:21Still 40 seconds left.
00:47:24Still on Chris Street.
00:47:28And took another big right hand.
00:47:30And down goes Holmes and that's going to be it.
00:47:59It's over.
00:47:59That's all.
00:48:02Mike Tyson looked like a bull in an antique shop.
00:48:07And what he did was he cut down the old grandfather clock.
00:48:10But we did see something of the old Larry Holmes, which was his great fighting heart.
00:48:18Something always underestimated.
00:48:21He got within eight seconds to the end of the round.
00:48:23His leg really buckled underneath him too.
00:48:25And I wouldn't be surprised if he might not have a little problem there as well.
00:48:29But I think Larry Merchant really hit it.
00:48:32Mike Tyson is a great finisher.
00:48:35Well, I tell you, Mike Tyson did the right thing as he's done the pass.
00:48:39He takes advantage of the opportunities.
00:48:41But you have to give Larry Holmes credit.
00:48:43Larry Ford from the heart.
00:48:45You know, when Larry Ford said that he's fighting for this reason, that reason, I have problems with that.
00:48:50But he indicated to me in these four rounds that he was really trying to win a fight.
00:48:56And he fought what you'd have to consider a smart fight too.
00:48:58He seemed to do everything right for the time he was around.
00:49:01Here's the first knockdown now.
00:49:03Let's take a look at it.
00:49:04Big right hand right up on the top of the, over the eye.
00:49:06It was a short right hand, overhand right that Mike Tyson delivered.
00:49:13Watch it again.
00:49:14This is still the first knockdown set up on the left.
00:49:17And look at that right hand.
00:49:18It was a beautiful right hand the way it was executed, Barry, because he threw his jab, stepped inside, and delivered that overhand right.
00:49:26You watch the way that Mike Tyson steps in.
00:49:28Beautiful right hand.
00:49:29It was almost like a right hook.
00:49:31And the second knockdown equally as pretty from the eyes of Mike Tyson.
00:49:37This is knockdown number two now.
00:49:39He had Holmes off balance.
00:49:40A left hand there.
00:49:44And that was more a cumulative effect than anything else.
00:49:47At this point, he was wearing Larry Holmes down.
00:49:50And here, Larry Holmes trying to tie up Mike Tyson, but Mike Tyson with his incredible strength, he comes up with a right hand to the top of the head.
00:49:59Please clear the ring.
00:50:01And Larry Holmes doing what he had always done, and that is fighting back after he was hurt.
00:50:06Mike Tyson at this point here is perpetual motion.
00:50:08He's not giving up.
00:50:09He's standing right in the chest of Larry Holmes.
00:50:11Larry's trying his best he can because his legs are not really that stable, but he's trying to maintain.
00:50:18And here, this was just the amount of time here.
00:50:21Those shots to the body.
00:50:23Some coming to the top of the head.
00:50:25But here is when Larry was really, really hurt.
00:50:27That's still the second knockdown.
00:50:29And there was still one, the third knockdown, a bigger part.
00:50:31That was the final knockdown, the third knockdown.
00:50:34Larry's trying to use his arms, trying to cover up.
00:50:37Yeah, at this point, referee should have stepped in.
00:50:40But I guess it's the respect of the champion of Larry Holmes' reputation.
00:50:44Holmes just being pummeled at this point.
00:50:47That right hand did a lot of damage.
00:50:48Larry, these legs would be harder.
00:50:52Saw his left leg buckle behind him.
00:50:55One more look at the third and final knockdown.
00:50:58And the left hand was just a coup de grace.
00:51:00But it was definitely cumulative.
00:51:03I would have to say that Mike Tyson, from the first knockdown, probably hit him with 15 or 20 unanswered punches.
00:51:09So it's over, and let's go up to the ring announcer, Michael Buffer, and get the official decision.
00:51:13Ladies and gentlemen, here's the official time.
00:51:16The end comes at two minutes, 55 seconds of the fourth round.
00:51:22The winner, and still the undisputed, undefeated, heavyweight champion of the world,
00:51:30Iron Mike Tyson.
00:51:33Well, Ray, I'd have to say that Mike Tyson probably fought as intelligent a fight as I've seen him fight so far.
00:51:49Well, for a while, he was starting to get a little frustrated and a little over-ancient.
00:51:53But with the instructions of Kevin Rooney, he slowed down, started going to the body more.
00:51:58And also, what Rooney instructed him to do was use his jab, stick jab, then get inside.
00:52:03And by the third, late third round, it was just a matter of time.
00:52:08He showed a little bit of patience, though, I think.
00:52:10He was using a long left jab.
00:52:11He wasn't just rushing in just haphazardly like he used to do when he was inexperienced.
00:52:15I guarantee you, Mike Tyson learned more from Larry Holmes than he's accomplished through all of his fights.
00:52:21Because Larry Holmes, you know, is a tactician.
00:52:24It just wasn't his night.
00:52:25And Mike Tyson, without question, should be champ for a long time.
00:52:29Let's take a look at the total punches in the fight.
00:52:31And they're pretty much indicative of how the fight went.
00:52:33Mike Tyson threw 132 and landed 65, just about 50%.
00:52:37Holmes, 30 out of 70.
00:52:39Let's go to Larry Merchant, who is with the champion, Mike Tyson.
00:52:42Larry?
00:52:44Okay.
00:52:45Okay, Mike Tyson.
00:52:46Did this mean something special to you tonight?
00:52:48Because Larry Holmes was once an outstanding fighter?
00:52:53Well, it's great to have the name on my record, but it wasn't those Larry Holmes was a legendary fighter.
00:53:00And if he was at his best, I couldn't stand a chance.
00:53:01He was a great fighter.
00:53:02I admire him very much.
00:53:05He made you wait for four or five or six minutes before the fight started.
00:53:09Would you just think this was the kind of gamesmanship?
00:53:11Well, I was waiting for him to fight, because I know when he's fighting.
00:53:13I mean, before the fight even started, there was a long delay in the dressing room.
00:53:17Were you aware of it?
00:53:18I didn't worry about it, because I've seen him fight so many times.
00:53:23And just watching him fight so many times, I was expecting everything that he's done tonight.
00:53:26When you got into the fight and you saw his tactics, was there anything that surprised you, that he was just trying to frustrate you?
00:53:34Well, I knew he was trying to frustrate me, but I'm too seasoned of a fighter at this stage in my life to be frustrated for those particular tactics.
00:53:44A year ago, when he had an opportunity to fight you, would it have been more difficult?
00:53:49Well, like I said before, at his best, he was the greatest of our time.
00:53:53When he came to the third round, he started to drop some right hands on you.
00:53:58Was that really a strategy, to lull you and then to hit you with some right hands?
00:54:03The right hands weren't landing cleanly.
00:54:05They were only glancing blows.
00:54:06They weren't landing cleanly.
00:54:08And what was effective for you, do you feel, up until the fourth round?
00:54:12The right hand.
00:54:12I knew I was doing the right hand, because all through his career, all through his career, he was left with the right hand.
00:54:18And eventually, that proved true.
00:54:20Was it something you saw, or was it just a question of getting close enough, firing off enough, and hoping for one to get in?
00:54:26Kevin Rooney was telling me to get close enough, I had to land the right hand.
00:54:30And I saw the opening, and I did.
00:54:32When you knocked him down, did you think that he would get up?
00:54:36Well, I didn't think he would get up, but he's a game fighter, like I said.
00:54:40You've seen a lot of films of him.
00:54:42He always got up in the past.
00:54:44Did you think he would be able to fire back?
00:54:46It looked at one point.
00:54:47I knew once I got him hurt, he was finished.
00:54:51You're saying that other times he was knocked down, the fighters didn't know how to finish him?
00:54:55Absolutely.
00:54:56Okay, now let's take a look at the last knockdown, and please describe it for us.
00:55:01Well, at this point, I knew he was very hurt, and he was fighting back.
00:55:05So I knew to throw everything at him.
00:55:07I didn't know where he was at.
00:55:08Even though he was hurt, he was fighting back, and very dangerous.
00:55:11Even though he was hurt.
00:55:12Now you see right here, he's throwing punches, but I'm trying to land.
00:55:15I'm throwing everything.
00:55:16Boom.
00:55:17Did you, were you afraid that he was really hurt, or had you turned away and knew that
00:55:24it was over by that time?
00:55:25Well, I knew it was over, and I knew I didn't hit him with hard enough punches and vital areas
00:55:29to put him out and hurt him permanently.
00:55:33What kind of feeling do you have now that you're over this hurdle?
00:55:37Well, like I say, it's just another obstacle to my goal, being challenged for as long as possible.
00:55:41You've said in the past that the fight is the easy part.
00:55:46Was this the easy part tonight?
00:55:47Absolutely, yes.
00:55:48I said before this fight, this is a ceremony in which the torch is going to be passed from
00:55:55the great old king to the great new king.
00:55:57Do you feel in some way that that's, when you said earlier, it's a good name to have in my
00:56:03record, that that's what that means?
00:56:05That means the king is dead.
00:56:07Long live the new king.
00:56:08Absolutely.
00:56:09Thank you, Mike.
00:56:10Thank you, Larry.
00:56:11And back to ringside.
00:56:12Kevin.
00:56:15Well, so Mike Tyson has won it in four rounds, and it's been said that if you're going to
00:56:18beat Mike Tyson, you've got to hurt him first.
00:56:20Nobody's been able to do that.
00:56:21It's also been said that you have to back the man up, and nobody has been able to do that.
00:56:25There have been a couple of trainers who said, customados, fighters, of course, who use that
00:56:29peekaboo style, like Mike Tyson does, have to be backed up to be beaten.
00:56:34Nobody's been able to do that to Mike Tyson.
00:56:35It's happened a couple of times.
00:56:37Dick Tiger did it once before to Jose Torres, who was a custom-owner fighter.
00:56:41And Floyd Patterson lost the fight that he wasn't supposed to lose, also, to a fellow
00:56:45by the name of Sonny Liston, because Sonny Liston was able to back him up.
00:56:49But so far, Mike Tyson, of course, a bigger fighter, certainly bigger than Jose Torres, who
00:56:53was a light heavyweight, and much bigger than Floyd Patterson, at 215 pounds, simply said,
00:56:58nobody has been able to force Mike Tyson to take a backward step.
00:57:01That was the case for Larry Holmes tonight.
00:57:03He did portend himself very well, actually.
00:57:05He came in with a good fight plan.
00:57:07He told many people he was going to go only right hand and uppercuts.
00:57:10He did that.
00:57:11He told other people he was going to go mainly left jab.
00:57:13He did a little bit of that.
00:57:15Unfortunately for him, absolutely nothing worked.
00:57:18Nobody could hurt the man.
00:57:19Nobody could back him up.
00:57:21And the results in that case were inevitable.
00:57:23Mike Tyson knocks out Larry Holmes in four rounds.
00:57:26But Larry Holmes, you have to feel, will be treated kinder by history as time goes on,
00:57:31more so than he was as a champion.
00:57:34Tonight, he didn't go out with his head hanging.
00:57:36Sugar Ray Leonard, incidentally, is trying to make his way back to Larry Holmes' locker room
00:57:41to talk with a former champion.
00:57:43We hope to have that.
00:57:43Meanwhile, let's get back up to the center of the ring at Larry Merchant.
00:57:46Larry?
00:57:48Hello again.
00:57:48And I'm with Bill Caton, the co-manager of Mike Tyson.
00:57:52Bill, for Mike Tyson, he says this is not all of that special.
00:57:57It's nice to be the great old champion.
00:57:58Does it have any significance to you?
00:58:00Oh, sure.
00:58:01It had great significance to us.
00:58:03Mike met the most experienced fighter he had ever met.
00:58:06And we felt that Mike's skills, speed, punching power would prevail.
00:58:13But we knew that Larry Holmes had one thing going for him, far greater experience.
00:58:18And it showed in the first few rounds.
00:58:20This fight could have been held a year ago if Larry Holmes had been willing to take it at that time.
00:58:24Yes.
00:58:25And at that time, Mike Tyson was a much cruder fighter than now.
00:58:28Would he have had much more difficulty, you think?
00:58:31I don't think so.
00:58:32Mike had been taught how to fight Larry Holmes by Cus D'Amato.
00:58:37Cus would sit at the screen over Larry Holmes' fight with Mike right next to him and tell Mike how he would fight Larry Holmes.
00:58:46Cus had always wanted Mike to fight Larry Holmes early in the square.
00:58:50Let's take a brief look ahead.
00:58:53What is the prospect for Mike Tyson's fights in the immediate future?
00:58:58The whole world knows now that he's signed a long-term contract with HBO, six more fights.
00:59:04What are the next few fights, in your view?
00:59:06The next fight is definitely scheduled for March 21st at the new Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, of course, against Tony Tubbs.
00:59:15Following that, there's a possibility that he'll either meet Michael Spinks, if our problems can be worked out, or else Frank Bruno at Wembley Stadium in London.
00:59:28Briefly, what are the problems that have to be worked out with Michael Spinks and his promoter, manager, Butch Lewis?
00:59:36In a nutshell, Butch Lewis cannot be the promoter or co-promoter of a Mike Tyson fight.
00:59:43That is the only problem we have.
00:59:46I'm sure it will not be a money problem in any way.
00:59:49You're saying that the champion should appoint the promoter, the challenger has to come as the challenger.
00:59:54That's exactly it.
00:59:55All right, thank you very much, Bill Caden.
00:59:57Barry?
00:59:58Happy to talk to you, Larry.
01:00:00Okay, thanks very much, Larry Merchant.
01:00:02And so you have a little bit of an idea of what, then, is down the road for Mike Tyson.
01:00:05It appears that the next man will be Tony Tubbs, although the Japanese promoters of that fight have said that Tubbs must come in, into that fight, in shape.
01:00:14He hasn't been in great shape lately.
01:00:15He is working hard in Los Angeles with Lou Ferrigno, the bodybuilder, trying to make some kind of a body out of Tony Tubbs.
01:00:22Not to mention trying to make some kind of a fighter.
01:00:24He was a man at one time with a promising future, but he appears, if he can get himself in shape,
01:00:28he will be the next opponent, then, for Mike Tyson in Tokyo on March 21st.
01:00:33Let's go back to Larry Holm's locker room now, where Ray Leonard is with the former champion, right?
01:00:38Thanks, Barry.
01:00:39Larry, you just played the heart you showed as a champion years ago.
01:00:43I thought the earlier rounds, your tactics were working.
01:00:46What game plan did you have in mind?
01:00:48Exactly that.
01:00:49Going out there, circle him, time up, make and miss.
01:00:52And what I did wrong was waiting for those fifth rounds, because he used to get tired around the fifth round.
01:00:58Waiting for that, instead of going out and boxing, thinking about saving my energy.
01:01:02And when I started to work, I wanted to go inside, and the other guy hit, you know.
01:01:06You know, you fought the big guys, big punchers, Ernie Shavers, Ken Norton.
01:01:10How would you rate Mike Tyson's punch in the power?
01:01:14Well, I've got to say he's a sharper puncher than the other guys.
01:01:16The other guys punch much harder, but he's a sharper puncher, you know.
01:01:21Hit me right here on the forehead and knocked my ear to the liver enough, and that's all.
01:01:26You know, I just didn't have no more balance.
01:01:27Did you study the tape of Bonecrusher Smith and pretty much pick up some of those tactics?
01:01:32Yeah, well, you know, working around with somebody and working with the name guys and the good sparring partners, you know.
01:01:39Pick up a lot of that when they come in, you tie them up, something like that.
01:01:43But where I made my mistake is starting to get ready to work, go and work with them inside.
01:01:48And, you know, he caught me.
01:01:51Caught me with a right hook.
01:01:53I think the big question is, is this it?
01:01:54Of course, man.
01:01:56This is it until someone offers me a lot of money, and then I'll come out.
01:01:59Are you saying that if you're offered five more million dollars, are you going to go back to the ring?
01:02:04We take it into consideration, but we have to look at my finances.
01:02:07And right now, I don't have to fight anymore, Ray.
01:02:09I didn't have to fight this fight.
01:02:11But I wanted to come back and try to prove something, try to prove a point.
01:02:15I didn't like the way they dumbed me in.
01:02:18The WBC was the only organization, legitimate organization, that really stood behind me.
01:02:23I went with the IBF.
01:02:24The IBF didn't stand up.
01:02:25You know, everybody knew I beat Spinks, and they walked away from me.
01:02:28And the WBA really never ranked me, period.
01:02:31Only one organization stood up with me, and that was the WBC.
01:02:34And that's why I was fighting.
01:02:35If I'd have won the title tonight, I would have threw them mother belts away because it didn't really mean anything.
01:02:41I support the WBC, and I'll continue to do it now, even though I'm retired.
01:02:45And that's what I was trying to do.
01:02:47I was just trying to get back to something that someone took away from me, not needing the money.
01:02:51Everybody knows that I'm rich, and I invested well.
01:02:54But it was something that I wanted to do.
01:02:55And besides, you know, I made three million dollars tonight, and that's not nothing to sneeze at, you know.
01:03:01What was wrong with your money for you?
01:03:03Well, your money plays a big part.
01:03:04If they had to say do a freeway, they wouldn't have me out there tonight.
01:03:07I mean, let's face it, you know, for the money, I'd do it.
01:03:10And I got to say, you know, giving Mike Tyson credit, you know, he's better than I thought he was.
01:03:15At least he punched better, and he is a true champion.
01:03:18They can talk about Spinks all they want, but this boy is just very hard to hit.
01:03:23He's awkward, very awkward, and punch is very good.
01:03:27So in my book, he's a champion.
01:03:29I think he should go down as such.
01:03:32I wish him good luck.
01:03:33But, you know, as we all go along, you know, somebody eventually would get us, and they got me tonight.
01:03:41You know, when I decided to make that comeback, it was just for Marvin Hagler, but for you it was different reasons, wasn't it?
01:03:46Of course, Ray.
01:03:47You know, I didn't like the way I went out.
01:03:49I didn't like the way they'd done it to me.
01:03:50And, you know, I wanted to come back and show, you know, but, you know, at 38 years old, the long layoff, it kind of hurts.
01:03:58But I don't have nothing to be ashamed of.
01:04:00I'm going to hold my head high.
01:04:01I'm going to still love my family, and I'm going to have a party tonight, and I'm going to have a party tomorrow night.
01:04:05So who cares what people say about me?
01:04:08You know, I'm going to laugh all the way to Lafayette Trust Bank or Phillipsburg National at round one.
01:04:13Where's that at?
01:04:14We're going to have a whole lot of fun at round one, Ray Neistin.
01:04:16All right.
01:04:16And, Ray, you can come up, too.
01:04:17I'll buy you a drink.
01:04:19Thanks, Ray.
01:04:19I guess that says everything.
01:04:21Back to you, Barry.
01:04:23Okay, thanks very much, Ray Leonard.
01:04:24Larry Merchant, we started this program by asking some of the questions.
01:04:27Can this be as good a fight as it is an event?
01:04:29Can Larry Holmes possibly win?
01:04:31And if he can win, how can he win?
01:04:32Is Mike Tyson really going to take Larry Holmes seriously?
01:04:35So let me ask you another question.
01:04:36Let me give you a hypothetical.
01:04:38If these two fought when Larry Holmes was at his peak, what happens?
01:04:43Well, it's a thing that everybody is going to ask.
01:04:46The reality is that Mike Tyson would have been about 14 years old.
01:04:51And not to dance around it.
01:04:54The reality also is it's unfair to Mike Tyson because we don't know if he's reached his peak yet.
01:05:00We know what Larry Holmes is like at his peak.
01:05:04But I would say this, that Larry Holmes at his best, as we got a few little glimpses of in the early rounds,
01:05:10would have been all kinds of trouble for Mike Tyson at this point.
01:05:14He is the prototype of the kind of fighter who gives the Tyson kind of fighter all he can deal with.
01:05:22Capsulize this fight for us.
01:05:23Good fight, bad fight, mismatch, great fight.
01:05:26What do you call it?
01:05:27I think it was a good fight and a terrific fight for Mike Tyson because Holmes showed early on that he still had that residue of some of the old skills.
01:05:38He still gave him the slow ball on the outside corner.
01:05:41And then he tried to shoot a quick one on the knees.
01:05:44And so that the perception or the illusion is that he was still in there with somebody.
01:05:51And then in the third round, Holmes tried to sneak a few right hands over and actually might have won that round.
01:05:57But as Larry himself said, when he moved in to try to punch with him, now Mike was within punching distance and he beat up on him.
01:06:05And as I said earlier, a fighter doesn't believe he can't do it anymore until he's beaten up.
01:06:10And for the first time in his career, Larry Holmes was beaten up tonight.
01:06:14And you know, the one thing that strikes me after listening to Larry Holmes, and it was a humble Larry Holmes just talked with Sugar Ray Leonard.
01:06:19It was said about him that he conquered 48 fighters, but he never conquered himself.
01:06:24And I have the feeling after listening to that interview just a couple of moments ago, maybe tonight, he didn't win the fight, but he conquered himself.
01:06:30And we'll remind you to stay tuned to HBO is immediately following tonight's telecast.
01:06:34You'll see on the East Coast and Central Regions, First and Ten, Going for Broke.
01:06:38And on the West Coast and Mountain Areas, Little Shop of Horrors.
01:06:41Both programs will be seen in their entirety.
01:06:44And be sure to tune in for HBO Sports' popular series Inside the NFL.
01:06:47Join Len Dawson and Nick Bonacani, guest analyst Phil Simms, and some very special guests as we preview Super Bowl XXII from San Diego, California.
01:06:56And all premieres next Thursday, January 28th, right here on HBO.
01:07:00So for Larry Merchant and Sugar Ray Leonard, I'm Barry Tompkins saying so long from Atlantic City.
01:07:11The executive producer of HBO Sports and the producer of tonight's telecast is Ross Greenberg.
01:07:16The show was directed by Mark Payton.
01:07:18The feature producer was Rick Bernstein.
01:07:21The associate producers, Michael J. Whalen and Dave Harmon.
01:07:25The associate director, Steve Salvatore.
01:07:27Assistant to the producer, Brian McDonald.
01:07:30And the production manager, Russell Gavay.
01:07:33Oh, you know, sit down in a row.
01:07:36I want to show you.
01:07:38Don't waste your energy on making enemies.
01:07:42Just take a deep breath and work your way up.
01:07:46Let's work.
01:07:48Be proud.
01:07:50Stand tall.
01:07:52Touch the clouds.
01:07:54Man and woman.
01:07:56Be brave.
01:07:58Let's work.
01:08:00Kill party.
01:08:00Watch your way up.
01:08:20Let's work.
01:08:23Be proud.
01:08:25Stand tall.
01:08:27Touch the clouds.
01:08:28Man and woman.
01:08:31Be brave.
01:08:33Let's work.
01:08:35Kill party.
01:08:39You sit down on your butt.
01:08:42And you get greedy.
01:08:44You start to lose your nose.
01:08:46Don't you look seated.
01:08:48Can generosity.
01:08:50Bring you humility.
01:08:52Start taking deep breaths.
01:08:53Ain't gonna sweat for ya.
01:09:00This has been a presentation of HBO Sports, the network of champions.