- 1 week ago
Larry Holmes defends his WBC Heavyweight Title against former champion Leon Spinks on ABC Boxing. Plus an interview with Gerry Cooney after the fight
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Two short moments ago, in that arena, fighting tonight, will be this man in defense of his WBC Heavyweight Championship of the World, Larry Holmes, the opponent, Leon Spinks.
00:14Larry, as you fight Spinks, is perhaps Jerry Cooney lurking in the background of your mind? Are you looking past Leon?
00:24I'm not looking past Leon. I worked very hard for Leon Spinks. Leon is a competitor, and he's going to be there.
00:30So I'm not looking past Leon Spinks. But it comes a time when we all say, what's next? So if it's possible, Jerry Cooney could be next.
00:40I must say, you're in the best condition I've seen you in, literally in years. 212 pounds. Why work so hard for this opponent?
00:49Well, Howard, I feel like I need to work again, and I got the desire to work, and I feel good about boxing. I feel good about this fight.
00:58Can you take Spinks seriously? What in his background would lead you to?
01:03Yes, I can take Spinks seriously because the things that they said, I cannot go by because I've seen him fight.
01:08I know that he's going to be out there giving every minute, every second of everything he's got.
01:14So I'm going to be ready for whatever Leon has to offer.
01:17But he's never fought a man like you. When he fought Ali, Ali was a shell of himself.
01:22You've got a five-inch reach advantage. What's he going to do?
01:26I think Leon would try to get inside. He would try to work to my body.
01:30A lot of people think I've got a weak body, but that's why Leon's going to make his mistakes because he's going to have to get past the jab.
01:37And then when they pass the jab, the right will come, and the right uppercut will come.
01:42I think I can take Leon out before the 15th round.
01:47Before the 15th?
01:48Before the 15th round, Leon will fall.
01:53Should be very quick, don't you think?
01:56I would like it to be in 30 seconds, however, because I'm not in advertising business.
02:01But I don't think I'm going to get that lucky.
02:03I think Leon is a little bit better fighter than that, and I think this is one fight he will be up for
02:09because any fighter who fights for the heavyweight title gets up more than they would get up for an ordinary fight.
02:16Still haunted by the absence of recognition, especially after the Berbick fight?
02:22No, I'm not haunted after that.
02:24Only the critics put that burden on me, but I've been fighting well.
02:29I've been on ABC many, many times, and Howard, you haven't given my destitute, and that's all I worry about.
02:35I'm happy with what I got.
02:37And personal.
02:40In the backdrop there, the gateway arch of the city of St. Louis, Missouri, a symbol of hope for the future,
02:46the city of Leon Sphinx, but in the foreground, the very ghetto area where Leon grew up.
02:52It was known as the Bruin Ego Project, and they dynamited it some years back into oblivion.
02:58You grow up in a background like that, with your father gone, your mother on welfare, one of many children.
03:06Troubles are bound to come early, and that happened to Leon Sphinx.
03:11But he used his only tools, his fists, to suddenly burst into national prominence.
03:17That happened in 1976, the Forum in Montreal.
03:20For the gold against a great Cuban fighter, Sisto Saria.
03:23Watch this right lead.
03:24There it was, and Saria was done away with.
03:27And there was joy for Sphinx, who came still further.
03:31In February of 78, he became the heavyweight champion of the world, defeating the legend Muhammad Ali.
03:39After that troubles, and Leon Sphinx ruminates about what happened.
03:44Well, I was the happiest man on earth.
03:48I was just willing to live life just like everybody else.
03:52But being the heavyweight champion didn't let that be like that.
03:56So it's brought a whole lot of obligations for me to do, and I didn't know then.
04:02So I had a lot of trouble during that year.
04:03A lot of troubles was an understatement.
04:07A drug charge.
04:09He was acquitted of that.
04:10Endless traffic violations, lawsuits.
04:14He threw everything away.
04:15When out in the world, too much for my nerves.
04:20Well, only myself to blame.
04:24See, I was just a boy.
04:27And there was nobody else to blame.
04:31Well, Todd and failed.
04:33Now all I can say is I threw it all away.
04:37Oh, I was just a boy.
04:42Giving it all away.
04:47He lost his title back to Ali in September of 78.
04:51An easy victory for Ali.
04:54And Sphinx was back nowhere.
04:57For nine months, he disappeared.
04:59Then the attempted comeback at Monte Carlo against Harry Coetzee of the Republic of South Africa.
05:05This in the first round.
05:07And it seemed that Sphinx's career was totally over.
05:12But even after this disastrous defeat, where he burst into tears there in the ring,
05:18he hung on and came back.
05:20Won four fights in a row, including this one against the number one rated WBC heavyweight contender.
05:27That's how he got his title shot.
05:29Victory in the ninth round.
05:31Where has he been training for the title shot?
05:33Not in the old haunts.
05:35But up in the woods of central Michigan, near the little town of Harryetta, population 192.
05:43His only disco music is radio.
05:46As he works the ring and works the ring.
05:49Trying to get back the kind of competitive turns that brought him the gold in Montreal in 76.
05:55When he beat a more polished fighter, strictly on the basis of competitive drive.
06:02Now a second chance for Leon Sphinx, and he knows it.
06:06I'm just going to devote more time to what my job is about.
06:12I'm going to be what the people want.
06:13What a champ is supposed to be.
06:16Oh, I know better now.
06:23I know better now.
06:26Ain't going to give it all away.
06:30Oh, oh, yeah, yeah.
06:32I know better now.
06:35I know better now.
06:37All right, Leon Sphinx up close and personal.
06:43As noted earlier, a checkered life.
06:45Again, you're looking at a panoramic shot of the Joe Lewis Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
06:52And there in his dressing room is Larry Holmes working up a sweat, getting ready to come out into the ring.
07:00And to defend against Leon Sphinx.
07:03Larry Holmes, the man with the great statistics.
07:06But the man eternally questing for public recognition.
07:11Why?
07:11Let's look at his boxing history.
07:16Remember this?
07:17It's when Larry Holmes won his heavyweight title in a classic fight against Kenny Norton.
07:22Both fighters utterly exhausted at the finish.
07:25As the champion, Holmes has never gotten recognition because of the supposed lesser quality of his opponents.
07:32Defenses began with this one.
07:34Alfredo Evangelista, the Spanish Bull, November of 78.
07:39And the Bull went down in round seven, right there.
07:43Then another unknown from Puerto Rico, Ossie Ocasio, March of 79.
07:48And this one, too, ended in round seven.
07:52Ocasio, awkward, but not skilled.
07:54And then Mike Weaver, June of 79.
07:58By round 11, Holmes in trouble.
08:00Some felt that he wanted to quit.
08:02But Holmes showed something in that fight.
08:05Comeback capacity near the end of the 11th.
08:08That right uppercut felled Weaver.
08:11And the fight ended early in the next round.
08:14Against early Ernie Shavers, another scare.
08:17September of 79.
08:19This was in round seven, too.
08:21Watch.
08:22And down went Holmes.
08:25But he got up quickly enough.
08:27And by round 11, it was over for Ernie Shavers.
08:31He had taken a fearful beating.
08:33Then in February of 1980, against Lorenzo Zanone.
08:38This one ended in round six, but Holmes did not fight well.
08:42And then against the heavy Leroy Jones, who took a terrific pummeling.
08:48The end came in round eight, right there.
08:51After that, an absolute farce in Minneapolis against Scott Bledew.
08:56It was target practice for Larry Holmes, and that ended in the seventh round.
09:01Then, the unfortunate sight of Muhammad Ali in October of 1980 in Las Vegas.
09:08Helpless as Holmes peppered him.
09:10This was ninth round action.
09:12Ali did not come out for the 11th.
09:15Then the most recent defense against Trevor Burbank.
09:18April of 1981.
09:21Holmes won with ease, but couldn't put Burbank away, creating further doubts and some minds about Larry.
09:27But statistically, he's been brilliant, up there with the greatest.
09:32And indeed, has an outside chance to surpass even Rocky Marciano in consecutive winning streak.
09:38And finally, in each and every fight, Holmes rarely gives the opponent more than one round.
09:46No, he has been, I think, solid and respectable in the face of his boxing history.
09:51That is Michael Spinks in the cap, and behind him, brother Leon.
09:58Michael, perhaps on his way to winning the light heavyweight crown with his hands, with Leon's hands on his shoulders.
10:08Michael, a tremendously fine fighter.
10:12Leon, at 200 and a quarter pounds, seems beautifully conditioned.
10:17He has never been a fighter possessed of polished boxing skills, never.
10:23He didn't have that at Montreal when he won the gold.
10:26What he had was the deepest competitive drive you could ever want to see in a fighter.
10:33And I think he carries that drive with him tonight.
10:37We'll be back in Detroit in a moment.
10:40Back at Joe Louis Arena.
10:42In the ring, Leon Spinks, the crowd noise rising.
10:46Larry Holmes about to join him.
10:49There comes Larry Holmes.
10:51He is 32, Spinks is 27.
10:55He has a five-inch edge in reach.
10:59So, Leon Spinks will have to probably try to do what Larry Holmes said in the interview earlier seen with Larry.
11:06Keep charging.
11:08Somehow get inside.
11:09But can he avoid the punishment of the Holmes jab?
11:14A stinging, jarring jab.
11:16Or can he keep Holmes moving?
11:18Because Larry's jab is most effective when he can stare flat-footed and just pour it in there.
11:25Double and triple run.
11:27We'll see.
11:2915 rounds scheduled for a 10-point must system.
11:33When the crowd begins to roar, WBC rules, three judges, and they will score the fight.
11:40The referee will not have a voice in the scoring.
11:44No saving by the bell except in the last round.
11:48It's a big, big ring.
11:50Holmes should be able to use it beautifully.
11:52Look at how fast those hands are.
11:55That's his greatest doubt.
11:56Foot and hand speed.
11:58Great side-to-side or lateral movement.
12:0120 feet, 6 inches, so much room to negotiate.
12:05The referee, Richard Steele.
12:08A good man.
12:09A young man, but a veteran man.
12:11There is the Leon Spinks ring record.
12:13Richard Steele from Los Angeles, the third man in the ring.
12:17The judges, all veteran boxing judges.
12:20Harold Letterman of New York.
12:22Rudy Ortega of Oakland, California.
12:25And Hank Ellespineau of Sacramento, California.
12:30Leon Spinks!
12:31Spinks just introduced to the crowd.
12:35And he's here in Detroit often, though he says he will always call St. Louis home.
12:41But he's got a host of fans here.
12:45212 and one-quarter crown.
12:50From Eastern Pennsylvania, the undefeated Eastern Assassin.
12:55The WBC heavyweight champion of the world, Larry Holmes.
12:59The crowd favorite within the arena, obviously, Leon Spinks.
13:06Larry Holmes from Eastern Pennsylvania, the home of the Lafayette Leopards, Lafayette College.
13:14The Eastern Assassin, they call Holmes.
13:17In the pugilistic vernacular.
13:19And instructions now for both fighters from referee Richard Steele.
13:34Spinks nodding and looking down.
13:37Holmes looking squarely at Spinks.
13:39The tail of the take, the key factor.
13:42The difference in reach.
13:45What an edge for Holmes.
13:46We await the start of action, the bell, for round one.
13:5212-pound weight advantage for Holmes, but that's not consequential.
13:57The bell.
14:06Lowry quickly trying to use the left jab.
14:10And moving.
14:14Spinks pursuing.
14:16He can be wild.
14:17He is unpolished.
14:19But he can be dangerous.
14:20Witness his knockout.
14:23Bernardo Mercado in the ninth round.
14:26And Mercado was top-rated WBC contender.
14:29And that's what got Leon this shot.
14:36Holmes has not, never has been, a one-punch knocker out.
14:40Oh, in his 37 victories.
14:41Oh, in his 37 victories, he has scored almost 30 knockouts.
14:46A good right by Larry Holmes.
14:52A good right by Larry Holmes.
14:55Spinks' problem, how to get in there and do some damage.
14:59And the problem comes up early.
15:03Minute 10 seconds into the first round.
15:05Larry has that big ring to use.
15:13Spinks getting in, drawing the ball and draw.
15:16There are those who give Spinks an excellent chance.
15:33Spinks in the head.
15:39Will Grimsley of the AP, veteran bulldogging boxing reporter, has picked Spinks to win.
15:46Michael Katz of the Times gives him an excellent chance of the New York Times.
15:51Spinks, with two minutes into round one, crowd yelled, but Holmes' glove picked off the Spinks' glove.
15:59Spinks, with two minutes into round one, crowd yelled, but Holmes' glove picked off the Spinks' glove.
16:16Spinks, with one-punch knocker.
16:1835 seconds left in the first round.
16:21Holmes' boxing skillfully.
16:25At this point, winning the round.
16:29Spinks trying to be all over him, pursuing him, and excites the crowd.
16:40But it's Holmes who does most of the score.
16:44Saw the Wild right up on the shoulder.
16:47That did get to Holmes, but it won't hurt him then.
16:50The end of round one at hand.
16:52I'm learning to take it easy.
16:59Him too.
17:01Check.
17:06We're back in Detroit.
17:08Ringside round two just underway.
17:11Holmes, in my view, won the first round.
17:13But Holmes has a tendency to rattle, and the wildness of Spinks may do just that.
17:20At times, he lost his cool against Trevor Burbick, not a noteworthy opponent.
17:26Spinks far more dangerous than Burbick.
17:2830 seconds into round two.
17:35Leon bobbing and weaving and trying to get inside.
17:40Long left.
17:42Only a glancing blow.
17:44By the time it landed, Richard Steele, the third man in the ring.
17:51Los Angeles, California.
17:53Good, quick referee.
17:56Keeps position well.
17:58Two good lefts by Holmes.
18:06Oh, it works that bad.
18:07Holmes swinging him around.
18:10Spinning Spinks off.
18:14With a superior height reach, he almost dwarfs Spinks.
18:18Or it looked that way at the weigh-in even more than it does in the ring.
18:22Spinks connected that.
18:25He had Holmes against the ropes, and he connected.
18:29His best connection of the night.
18:41Now, the second time Ali fought Spinks.
18:45When he won easily, you saw the good right land on Spinks.
18:48Ali began putting his punches together in the fourth round.
18:53Throughout the fight, he out-muscled Spinks, using his superior size and upper body strength
18:59to maul him all over the ring.
19:03Holmes has not tried to do that.
19:07Holmes is a man who uses movement.
19:1050 seconds left in round two.
19:18Better round for Spinks than round one.
19:22He got in a good low to the Holmes midsection.
19:26He has not, Holmes has not been able to fight his fight.
19:30In this round, Spinks is fighting his fight.
19:33And Holmes missed.
19:36He's a touch rattled.
19:38The wildness of Spinks is troubling.
19:42There was a mistaken bell.
19:44There was a mistaken bell.
19:46That caused Holmes to pause, and Spinks took advantage.
19:51One.
19:51Now they're teeing off together.
19:56In one corner, the seconds cut into the ring, thinking the round it ended.
20:02It will end right now, but Spinks in control.
20:07We're back live.
20:08Holmes waiting for Spinks in the middle of the ring.
20:11William Hunter, the timekeeper, claimed his bell 25 seconds before the legitimate end of round three.
20:17That put Holmes off guard.
20:19Spinks took advantage.
20:20Spinks had Holmes clearly rattled.
20:23Now Holmes comes out to fight.
20:26So far, Spinks has shown that he has never been afraid of anybody in his life,
20:32and we may have a good fight here.
20:35Holmes is an overwhelming favorite, of course.
20:39But Spinks, an awkward, troublesome guy.
20:47Oh, that's a slip.
20:50Quickly, Richard Steele over.
20:53Holmes pushes Spinks off, and Steele right on top of the action.
21:00Spinks making the fight, and rattling Holmes is not fighting with a great deal of self-possession.
21:07We're a minute into the round.
21:11Surprising to see Larry lose his cool.
21:13Oh, a good left to the belly, then he doubles in the head.
21:17Excellent.
21:21Holmes knows he's in a fight.
21:27That's how wild Spinks is.
21:30Leaning all over Holmes.
21:32Halfway, falling down.
21:34And Holmes is now scoring heavily against Spinks.
21:38Now he's fighting boxing basics.
21:40He's scoring that left of the belly hurts, Spinks.
21:44Spinks is getting it.
21:46He hasn't been able to get away from the ropes.
21:48And Holmes is really teeing off on it.
21:51Hasn't measured.
21:52You see the left measuring, and then the right, and then the left.
21:55And Spinks is ready to go.
21:57And goes very quickly.
22:00Larry Holmes got to him.
22:02And took to the command just as quickly as he had seen.
22:05He's in the rim.
22:09Leaves up.
22:11Now concluded.
22:12And back comes home since Spinks' days.
22:15The welder.
22:16He's stuck in the corner.
22:18The worst place for him to be.
22:20But the movement has gone from his legs.
22:22And the Holmes now measuring.
22:25The key to this, don't lose your head.
22:28Work the opponent.
22:30Don't try to put him away too soon.
22:32He is just killing him.
22:35And the fight is stopped that quickly.
22:39Tell thrown in.
22:43Tell thrown in.
22:45The fight stopped.
22:46And it's over for Leon Spinks.
22:49This may be the end of the Leon Spinks career.
22:53Larry Holmes actually troubled in the second round.
22:57Having won the first round.
22:59Steele says the towel had nothing to do with it.
23:06He stopped it on his own.
23:07They can't stop the championship fight with a towel from the corner.
23:13So Richard Steele has said that he stopped it on his own.
23:16And he did the right thing the referee did.
23:20Let's look at it again.
23:22Spinks stuck against the ropes.
23:26Right near the corner.
23:28Virtually in the corner.
23:30And Holmes going at him.
23:32Teeing off on him.
23:33Spinks utterly, utterly out.
23:37Really.
23:39Got up from that.
23:40But went down again.
23:43And it was stopped.
23:44This again, the replay.
23:46See the way he measured him with his left.
23:48And then came through with it.
23:50Look at that right uppercut.
23:51And that right.
23:55So Larry Holmes.
23:5738 fights.
23:5938 victories.
24:01They can say what they want about the quality of the opposition when it comes to Holmes.
24:08But he hasn't picked them.
24:10He's fought virtually everybody around.
24:12Next in line, Jerry Cooney.
24:15And a kid named Greg Page.
24:19That's the way Spinks went down.
24:22Still another free throw.
24:24Hitting him at will.
24:27How quickly the tide turned for Leon Spinks.
24:31Because in the second round, it looked like he had a chance.
24:35In the third round, it became what it was in the first round.
24:40Only Holmes came out to fight.
24:42Disappointed and angry with himself over the second round.
24:47He came out to fight.
24:49And it was no contest.
24:51In fact, a mismatch.
24:55Larry Holmes.
24:57Minute 26 of the third round.
25:00Winner on a technical knockout.
25:02The bounce stopped by referee Richard Steele on his own.
25:07We will be back in Joe Louis Arena.
25:11And there is the defeated Leon Spinks.
25:13But we'll quickly miss his home now coming in to hug the champion.
25:18Larry, let's quickly review the fight.
25:20The first round was easy.
25:22You outboxed him.
25:23You used to move him.
25:24What happened in the second round when he seemed to have you, A, rattled, and B, angry?
25:29I would like to say happy birthday to my daughter, Lisa.
25:35Hi, you missed me.
25:36My daughter, Belinda.
25:37I want to say hi to all of them.
25:39Reverend Jesse Jackson.
25:42Reverend Jacobs.
25:44All my friends in round one.
25:46And don't forget to take care of your bartenders and waitresses.
25:49And in the second round, I thought, I'd like to say,
25:54I heard the bell, but like you said, it was probably a false bell.
25:59But I stopped fighting.
26:01And he kept coming.
26:02And he started hitting me.
26:03I think that was good for me because it made me get out there
26:06and make this guy respect me because he had no respect at all.
26:11And before you ask me the next question,
26:14I'd like to say hi to my good old friend, Jim Smith.
26:17All right, you said hi to everybody.
26:19Now, never mind ABC.
26:20You happen to be on our network, but I don't want any plugs for him.
26:24I didn't give you that either.
26:25Okay.
26:26Now, you said what mattered because it's what I said.
26:30It made you angry at that false bell when he came at you
26:34and he scored against you.
26:35Might even have won the second round for him.
26:38Who knows?
26:38So you came out and no more moving.
26:41You just came out and went right at him, right?
26:44Yes, Howard.
26:45I started using a stronger left jab, doubling up on my jab.
26:49And I was finding the range because he was moving a lot.
26:53And it was only a matter of time.
26:55But I just want to show you, I don't know what's happening to Botchie.
26:58This man was out on his feet, hurt.
27:01And the man let him get up and continue to take punches.
27:05It don't make any sense.
27:07And I'm just glad that nothing happened to Leon
27:09because I think he's a hell of an athlete.
27:11All right, Larry.
27:11And he deserves all the credit.
27:13Hate to interrupt you.
27:14What I want to do now is show you that final round
27:17and show me where you thought the fight should have been stopped.
27:21Okay, Howard.
27:22You were out in the middle of the ring waiting for him.
27:24Challenging.
27:25Challenging.
27:26Come on, Leon.
27:27I'm stronger.
27:28I'm bigger.
27:29I don't have to move from you.
27:30Come on in.
27:31He said fight.
27:32He told me.
27:33He said fight.
27:34So we fought.
27:35And you started quickly getting that left jab in.
27:38Left hand after the right hand.
27:40Followed.
27:41My brother Jake, he predicted the 30th round with a right hand again.
27:45Hi, Jake.
27:46So Leon wanted to get me on the ropes and try to work.
27:51He started very fast.
27:53And I knew it would be a matter of time because he would run in to punch him
27:56because he was running in to punch him very hard.
27:57But you spun off the ropes and now back to ring center.
28:00And then, the way it wound up, you had Leon on the ropes.
28:05Yes.
28:05That was the slip.
28:06That was the slip.
28:07There you pushed him off.
28:08That was a proper call.
28:09Right.
28:10Then he came charging and ran into a right hand.
28:17See, all the punches he's throwing was blocked.
28:21Picked off very well, I must say.
28:23That's your day.
28:24And he started throwing and he ran right into a right hand.
28:31See, I was doubling up left foot and right hand, too.
28:33That's right.
28:34The left to the belly and then up to the head.
28:36You doubled on the left.
28:37Very good.
28:39Now you begin to get it.
28:41There's that right hand.
28:42That's the right hand.
28:43That was the right hand.
28:45That's the right hand.
28:46Right there, you knew he was hurt.
28:47Yeah.
28:48That's when you stood five-footed, measured him with the left and teed off with the right.
28:53There's him right here, right there.
28:56See, he's hurt.
28:57There's another right to the body.
29:00Here he is.
29:01There's another.
29:03There's another right here.
29:05Because I knew he was hurt.
29:06He was hurt right there.
29:07I knew it.
29:07I said, it's from the right.
29:08It's from the right.
29:09All right, Don, please.
29:10Let Larry turn.
29:11And he went down.
29:13He was hurt.
29:14I didn't think he was going to get up.
29:15Now, you thought it should have been stopped there.
29:17I didn't think he was going to get up.
29:19But when he got up, they continued to let me bang away on Leon.
29:23Like, kill him.
29:24Go ahead.
29:25And you didn't want to do it?
29:26And I didn't want to do it, but I had to do it.
29:28Did you say anything to Richard Steele, the referee?
29:30I said afterwards.
29:31I said afterwards.
29:33What's going on?
29:34What's going on, I said.
29:37Leon's trying to fight back, but he can't fight.
29:39Pinioned in the corner there, just taking the blow.
29:42His right hand, his body, measuring him hard, right out the right.
29:47Body punches.
29:48Well, it's unfortunate.
29:50It's been an unfortunate career for Leon.
29:53After those two flashes of glory, the gold in Montreal, the night he beat Ali.
29:59But our congratulations to you, Larry.
30:02We're back on camera now.
30:04There's another young man in this arena tonight.
30:07His name is Jerry Cooney.
30:09Power.
30:10And you want him.
30:12I'm going to slap his face and bring him over here.
30:15And I don't even want to talk about it, Cooney.
30:17And put his name on the contract.
30:18You come over here.
30:20We're going to fight right now.
30:21Come on.
30:24Come on.
30:25Come over here.
30:25Come on.
30:26Right here.
30:27Well, here we go again.
30:28Get him out of here.
30:30All right, ladies and gentlemen.
30:46I'm sorry.
30:50Well, I remember once.
30:56I remember once.
30:58Hey, watch out.
31:02I remember once at a convention when Dan Rather got pushed around and he said,
31:11All in a day's worth.
31:16So that's all in a day's worth.
31:22I shall wipe my mouth and we'll be back at ringside in just a moment.
31:30Well, we're back at ringside.
31:32No, it didn't come down to a fist fight.
31:34But we're alive and well.
31:37And that's for the benefit of my wife, who I hope is watching.
31:42And here's Jerry Cooney with a smile across his face for the whole human race.
31:47What did you think of that display by Holmes?
31:50Display after the fight or during the fight?
31:52After the fight with you.
31:54Just goes to show what I've been saying, that he's a poor champion.
31:59I mean, how does a heavyweight champion of the world conduct himself in such a manner
32:03to hurt people and put harm on people like that?
32:05It's silly.
32:06It's all silly.
32:06And I think it's all orchestrated from him and Don King.
32:10Don King is talking about offering $5 million for a fight.
32:13He offered $5 million after I was signed to fight Mike Weaver in October.
32:18What was your view of Holmes' performance tonight?
32:21I thought he looked well.
32:22I think that Leon came out, tried to gain the respect.
32:25I think Larry Holmes heard him.
32:27But I was watching in the corner.
32:29I was shooting pictures.
32:31And Leon's corner couldn't see Leon's eyes.
32:35And they must have thought he was hurt, more hurtful than he was.
32:38But I saw his eyes.
32:39His eyes were clear.
32:40He was just trying to survive.
32:41But referee, the towel had nothing to do with the stoppage of the fight.
32:47Referee Steele told me he stopped it on his own.
32:50Right.
32:51Well, I guess in his opinion, he was the man doing the work out there.
32:53So he must have seen things that you and I could not see.
32:56Did Holmes' display with you make you want him more than ever?
33:01Well, we're going to fight.
33:02Right now, I don't look past any fights.
33:04I'm fighting Mike Weaver, so I don't like to look past.
33:06I like to take each fight as it comes.
33:08I love to be a fighter.
33:09I'm happy to be from America.
33:10And I just want to keep on fighting and keep learning and do the best I can to attempt
33:16my goal as heavyweight champion of the world.
33:18I want to tell you something.
33:20You're conducting yourself beautifully.
33:22A lot of class.
33:23I'm glad you were here tonight in spite of the incident.
33:27It's okay, bro.
33:28The only thing I wish would have been your lift that was done instead of mine.
33:31You can understand.
33:32And so, let's talk with Jerry Cooney, who is in the arena.
Be the first to comment