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Holmes Unlike Frazier Lives To See Statue Honoring Himself

“Smokin” Joe Frazier died on November 7th 2011 and on September 13th 2015 a statue of the former undisputed heavyweight champion was unveiled in front of the Xfinity Center in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Frazier’s adopted hometown. This weekend in his honor a statue of former WBC/IBF heavyweight champion Larry Holmes will be unveiled in his adopted hometown of Easton Pennsylvania. Both Frazier and Holmes are without question among the top-10 greatest heavyweight champions who have yet lived and are more than deserving of the honor and lofty praise bestowed upon them. In retirement Joe and Larry became good friends and were two of the best ambassadors for boxing the sport has ever had.
As most know Frazier and Holmes were both over shadowed by the looming presence of Muhammad Ali during their title tenures. In the early 1970s Holmes sparred with Frazier in preparation for Joe’s first two epic bouts with Ali. Holmes also worked as one of Ali’s chief sparring partners through early 1975. And in a twist of fate Larry defeated Rodney Bobick in the highest profile bout of his career at the time on the under-card of Ali-Frazier III, more commonly referred to as the “Thrilla In Manila” on September 30, 1975.
The statue of Frazier is a pose emulating him dropping Ali in the 15th and final round of their first fight known as the “Fight Of The Century” won by Frazier. The version of the statue capturing Larry’s image is of his piston like left jab, the punch that played a major role in him compiling a career record of 69-6 (44). It can be said without impunity that Frazier owned perhaps the best left-hook in heavyweight history and Holmes may have owned the greatest left jab in heavyweight history. A fight between 1969-71 Frazier and 1980-82 Holmes would’ve really been something to see.
Both defeated Ali in their prime:
Something else Joe and Larry have in common is they both defeated Muhammad Ali during their physical prime but not his. But due to the circumstances surrounding Ali in 1971 and 1980 when they defeated him, they do not get full credit for the monumental feat. In Frazier’s case, Ali was coming off a 43 month layoff and fought twice in just six weeks before facing Frazier in the biggest and most widely anticipated bout in boxing history. Had you not been aware of the fact that Muhammad was coming off the long layoff, you would never have surmised he was four years removed from his last title defense while watching him get off during the bout, especially the first five rounds. However, Frazier dropped Ali in the 15th round with a single left-hook, swelled his jaw up to the size of a grapefruit and beat him conclusively by unanimous decision. But even to this day Frazier doesn’t get his due props for beating the 29 year old Ali. And that’s because most retort, “yeah, but Ali was coming off the long period of inactivity, Frazier would’ve never touched Ali in his prime.” Well, to that I say…..I’m not sure any version of Ali that I ever saw would’ve defeated “Smokin” Joe Frazier on Monday night March 8th, 1971.
In Holmes case, he fought Ali two months shy of his 39th birthday and when he was coming out of retirement after not fighting in a little over two years. Larry pummeled Ali for seven consecutive rounds and administered Muhammad the worst beating he ever suffered in the ring by any other fighter. Angelo Dundee, Ali’s trainer, mercifully stopped the massacre after the 10th round. During the bout Holmes, 30, could do everything better than Ali and it was no contest. No, Larry didn’t really prove anything nor did he get credit for beating Ali in the aftermath because Ali was no longer a great fighter after 1975, but if you doubt that a prime Holmes wouldn’t have provided Ali one of his toughest match-ups, stylistically, of any heavyweight in history; you’re out of your mind and don’t know what you are watching. Larry Holmes was that great!
The things I respect and love about Larry Holmes are, he could really fight and being the heavyweight champion of the world meant something to him. Larry showed up in top condition for every title defense and fought with the mindset of the challenger. Holmes had outstanding fundamentals and basics and understood range and distance perfectly. He knew what punch to throw and when to throw it. In addition to that he could throw every punch in the book. His jab is legendary and his right hand had knockout power. And fighters who fought him lazily on the inside, nearly had their head decapitated from his whipping right uppercut, and trading left hooks with him unless you’re Joe Frazier wasn’t a wise choice either. And the more Holmes was hurt and challenged during the bout, the better he fought.
Granted, Holmes wasn’t blessed with great opposition to push himself against like Ali and Frazier were, but he fought the best of his era and dominated it for seven consecutive years, and that’s all you can ask of any fighter. The body of work is there for Holmes and the eye test conveys unequivocally that he could’ve lived with any past heavyweight great from the gloved era beginning with John L. Sullivan through Lennox Lewis, and on his best nights would’ve come out on top more times than not.
The centerpiece of the Holmes monument is of him firing that beautiful jab, his signature punch.
According to Lehighvalleylive.com …”A revived effort to complete the job came from someone close to Holmes: his wife Diane. They’ll celebrate their 36th wedding anniversary on Dec. 23. About a year ago, Diane Holmes assembled a group of a dozen friends and relatives and formed a nonprofit organization, Heart of a Legend. She says she got the idea in church.
The group raised the money required to finish the statue, although Diane Holmes chooses not to specify the amount. “Money is the root of all evil,” she said. “My thing about money is that’s what’s wrong with this world. I’m so grateful for everybody who participated and helped us, going back to Day 1.
“If it would have taken us another five years, we were determined to do it. I prayed and the Lord brought me a great bunch of people. He opened the door and he showed us and we got it done.”
Well done Diane, your husband is truly one of the greatest of the greats and his recognition is well earned and deserved!
Fortunately for Larry Holmes he lived to see his image proudly honored, unlike his buddy Joe Frazier.
Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com
Check out this video about the Larry Holmes statue at our sister site, The Boxing Channel.
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Gabriela Fundora KOs Marilyn Badillo and Perez Upsets Conwell in Oceanside

It was just a numbers game for Gabriela Fundora and despite Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo’selusive tactics it took the champion one punch to end the fight and retain her undisputed flyweight world title by knockout on Saturday.
Will it be her last flyweight defense?
Though Fundora (16-0, 8 KOs) fired dozens of misses, a single punch found Badillo (19-1-1, 3 KOs) and ended her undefeated career and first attempt at a world title at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California.
Fundora, however, proves unbeatable at flyweight.
The champion entered the arena as the headliner for the Golden Boy Promotion show and stepped through the ropes with every physical advantage possible, including power.
Mexico’s Badillo was a midget compared to Fundora but proved to be as elusive as a butterfly in a menagerie for the first six rounds. As the six-inch taller Fundora connected on one punch for every dozen thrown, that single punch was a deadly reminder.
Badillo tried ducking low and slipping to the left while countering with slashing uppercuts, she found little success. She did find the body a solid target but the blows proved to be useless. And when Badillo clinched, that proved more erroneous as Fundora belted her rapidly during the tie-ups.
“She was kind of doing her ducking thing,” said Fundora describing Badillo’s defensive tactics. “I just put the pressure on. It was just like a train. We didn’t give her that break.”
The Mexican fighter tried valiantly with various maneuvers. None proved even slightly successful. Fundora remained poised and under control as she stalked the challenger.
In the seventh round Badillo seemed to take a stand and try to slug it out with Fundora. She quickly was lit up by rapid left crosses and down she went at 1:44 of the seventh round. The Mexican fighter’s corner wisely waved off the fight and referee Rudy Barragan stopped the fight and held the dazed Badillo upright.
Once again Fundora remained champion by knockout. The only question now is will she move up to super flyweight or bantamweight to challenge the bigger girls.
Perez Beats Conwell.
Mexico’s Jorge “Chino” Perez (33-4, 26 KOs) upset Charles Conwell (21-1, 15 KOs) to win by split decision after 12 rounds in their super welterweight showdown.
It was a match that paired two hard-hitting fighters whose ledgers brimmed with knockouts, but neither was able to score a knockdown against each other.
Neither fighter moved backward. It was full steam ahead with Conwell proving successful to the body and head with left hooks and Perez connecting with rights to the head and body. It was difficult to differentiate the winner.
Though Conwell seemed to be the superior defensive fighter and more accurate, two judges preferred Perez’s busier style. They gave the fight to Perez by 115-113 scores with the dissenter favoring Conwell by the same margin.
It was Conwell’s first pro loss. Maybe it will open doors for more opportunities.
Other Bouts
Tristan Kalkreuth (15-1) managed to pass a serious heat check by unanimous decision against former contender Felix Valera (24-8) after a 10-round back-and-forth heavyweight fight.
It was very close.
Kalkreuth is one of those fighters that possess all the physical tools including youth and size but never seems to be able to show it. Once again he edged past another foe but at least this time he faced an experienced fighter in Valera.
Valera had his moments especially in the middle of the 10-round fight but slowed down during the last three rounds.
One major asset for Kalkreuth was his chin. He got caught but still motored past the clever Valera. After 10 rounds two judges saw it 99-91 and one other judge 97-93 all for Kalkreuth.
Highly-rated prospect Ruslan Abdullaev (2-0) blasted past dangerous Jino Rodrigo (13- 5-2) in an eight round super lightweight fight. He nearly stopped the very tough Rodrigo in the last two rounds and won by unanimous decision.
Abdullaev is trained by Joel and Antonio Diaz in Indio.
Bakersfield prospect Joel Iriarte (7-0, 7 KOs) needed only 1:44 to knock out Puerto Rico’s Marcos Jimenez (25-12) in a welterweight bout.
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‘Krusher’ Kovalev Exits on a Winning Note: TKOs Artur Mann in his ‘Farewell Fight’

At his peak, former three-time world light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev ranked high on everyone’s pound-for-pound list. Now 42 years old – he turned 42 earlier this month – Kovalev has been largely inactive in recent years, but last night he returned to the ring in his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia, and rose to the occasion in what was billed as his farewell fight, stopping Artur Mann in the seventh frame.
Kovalev hit his peak during his first run as a world title-holder. He was 30-0-1 (26 KOs) entering first match with Andre Ward, a mark that included a 9-0 mark in world title fights. The only blemish on his record was a draw that could have been ruled a no-contest (journeyman Grover Young was unfit to continue after Kovalev knocked down in the second round what with was deemed an illegal rabbit punch). Among those nine wins were two stoppages of dangerous Haitian-Canadian campaigner Jean Pascal and a 12-round shutout over Bernard Hopkins.
Kovalev’s stature was not diminished by his loss to the undefeated Ward. All three judges had it 114-113, but the general feeling among the ringside press was that Sergey nicked it.
The rematch was also somewhat controversial. Referee Tony Weeks, who halted the match in the eighth stanza with Kovalev sitting on the lower strand of ropes, was accused of letting Ward get away with a series of low blows, including the first punch of a three-punch series of body shots that culminated in the stoppage. Sergey was wobbled by a punch to the head earlier in the round and was showing signs of fatigue, but he was still in the fight. Respected judge Steve Weisfeld had him up by three points through the completed rounds.
Sergey Kovalev was never the same after his second loss to Andre Ward, albeit he recaptured a piece of the 175-pound title twice, demolishing Vyacheslav Shabranskyy for the vacant WBO belt after Ward announced his retirement and then avenging a loss to Eleider Alvarez (TKO by 7) with a comprehensive win on points in their rematch.
Kovalev’s days as a title-holder ended on Nov. 2, 2019 when Canelo Alvarez, moving up two weight classes to pursue a title in a fourth weight division, stopped him in the 11th round, terminating what had been a relatively even fight with a hellacious left-right combination that left Krusher so discombobulated that a count was superfluous.
That fight went head-to-head with a UFC fight in New York City. DAZN, to their everlasting discredit, opted to delay the start of Canelo-Kovalev until the main event of the UFC fight was finished. The delay lasted more than an hour and Kovalev would say that he lost his psychological edge during the wait.
Kovalev had two fights in the cruiserweight class between his setback to Canelo and last night’s presumptive swan song. He outpointed Tervel Pulev in Los Angeles and lost a 10-round decision to unheralded Robin Sirwan Safar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Artur Mann, a former world title challenger – he was stopped in three rounds by Mairis Briedis in 2021 when Briedis was recognized as the top cruiserweight in the world – was unexceptional, but the 34-year-old German, born in Kazakhstan, wasn’t chopped liver either, and Kovalev’s stoppage of him will redound well to the Russian when he becomes eligible for the Boxing Hall of Fame.
Krusher almost ended the fight in the second round. He knocked Mann down hard with a short left hand and seemingly scored another knockdown before the round was over (but it was ruled a slip). Mann barely survived the round.
In the next round, a punch left Mann with a bad cut on his right eyelid, but the German came to fight and rounds three, four and five were competitive.
Kovalev had a good sixth round although there were indications that he was tiring. But in the seventh he got a second wind and unleashed a right-left combination that rolled back the clock to the days when he was one of the sport’s most feared punchers. Mann went down hard and as he staggered to his feet, his corner signaled that the fight should be stopped and the referee complied. The official time was 0:49 of round seven. It was the 30th KO for Kovalev who advanced his record to 36-5-1.
Addendum: History informs us that Farewell Fights have a habit of becoming redundant, by which we mean that boxers often get the itch to fight again after calling it quits. Have we seen the last of Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev? We woudn’t bet on it.
The complete Kovalev-Mann fight card was live-streamed on the Boxing News youtube channel.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 322: Super Welterweight Week in SoCal

Two below-the-radar super welterweight stars show off their skills this weekend from different parts of Southern California.
One in particular, Charles Conwell, co-headlines a show in Oceanside against a hard-hitting Mexican while another super welter star Sadriddin Akhmedov faces another Mexican hitter in Commerce.
Take your pick.
The super welterweight division is loaded with talent at the moment. If Terence Crawford remained in the division he would be at the top of the class, but he is moving up several weight divisions.
Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) faces Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs) a tall knockout puncher from Los Mochis at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif. on Saturday April 19. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also features undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora. We’ll get to her later.
Conwell might be the best super welterweight out there aside from the big dogs like Vergil Ortiz, Serhii Bohachuk and Sebastian Fundora.
If you are not familiar with Conwell he comes from Cleveland, Ohio and is one of those fighters that other fighters know about. He is good.
He has the James “Lights Out” Toney kind of in-your-face-style where he anchors down and slowly deciphers the opponent’s tools and then takes them away piece by piece. Usually it’s systematic destruction. The kind you see when a skyscraper goes down floor by floor until it’s smoking rubble.
During the Covid days Conwell fought two highly touted undefeated super welters in Wendy Toussaint and Madiyar Ashkeyev. He stopped them both and suddenly was the boogie man of the super welterweight division.
Conwell will be facing Mexico’s taller Garcia who likes to trade blows as most Mexican fighters prefer, especially those from Sinaloa. These guys will be firing H bombs early.
Fundora
Co-headlining the Golden Boy card is Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) the undisputed flyweight champion of the world. She has all the belts and Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs) wants them.
Gabriela Fundora is the sister of Sebastian Fundora who holds the men’s WBC and WBO super welterweight world titles. Both are tall southpaws with power in each hand to protect the belts they accumulated.
Six months ago, Fundora met Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz in Las Vegas to determine the undisputed flyweight champion. The much shorter Alaniz tried valiantly to scrap with Fundora and ran into a couple of rocket left hands.
Mexico’s Badillo is an undefeated flyweight from Mexico City who has battled against fellow Mexicans for years. She has fought one world champion in Asley Gonzalez the current super flyweight world titlist. They met years ago with Badillo coming out on top.
Does Badillo have the skill to deal with the taller and hard-hitting Fundora?
When a fighter has a six-inch height advantage like Fundora, it is almost impossible to out-maneuver especially in two-minute rounds. Ask Alaniz who was nearly decapitated when she tried.
This will be Badillo’s first pro fight outside of Mexico.
Commerce Casino
Kazakhstan’s Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) is another dangerous punching super welterweight headlining a 360 Promotions card against Mexico’s Elias Espadas (23-6, 16 KOs) on Saturday at the Commerce Casino.
UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card of about eight bouts.
Akhmedov is another Kazakh puncher similar to the great Gennady “GGG” Golovkin who terrorized the middleweight division for a decade. He doesn’t have the same polish or dexterity but doesn’t lack pure punching power.
It’s another test for the super welterweight who is looking to move up the ladder in the very crowded 154-pound weight division. 360 Promotions already has a top contender in Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk who nearly defeated Vergil Ortiz a year ago.
Could Bohachuk and Akhmedov fight each other if nothing else materializes?
That’s a question for another day.
Fights to Watch
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) vs. Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs); Gabriela Fundora (15-0) vs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1).
Sat. UFC Fight Pass 6 p.m. Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0) vs Elias Espadas (23-6).
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