“Big Jack” Breaks Out: Looking Back at Larry Holmes Vs Earnie Shavers I

By Kevin “The Voice” Kincade

Up until 1978, nobody had ever heard of “Larry Holmes”. Well, that’s not entirely true. Boxing insiders knew who he was; but the average Joe, who got his fill of fistic delight by watching the boob tube on the weekends, had no idea. Larry was not a main-eventer; he wasn’t the draw, the star of the show. That honor was reserved for those who had already “made it”, not those who were struggling to get noticed and impress the right people. Larry got in most of his fights before the cameras even started to roll, provided there was a camera present, which wasn’t often.

Though he’d fought on the undercard of several important matchups, the key word, or word-part, more accurately, is “under”. Larry had been “under” his whole life. What he wanted to do was get over. His opportunity finally came on March 25th, 1978 against deadly puncher, Earnie Shavers.

The last time “Big Jack”, as he was known amongst his inner circle, had the opportunity to get noticed was in 1972 in the Olympic trials against Duane Bobick. Originally, it was supposed to be Duane Bobick Vs Nick Wells in the finals; but Bobick had so badly damaged Wells around the eyes when they’d fought two weeks prior, that he was unable to fight. So, for the first time, opportunity knocked for 22 year old Larry Holmes. It didn’t go well.

Larry had started off well enough. He began by circling Bobick and sticking a mean looking jab into the Minnesotan’s face; but then he walked into a right hand and down he went. Holmes got up and got on his bicycle for the rest of the first. In the second, Bobick began mauling him and Larry tied him up on the inside. The referee warned him twice. Then, in the third, Bobick nailed him again and he held on. The next thing you know, the referee disqualified Larry for holding. Opportunity missed; and Duane Bobick went on to the Olympics.

Larry was the 4th of 12 children and grew up struggling. He dropped out of school in the 7th grade so he could help support the family working for a dollar an hour at a car wash. Later on, he drove a dump truck and then worked in a quarry; anything to put food on the table and keep the lights on.

After losing to Bobick, it didn’t’ take him long to turn pro. He picked up money sparring with names like Joe Frazier, Earnie Shavers, Jimmy Young, and, most famously, Muhammad Ali; but his dreams and ambitions were bigger than being a sparring partner. He wanted to be heavyweight champion of the world and he felt that the lessons he’d learned in the gym with those champions would be just what he needed to push him over the top.

For the last three years most of the time there was a big fight, Larry Holmes was there. April 26th, 1975, George Foreman, fresh off his loss to Muhammad Ali, decided to fight an exhibition against five men in one night at the Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens. Larry’s management had enough sense for him not to be one of those five men; but he was there, stopping 9-7-3 Robert Yarborough.

October 1st, 1975, Quezon City, the Philippines, the night the world lay witness to the Thrilla in Manilla, Larry Holmes was there. The crowd at the Araneda Coliseum saw 16-0 Larry Holmes outclass and stop Duane Bobick’s younger brother Rodney. At 6’ 3” and a lithe 203 lbs., Larry glided around his flat footed opponent, picking off the 34-5 Bobick at will until the referee finally called a halt to the proceedings in round 6.

On April 30th, 1976, on the night of heavyweights that saw Ken Norton mug Ron Standers and Jimmy Young nearly upset Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes was there.

Fighting on short notice, a mere twenty-five days after his last fight, Larry faced the toughest opponent of his career in gym legend, Roy “Tiger” Williams. Both Williams and Holmes had faced virtually everyone of significance in the heavyweight division in the gym. The 6’ 5” Williams’ reputation as a true gym warrior would later encourage former World Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis to take him under his wing; but it was all for naught, for Roy couldn’t do what Larry longed to show the world he could do. He couldn’t turn on “the tiger” under the bright spotlight.

Despite the short notice, Larry turned on the heat from the opening bell, perhaps in a vain hope of stopping Williams the same way he’d stopped Fred Askew in this same arena more than three weeks before; but Williams was no Fred Askew. He’d never been off his feet and only Earnie Shavers would have the honors of being the only man to ever put him down and out in his next fight. Larry showed fatigue by the middle of the affair; but still had more than enough to secure the decision. It wasn’t exciting; but it was a win.

On the night that George Foreman met his second Waterloo in Puerto Rico, Larry Holmes was there, stopping 5-1 Horace Robinson in the 5th. When Ken Norton squeaked out a controversial split decision over Jimmy Young at Caesar’s Palace, in November, Larry Holmes had warmed up the crowd TKO’ing 22-3-1 Ibar Arrington in the 10th. Larry had always been a bridesmaid, paying his dues for his big chance; and while he hadn’t particularly impressed anyone with his blue collar, take your lunch pail to work, kind of style, he hadn’t lost a fight in his 26 starts.

He couldn’t have been more ready when his time came at Caesar’s Palace against Shavers. This was the moment he’d been waiting for his whole life; a chance to prove he was worthy. All the sparring, all the undercard bouts, all the measly paychecks, all of it came down to this night and that man across the ring, who stood in the way of his last step to glory.

The press favored the (listed) 33 year old Shavers; and why not? Shavers had given Ali pure hell in his last bout, dispelling the myth of his stamina. Some even felt he should have been awarded the decision. The “Dark Destroyer” had the most impressive knockout percentage in the heavyweight division in years: 54-6-1, 52 KO’s. He smiled as he entered the ring, acknowledging the crowd and the newly crowned WBC Champion, who was seated ringside.

Seven days before this bout, the WBC (World Boxing Council) had awarded their recognition as “World Champion” to Ken Norton, based on his victory in November over Jimmy Young. While Ken was of the opinion that he and Leon Spinks needed to get together to “sort this out,” there was money to be made in the meantime. Leon was stripped because he already had his next fight lined up with the man whom he took the Championship from, Muhammad Ali. Norton, always a competitor, wanted to prove he deserved the recognition given him by facing the best in the world until he and the winner of Spinks-Ali II could dance. Facing the winner of this fight, would be a good start, as Shavers had given Ali such a challenge in his last fight.

So, with the whole world watching and a shot at Ken Norton’s belt possibly at stake, Larry Holmes and Earnie Shavers came out for round 1. Immediately, Howard Cosell, who was calling the fight, articulated what was plain to see for everybody, Larry Holmes had no fear of Shavers whatsoever. The confidence he had displayed in pre-fighter interviews was not “whistling through the graveyard”; it was real.

Smoothly and workman-like he circled Earnie, using a piston-like jab to keep Shavers honest. Shavers was being patient, waiting for the opportunity to launch his heat seeker; but Larry was never there where “x” marked the spot. To his left, to his right, always in motion, always jamming that battering ram into Shavers face, to keep him off balance. Then, suddenly, Shavers clipped him with a right. For a second, Larry covered up, then he jumped on top of the bomber with a wicked four punch flurry, causing Shaver to cover up towards the end of the round.
Larry Holmes was here.

The second started off with Larry gliding easily out of Shavers’ reach, while popping him from long range. Smoothly, gracefully aggressive; but smartly so. Embers burned in Holmes eyes with each punch, each flurry, you could feel it from ringside. His eyes saw everything Shavers was going to do before he did it. His very aura oozed confidence and determination. He was a machine. How easily he avoided Shavers’ wild swings, how masterfully he countered the openings they left behind, if he chose to do so. This was his night.

With each passing round, one could feel the scales tilting more and more out of reach for the man from Ohio. If Shavers had proven anything over the years, it was that he could get you at any time; and the crowd tensed with ever bomb he unloaded, even as they sailed harmlessly out of reach, as if the very wind from such a blow could knock you over. Still, it was Larry, sliding to his left, uncorking one, two, three jabs in a row, then a quick right, and out of range before Earnie cold return fire. Defense, check. Effective Aggressiveness, check. Clean and hard punching, check. Ring Generalship, double check. Larry was pitching a shutout.

Intermittently, from his corner throughout the bout, you could hear legendary corner man Ray Arcel in harmony with Larry’s trainer, Ritchie Giachetti screaming, “You’re the Boss!! Get him, Big Jack!!” You could hear Holmes’s jabs exploding off of Earnie’s face again and again. They didn’t sound like regular jabs. They practically resonated throughout the arena. He’d always had a fine jab; but this night it was vicious. It was full of all the hopes, all the dreams and setbacks; anything or anyone who had ever stood in his way. POP, POP, BAM!

It had already opened up a cut under Shavers left eye and kept snapping his head back anytime he got within range. There was only one boss in that ring, and it wasn’t the veteran fighter, but the 28 year old “Easton Assassin” from Easton, Pennsylvania who had paid his dues for four years of professional fighting and countless hours in the gym for this chance to show the world who he was; and they saw it now.

By the end of the 9th, the Shavers corner knew it was getting late. Up until then, Earnie had been pursuing Holmes in a very similar fashion to how he’d pursued Ali, conserving his energy, mindful of the distance. Unlike in his bout with the then 35 year old Champion, though, he wasn’t landing. It was the younger man who’d been not just staying out of reach; but dominating the fight. Holmes had built up an insurmountable lead and both Blackie Genero and Frank Luca knew it.

“You Gotta Get Him!! To win, you gotta get him!!” they screamed.

Earnie came out in the 10th with a new purpose. The crowd could sense it; Shavers had just turned it up to 11. Holmes went up on his toes to increase his mobility and show how much stamina he had left, popping, not flicking like Ali, but snapping and popping that coach whip of a jab out there, keeping Shavers at bay. Towards the end of the round, Earnie started to land. He’d put his hands on Holmes earlier in the fight, stunning him in the first and the second; but unlike early on, now the kid must be tired. Larry smartly tied him up and got back on his bicycle when the referee broke them up. Shavers might have done enough to have won the round; but that was of no consequence at this point.

In the 11th and 12th, Holmes morphed his coach whip back into a piston, a pole. Hard, deliberate shots, all the while, moving, and stopping to throw a right and a hook every now and then when the opportunity presented itself. As the seconds ticked down, Shavers got more desperate and tried in vain to turn up the heat. All he succeeded in doing was opening up his guard.

“Close the Show!!” Ritchie Giachetti could be heard from the cheap seats; and Larry responded. Panther-like, he pounced on the older man, opening up with his whole arsenal. Shavers rocked back into the ropes, it was Madison Square Garden all over again; but this time with the latest, rather than ‘the greatest” uncorking blow after blow in rapid-fire succession on the frozen Shavers. The crowd erupted in sound, cascading from the nosebleeds down onto the fighters as the bell sounded.

Jimmy Young, who was ringside, held up his hands to signal to Cosell that he thought it was a shutout. When the official scores were read, it was revealed two of the three men scoring the fight agreed with him. Harold Buck and Joe Swessel both scored the bout 120-108, while Dave Moretti had it 119-109.

Ken Norton, who had been light hearted earlier in the evening, sat pensive in his golf cap and sunglasses as he watched the red-clad victor hold his hands aloft and walk around the ring, soaking in the long awaited for adoration and appreciation of the Vegas crowd.
Larry Holmes was there and Norton was next.

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