- 2 hours ago
Larry Holmes defends his WBC Heavyweight Title against Scott LeDoux on ABC Boxing. Plus an interview with Muhammad Ali.
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00:00Live from the Mets Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, the battle for the WBC World Heavyweight Championship, featuring the defending unbeaten champion Larry Holmes.
00:17Holmes with a punishing left jab, and he's got the right to go with it, as he showed there against Zanone.
00:24The challenger, the 8th rated, Scott Ledoux, who comes off a fine victory over the previously unbeaten Marty Monroe.
00:36And the WBC Super Lightweight Championship, with, from the Bronx, Saul Mambi, defending against the challenger, Esteban de Jesus.
00:49This ABC Sports Exclusive is brought to you by Pontiac, taking on the world with know-how.
01:02By Head and Shoulders, because that little edge could be telling you something.
01:08And by Budweiser.
01:11For all you do, this Bud's for you.
01:15That's the scene set, live from Bloomington, Minnesota, Ring Center, in the Mets Center, some 500 yards from Metropolitan Stadium, the home of the Twins and the Vikings.
01:40Hello again, everyone.
01:41I'm Howard Cosell.
01:43Good to have you with us.
01:44We look for an interesting evening of boxing.
01:47Larry Holmes to defend for the 7th time his heavyweight championship.
01:53He is unbeaten in 34 attempts as a fighter.
01:57And he has a prime motivation tonight to go after a 7th consecutive KO defense.
02:04And as one takes a look at boxing history, the graphic will reveal to you that Tommy Burns of Australia has the record in that regard at 8th.
02:14Joe Lewis twice at 7th, Joe Lewis at 6th, Joe Lewis at 6th, Larry Holmes at 6th, seeking the 7th tonight.
02:21Three others tied with 5.
02:23As for Scott Ledoux, he's rated a journeyman fighter by most, but he's got a heart as stout as his body.
02:30And he's got another motivation, too, the serious illness of his wife, to impel him to super eff it if he's capable of it tonight.
02:39Also, coming up right now, the WBC super lightweight championship bout.
02:45But first, in attendance, as you can see, the man trying to steal Holmes' thunder, Muhammad Ali, who presumably on October 10th will be fighting Holmes if Holmes succeeds tonight in Cairo.
03:00He says he's learned his lesson from the dismal showing that he had against Mike Weaver, and yet he had enough against Weaver to come back with an 11th round uppercut when he had been in trouble against Weaver.
03:17And they had to stop the fight in the 12th round.
03:20Weaver had been benumbed by the Holmes uppercut.
03:23So this unbeaten man, with his own goals to achieve, still in the eternal quest for suitable recognition, with much of his own recognition diminished here by the presence of Muhammad Ali, who has been putting on an act for 48 hours, almost relentlessly.
03:39Larry Holmes, wanting again to reestablish himself for the American public.
03:45Incidentally, that was a great fight you saw between Saul Mambi and Esteban de Jesus.
03:51Mambi, a late bloomer, an outcast from his own city.
03:55They wouldn't give him fights there at 33, coming into his own.
04:00Unusual, but a very popular decision or result.
04:04Correction.
04:05Now, Scott Ledoux in his dressing room.
04:08Scott Ledoux getting ready.
04:10Scott Ledoux, who has been bedeviled by the physical problems that have beset his wife, Sandy.
04:18A tightly knit family, with Ledoux finding his own order of priorities in life materially changed.
04:25It used to be boxing.
04:27But now, with a wife who's had the troubles I've alluded to, I think it's time that you met Scott Ledoux and Mrs. Ledoux and learned what his life is all about.
04:40That's his wife, Sandy, right there.
04:42They have two children.
04:43And now, let's take a look in some quickness and yet insightfully into the lives of Scott and Sandy Ledoux and their two children, Josh and Molly.
04:58Scott Ledoux lives with his wife, Sandy, and his two children, Josh, four, and Molly, two, in that comfortable, modest house in Anoka, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.
05:10And right next door to the house, he trains in that midget-sized ring for the fight against Holmes.
05:18But as he trains, he's bedeviled with worry about his wife.
05:21My wife has had cancer, a couple of bowels with cancer, one with her leg and one with her breast.
05:31She had breast cancer, too.
05:33And now she's having problems with her gallbladder.
05:35But all of them seem to be under control right now, and things are taken care of pretty well.
05:41When I went through the first thing with my leg, my mother is in her 70s, and she's very active, and she just, I mean, she acts like she's 50.
05:56And I used to think, I hope that when I'm 70, I can be like my mother.
06:01I hope that I can just feel like she feels and do the things she does and have the outlook that she has on life.
06:08And all of a sudden, here I'm sitting at 31 years old, and I have skin cancer.
06:14And, of course, it's, when you first find this, it's all blown out of proportion.
06:18I mean, you kind of lose track of what it is, actually, that you're dealing with.
06:22But I start looking at the children, and I think, my gosh, am I going to make it to 35?
06:29You just can't even think that way.
06:31You just have to live every day the way it is and just enjoy it and, you know, I guess they say go for it.
06:38Since she's been sick, I came to realize there was more to Scott LeDue than boxing.
06:44There was a family, and I realized how much more important they were to me than a lot of things I thought were important.
06:51And I got my priorities in order.
06:53On July 7th, boxing will be the thing in my life that day.
06:59But for the rest of the days, there are other things that are more important and have priority.
07:06Now you're looking at a live shot, temporarily covered by that fleeting photographer figure.
07:11But there is Sandy LeDue with her little boy, Josh, just four years of age.
07:17And you want to know what hardships are, what troubles are?
07:20That little boy has a form of epilepsy, and yet under medication, that's now being controlled.
07:27There is Scott LeDue in his dressing room, getting ready, because as he said,
07:32tonight it's boxing for tonight.
07:35After that, it's life.
07:37I'll be back in a minute.
07:38Larry Holmes vs. Scott LeDue.
07:42This ABC Sports Exclusive is brought to you by Brute for Men by Fabergé.
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07:52By Gillette, makers of Right Guard.
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08:03Once again, from Bloomington, Minnesota, here's Howard Cosell.
08:06This is the scene at the Mets Center in Bloomington, Minnesota.
08:15Scott LeDue now in the ring, awaiting the arrival of Larry Holmes, the defending WBC heavyweight champion.
08:24Scott LeDue, whom you just met, rather, as I noted insightfully, Scott LeDue, with far greater worries on his mind than this bout,
08:36and yet the bout means so much to him, that for tonight, it means everything.
08:43And, of course, knowing he has to go in front of that man, Muhammad Ali,
08:50who, as I told you, has been putting on a 48-hour act, stealing the show from Larry Holmes,
08:57plugging the potential bout of October 10th in Cairo.
09:03Should it eventuate?
09:04It remains to be seen if it will.
09:07Ali against Holmes.
09:09Should Holmes be successful tonight as Larry climbs into the ring?
09:14The man who was once Ali's sparring part.
09:17A man who has developed so enormously, where, grudgingly, people who know boxing have said,
09:24yes, this is a solid, respectable champion.
09:27A man with a special motive tonight to tie Joe Lewis's record of seven consecutive successful knockout defenses.
09:36Earlier we showed you a graphic on that.
09:39Here it is again.
09:40Tommy Burns of Australia in the young 1900s with the record of eight.
09:45Joe Lewis twice at seven.
09:47Joe Lewis at six.
09:48Holmes at six.
09:50Going for seven tonight.
09:51Three others tied with five.
09:54The rules for the bout, the same as was set forth earlier by Chris Schenkel,
09:59as he called for you.
10:01The zone, Mumbi, 13th round knockout of Esteban de Jesus.
10:08It's a ten-point must system.
10:10Three knockdown rule has been waived.
10:12Mandatory eight count.
10:13Fighter can be saved by the bell only in the 15th round.
10:17The referee and two judges will be scoring the fight.
10:21And as for the officials, the referee is the familiar Davey Pearl from Las Vegas, Nevada.
10:26The judges, Richard Steele from Los Angeles.
10:29Harold Letterman from Orangeburg, New York.
10:33Home of one of the great staging areas in World War II, Cam Shanks.
10:36Now the tale of the tape.
10:40That age is wrong.
10:41Larry Holmes is 31.
10:43Scott Ledoux is 31.
10:45Holmes has the height edge.
10:47Holmes has the reach edge.
10:48And it's a good edge there.
10:50That's the consequential statistic.
10:52The weights speak for themselves.
10:55You can expect Scott Ledoux to maul and brawl in the early going
10:59and to try to cut Holmes down to an absence of ring movement.
11:06All right, let's go to Chuck Van Avery now with what's left of the ring introductions.
11:11The pertinent folks.
11:12Mike Davis, undefeated middleweight.
11:14The third best heavyweight in the world.
11:18Mike Dote.
11:22Ladies and gentlemen, the main event.
11:27The main event of the evening.
11:30Scheduled for 15 rounds.
11:34For the heavyweight championship of the world.
11:39Blue partner.
11:47He's wearing blue trunks with a red and white stripe.
11:53He weighs 226 pounds.
11:58Since Cosby, Ironson, Minnesota.
12:02Here he is.
12:04Scott, the moon.
12:06The local favorite.
12:12The local favorite, Scott Ledoux.
12:16There is wife Sandy and son Josh.
12:20Scott Ledoux.
12:24This is the first heavyweight championship bout ever held in the state of Minnesota.
12:32And Larry Holmes' introduction now.
12:35He weighs 214 pounds.
12:48Ladies and gentlemen, the heavyweight champion of the world.
12:54The expected antipathy for Larry Holmes, who is a resident of eastern Pennsylvania.
13:08He's known as the eastern assassin.
13:10The usual baleful stares exchanged.
13:14Part of the histrionics of such an event.
13:16And we're almost ready to go.
13:21As Christopher noted earlier, this is an 18-foot ring.
13:25There was some controversy surrounding it.
13:28As late as this morning, it was 17 feet, 4 inches.
13:31Rich Giacchetti, the manager of Holmes, insisted that the ring be 18 feet.
13:36He knows that in the early going, at least, Ledoux tries to get to the inside and to use that relatively massive upper body.
13:55Now, Ledoux has historically been susceptible to the jab.
13:59Holmes moving laterally both ways.
14:10Holmes moving laterally both ways.
14:12Holmes moving laterally both ways.
14:26You see the Holmes' dominant weapon, a quick jab, which punishes, which stings, and which can cut.
14:46Saul Ledoux missing wild.
14:49He's not yet gone inside.
15:14Jab keeping him off.
15:15We are two minutes into the round.
15:36We are two minutes into the round.
15:36We are two minutes into the round.
15:45And up to this point, Larry Holmes is going exactly what he wants to do.
16:10We are two minutes into the round.
16:11We are two minutes into the round.
16:12Let's go.
16:13Let's go.
16:14Let's go.
16:15Let's go.
16:16Let's go.
16:17Let's go.
16:18Let's go.
16:19Let's go.
16:20Let's go.
16:21Wow.
16:22Proud yelled over the right hand by Ledoux.
16:24The problem with Ledoux's punches are he has a tendency to loop them.
16:28As we approach the end of round one with Holmes in total charge.
16:32We're back live at the Mets Center, Bloomington, Minnesota, round two coming up the first round.
16:42A superb left-hand demonstration by Larry Holmes, who must have scored 40 to 50 blows to one for Scott Ledoux.
16:54Serena is the home of the Minnesota North Stars, who so surprised in the National Hockey League this past season,
17:00eliminating the famed Canadiens from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
17:12See how straight and stiff that left is, and Ledoux seemingly defenseless against it.
17:20Look at what Ledoux keeps his left arm.
17:22Down below.
17:26Suicidal to try to find a Larry Holmes that way.
17:30They'll do, mildly and only occasionally, point.
17:52Larry not using a lot of movement.
18:04He had told me before the fight that he didn't need to use as much movement as he did against a puncher like Chabot,
18:11that he could stay out front of Ledoux and dominate with the left.
18:15Ledoux keeping the right cocked, hoping for a wild swing that will land.
18:23And at 45 into the round.
18:25Two minutes into this, the second round.
18:42That's it, right hand up, left.
18:44Right hand up for three punches.
18:46Rich Cicchetti, the manager of Holmes, calling.
18:50But Larry to use the right in combination with the left.
18:55Well, Larry just tried and missed.
19:0135 seconds left in the round.
19:03Oh, he saw the right.
19:25Now he's responding to Chabotty's exhortation.
19:28We are close to the end of round two.
19:33And Holmes' performance speaks for itself.
19:36A mismatch at this point.
19:40I haven't used my antipers...
19:43Well, the commercial didn't roll,
19:53so we'll keep our eyes momentarily on Scott Ledoux.
19:57He's over in the corner there with his people.
20:00Joe Daskowitz, Chuck Daskowitz, the cut man,
20:03and the assistant trainer, Lou Halkinson.
20:07Wow.
20:07Over in Larry Holmes' corner,
20:09the familiar, septuagenarian of boxing,
20:13Freddie Brown.
20:14The man who was so great for Roberto Duran
20:17against Sugar Ray Leonard in Roberto's corner.
20:19And the man whom Vito Anafermo missed so much
20:23in London
20:24when Alan Minter creamed Vito.
20:28Keep that little bounce.
20:28Keep that little bounce.
20:31Keep that little bounce.
20:31And there is Sandy Ledoux.
20:35Wife of Scott Ledoux
20:36who can't be happy about what she's seen thus far.
20:42The bell for round three.
20:44We are live from the Mets Center
20:45in Bloomington, Minnesota.
20:47Larry's quick hands
21:04getting the punches in there
21:06before Scott can even seek to respond.
21:11There are points left by Ledoux.
21:13You can count Ledoux's punches
21:14on the fingers of one hand.
21:17Ledoux got in a right to the belly,
21:19but it was not hard.
21:21The crowd will respond
21:22to anything that Ledoux does.
21:25Keep going! Keep going!
21:27Keep going!
21:27Keep going!
21:34Saw that stinging right by Holmes.
21:38A right lead by Ledoux,
21:41but Holmes picking and choosing.
21:47Six-inch difference in reach
21:49shows itself again and again.
21:52And Holmes' ability to slip punches
21:55with his head shows itself.
22:00Holmes slipping a punch there,
22:02answering with a right
22:03and then following with a left.
22:05Good stiff left and another.
22:07He doubled up.
22:07Now Larry dancing on his toes.
22:12He's just having a workout.
22:19Those of you who have seen
22:20Ledoux fight before
22:22know that he always carries
22:24his hands this low.
22:25It's another source of vulnerability.
22:28That's a quick combination
22:29by Holmes scored.
22:31We're coming up to
22:32the two-minute mark
22:34in round three.
22:35It's just terrible to watch it.
23:04It's such a terrible mismatch
23:07up to this point.
23:12Feel especially sorry for Ledoux
23:15because of what you've learned
23:16about his wife
23:18and about their little son, Josh.
23:2110 seconds less than that now
23:33in the round.
23:37Bring it up, you child.
23:39Bring it up.
23:41I haven't used my antiperspirant.
23:43The bell for round four.
23:47Between rounds,
23:48a big demonstration
23:49put on by Muhammad Ali
23:51on his feet.
23:52Shadow boxing.
23:53Trying as if to establish
23:55that he can still
23:57fight with the old hand speed
23:59and the old foot speed
24:00and that he can take Holmes
24:01as he seeks to tub-thump
24:03for the projected match
24:06in Cairo, October 10th.
24:08In the meantime,
24:11Holmes is busting up
24:12Scott Ledoux's face.
24:16It has been as one-sided
24:18as anything you'd want to see.
24:21True, we've only gone three rounds,
24:24but you don't like to see
24:25people hurt.
24:26We have just had tragic
24:29the fifth death of a boxer
24:32within the past year.
24:35Cleveland Denny died.
24:37The young man
24:37who was knocked out
24:39by Gaetan Hart
24:40in the 10th round
24:41at Montreal's Olympic Stadium
24:43on June 20th past.
24:51Something to think about
24:52the next time
24:53you hear a crowd
24:55yell at the referee
24:57for stopping the fight.
24:58Right, sleep out!
25:01That's it.
25:02Keep your sleep out.
25:03Change him out.
25:04Change him out.
25:04In the 20th of the round
25:06and you saw
25:07the Holmes right.
25:09That's up.
25:09I didn't know
25:10he'll take it out.
25:12Holmes is taking his time.
25:14That's it.
25:15He knows exactly
25:16what he's doing.
25:17That's it.
25:17That's it.
25:18That's it.
25:18That's it.
25:18That's it.
25:19That's it.
25:19That's it.
25:20That's it.
25:20That's it.
25:21That's it.
25:21That's it.
25:22That's it.
25:22That's it.
25:23That's it.
25:23That's it.
25:24Come on out.
25:25Come on out.
25:29Come on out.
25:30Come on out.
25:32Minute 15 left.
25:34It's round four.
25:39Lou Ledoux
25:41raised the roars
25:42of the crowd
25:43with an intended right
25:44that unfortunately
25:45missed.
25:46maybe somewhere
26:00out of nowhere.
26:01Maybe somewhere out of nowhere
26:01LeDoux can pull
26:03a two ton
26:04Tony Galeno.
26:05After all
26:06he once knocked
26:07Joe Lewis down.
26:08but it would have to be
26:10that kind of thing
26:11which
26:14jacketti
26:15yelling constantly
26:16take it to him
26:17busting him up.
26:1915 seconds left and less.
26:35Larry Holmes is pitching a shot out.
26:49The back for round five, Ali having just again stolen the scene, standing, shadowboxing,
26:56towel thrown to Ali from Holmes' corner.
27:00But Holmes has to get back to the task at hand.
27:06Sitting next to Ali, by the way, the MVP in the Pro Bowl game of two years ago, one of
27:12the greatest wide receivers in football, Ahmad Rashad of the Minnesota Vikings.
27:19Ahmad has a lot more movement than Scott LeDoux.
27:36I'll tell you, where LeDoux holds that left hand, he is so vulnerable to the right that
27:43it's almost frightening.
27:49He's going to get right now.
27:56He's going to get right now.
28:05Right hook, champ.
28:06This is the fifth round, and every round has been the same.
28:24I'd like to alert our stations along the line, and we'll take a station break at the end
28:31of this round.
28:31How don't you sit there at home and count the lefts?
28:38And the right.
28:4045 seconds left.
29:02Then he's telling Holmes to keep his rhythm.
29:08Well, talking about low blows, but forget it.
29:38We'll have more championship boxing from Bloomington, Minnesota after this from our local stations.
29:47Get ready, America.
29:49The kind of act he's been putting on between rounds.
29:52Really, it's more than we're saying in the fight itself, which is how bad a mismatch this has been.
30:04Look at that, right?
30:05You see the way Paul Ledoux left himself open for it?
30:10First, he hurled a wild right, a looping right.
30:13Didn't have real power behind it, and at the same time, his left was at his side.
30:18One thing about Ledoux, he can't absorb punishment, but you don't like to see it administered so freely.
30:30The dude did land the right.
30:49And a good one.
30:50One thing about Ledoux downstairs is a third.
30:55It's a third.
30:56One thing about Ledouxército, a second.
30:59And at 35 into the round, the sixth round action, you want to call it that.
31:29They're right above us, and Ledoux remains a punching bag.
31:49Ledoux scored with a second right of the round.
31:52That induced a shield.
31:59Forty seconds.
32:07There you go.
32:08I think he claims he was thumbed, and at the same time, the mouthpiece.
32:19Well, it's an eight-count, and to Turley, so it's got a knockdown.
32:30This thing is close to over.
32:40Ground in the fight.
32:42Call it.
32:43Are we here?
32:59All right.
33:01They're working over the left eye of Ledoux, which has now been absolutely closed.
33:07Earlier in the round, Ledoux with a wild right, and then Holmes coming in with his right.
33:15Now, let's look closely, and let's see if we can detect, again, a missed wild right, a right
33:25by Holmes, and that was the one that did it.
33:28I didn't see a thumb there, and that's what closed his eye.
33:32You saw Ledoux go up to the eye.
33:35There it was again.
33:38Another shot.
33:40I wonder if they're going to let this thing continue.
33:43This is hardly prime time fair.
33:45Yep, they're going to let it go on.
33:49The left eye of Ledoux is just about closed.
33:55He's a one-eyed fighter now, and Holmes wanting to finish it right off.
34:01This is the seventh round.
34:20God, they've got to stop it.
34:22They really must.
34:24Davey Perl going in there.
34:28Now, let's see.
34:28Is he having the doctor take a look at it, or is he finishing it off?
34:33The doctor is looking at that left eye.
34:37The ring doctors are Gerald O'Brien of Minneapolis and Dr. John Salchard of Minneapolis.
34:43All right, he approves the continuance of the fight.
34:51Clock gets stopped, of course.
34:54Resumes.
34:58Two minutes left in the round, and Holmes just mercilessly busting up the opponent.
35:14Now the decision has to be the referee, Davey Byrne.
35:19He's got the authority to stop the fight.
35:22No one else.
35:23Blood coming out of the corner of that shot left eye.
35:45Minute 15 left in the seventh round.
35:49What is going on?
35:53Holmes looking at Davey Byrne, virtually begging him to stop the fight.
35:58And the referee will not stop him.
36:01The beating continues.
36:03Now, Davey Byrne is stopping the fight.
36:08Interesting, isn't it, that the crowd boos?
36:10And Joe Daskowitz, the corner man, is screaming, complaining, after what you have just seen.
36:29Now, Ali, Ali is going up on the ring apron and trying to crowd into the act.
36:36We will, of course, be talking with Larry Holmes.
36:42This was a sad thing.
36:47A little more to be said.
36:49Ali, as you see him on the ring apron.
37:05Trying to steal the scene.
37:11Not a happy moment.
37:14For anybody.
37:19As the crowd continues to boo the decision to stop the contest.
37:24And the referee was belated in that.
37:28To those in the know.
37:30Our five finalists.
37:32As I call each name, you will see a figure on your television.
37:36We're waiting for Larry Holmes to come down.
37:39In one of the unseemly demonstrations, I have witnessed the crowd has been throwing peanuts and beer down toward the ring.
37:48And they are still doing it.
37:50Objecting to the discontinuance of this contest.
37:55I mentioned the death of Cleveland Denny.
38:00We don't want blindness in the ring either.
38:03And Scott Ledoux's left eye was a hideous thing to see.
38:09Here's Larry Holmes with me now.
38:12Larry, congratulations.
38:15Here is the camera.
38:19Larry, first of all, that was a really hideous beating that you administered to Ledoux.
38:28He was utterly defenseless against the jab.
38:31Isn't that true?
38:32That's how he was.
38:34But he's a little awkward.
38:36And it took me like two rounds to get the jab working.
38:39And once I got the jab working, I had no problem.
38:42Now, the right.
38:44The one that shot his left eye.
38:47At first, I thought he claimed you thumbed him.
38:50Did you in any sense thumb him?
38:52Well, power to me.
38:54I hit him with an uppercut as he was coming in.
38:56He threw over here and right, and I counted with an uppercut.
38:59And I caught the upper of his eye like this.
39:01Because when I threw my uppercut, bottom knuckle lands.
39:05And it gashed his eye out there.
39:06And I can see it.
39:08I can you thumb it, guys, when you're throwing punches 100 miles an hour.
39:11All right.
39:12Now, in the seventh round, you virtually begged the referee, Davey Pearl, to stop the fight.
39:18You didn't want to hurt him anymore.
39:19Isn't that true?
39:20Right.
39:21Which I told Scott Ledoux that I won't hurt him.
39:24I predicted to the guys in the corner in my dressing room, his guys, six rounds.
39:28But I figured it wouldn't go eight because he was starting to pop up as soon as the jab
39:33got working.
39:34And you know, they put a lot of grease and stuff on him, keep him from cutting.
39:37Over both eyes.
39:38Over both eyes.
39:39Now, almost incredibly, this crowd continues to boo the discontinuance of the fight, throwing
39:46debris into the ring.
39:47What is your reaction to that as a fighter?
39:51Well, I'm in Scott Ledoux's hometown, and I respect the reaction, especially when we got
39:56a big mouth behind us, Muhammad Ali.
39:58And he's been around boxing millions of years.
40:01And people think he still can come back.
40:03But he can't come back.
40:05And I pray to God he don't.
40:07Because if he comes back, it's not going to be a fight like a Scott Ledoux.
40:10It's going to be a crucified fight.
40:12And Ali's going to be one game crucified.
40:14All right.
40:16One other question.
40:17Since you've brought up Ali, do you, in fact, believe that you will fight Ali in Cairo, Egypt
40:25on October 10th?
40:27I don't believe nothing until I see it.
40:29I signed three contracts already, and none of the fights have come.
40:33But if it do come, I'll be ready to fight Ali.
40:36But not until I see it.
40:37Not until the bell rings, and I go into the ring.
40:40There's a whole lot of talk, but we all know a lot of talk, and all the bull stuff can walk.
40:46Right there is Ali, doing what he's been doing all night.
40:50Your reaction to that?
40:52I think it should go into show business, how do you get out of fighting?
40:55He's jealous.
40:56He's an envy man.
40:58Didn't give me my just dues when I was the top contender.
41:01He went all around the world fighting all the other bombs.
41:03Did never deny, always denied Larry Holmes the opportunity.
41:05Now that I'm a heavyweight champion of the world, and he's broke, and he needs money,
41:10he wants to come back and give me a fight, to fight me.
41:13I'm the only man who can give Ali a fight.
41:16I'm the only man who can get the money that Ali needs.
41:18If he keeps it up, he will starve.
41:20I will not give him a fight, because he needs me, and I don't need him.
41:25Okay, my friend.
41:26You've spoken your piece.
41:28Congratulations again.
41:29Thank you, Howard.
41:30Take care.
41:31Congratulations to you, Rich Giacchetti.
41:33All right, that's the story here at ringside in the Mets Center.
41:38We are live.
41:40Holmes has won in the seventh round.
41:42I'll be talking with Ali in a moment.
41:45How do you feel at this point?
41:47I'm disappointed.
41:48You know, I caught a thumb in the eye, and my eye went shut for a while.
41:51They stopped the fight.
41:52I thought they should have let it go.
41:53I mean, I can see he couldn't put me away for God's sake.
41:56My eye was so bad.
41:57Why wasn't he scoring?
41:58Well, it was obviously the left jab, Scott, was always present and had to keep you off
42:04balance.
42:05But you did land a couple of good right hands.
42:06We land some good right hands.
42:08We were fighting our fight.
42:09We said before to fight.
42:10We wanted to take him into the late rounds, because that's where we're best at.
42:13We got endurance, and we get going.
42:15We wanted to carry him that far.
42:17We knew he was getting tired.
42:18He was tired of missing.
42:19We know he was missing a lot of punches.
42:20Scott, you're wearing the badge of honor that often happens to a fighter.
42:26We've seen it often.
42:27Just look into that camera and do the folks an idea.
42:30Now, you feel that it was a thumb on the right hand that he threw that hit you there in the
42:35eye.
42:35I don't think it was the right hand.
42:36I think it was the left hand, if I remember correctly.
42:37Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought it was the left hand.
42:39Caught me to the thumb over in the corner over there.
42:41I was bent down.
42:42He caught me to the thumb, and that's why I dropped, because it was an unbelievable pain when
42:45I got the thumb.
42:47I went down.
42:47I couldn't scope my eye up right away.
42:48We've got to watch this monitor now, and we're going to take a look at the replay.
42:52Here it comes.
42:53Now, you watch.
42:54This is why it's very difficult to see.
42:56I know he didn't hurt me.
42:59See?
43:00That's where he had the thumb.
43:01See the thumb.
43:02See the thumb.
43:03Through the eye.
43:03See the eye.
43:04See the eye.
43:05See the eye.
43:06Show it again.
43:07Just show it again.
43:08All right.
43:09We're going to show it again, Scott Ledoux.
43:10Let me tell you, you're the man that caught it, whatever it was, so you know the feel between
43:16that and the punch.
43:17I know.
43:17Watch the right glove.
43:19You watch the right glove.
43:20Right here.
43:21Now, watch.
43:21This is where it is.
43:22Watch the right.
43:23I can't see it, Joe.
43:25Different aim.
43:26Look at my eye.
43:27See my eye?
43:28See my eye?
43:30I'm not.
43:30You know, I take a hell of a shot.
43:31That little thing ain't going to hurt me.
43:33I know.
43:34We, uh...
43:34She didn't hold my eye.
43:35Why am I holding my eye?
43:37I can't see.
43:37Thumb you right, squaring eye.
43:38It hurt.
43:39That's all.
43:39I don't believe we have another view of it.
43:41Let's look at it one more time.
43:42Here is another view of it now, Scott.
43:44It'll show.
43:44I know I'm a controversial fighter, and they say I'm a cry bee, but I'm telling you the truth.
43:50Guy thumb me the right hand.
43:51It was a good fight.
43:51You know, felt he was ahead in a fight, but we had our fight planned.
43:55See the thumb?
43:56Now you see the thumb?
43:57Well, from that angle, it looked like a pretty big digit came out of there.
44:03It looked like a thumb coming off the glove.
44:05Yeah.
44:06You know what?
44:06From that angle, I hope we can play it one more time, Scott.
44:09I hope so.
44:09Because...
44:10Because it is short.
44:11Because from a punch, I don't think you go down holding the eye.
44:14You'd be...
44:14You'd be knocked silly.
44:15I'd be dropping.
44:16That's right.
44:16I wouldn't be grabbing.
44:18I wouldn't be dropping.
44:19And how did this happen from a...
44:20Did this happen from a punch?
44:22All these.
44:23I've never seen an eye like that.
44:24I mean, a hundred punches me.
44:25Look at this.
44:25If you can't tell me that, it's an inside punch with a thing.
44:28Something came up from underneath, I've got to tell you.
44:31I'm looking at that cut now, and the mouse under it, Scott.
44:34I thought we could win.
44:35How heavy were his punches?
44:37His jabs?
44:38His jab was missing me most of the time.
44:40He caught me one good jab in six rounds.
44:42The rest of the jabs were flicking jabs.
44:44You know, I fought the best.
44:45I fought five world champs.
44:46I've been in the ring with him.
44:47He doesn't compare to any of the ones the way he hits.
44:49Let's go, Scott.
44:49Where do we go from here?
44:51We keep trying.
44:52We keep trying.
44:53We keep working.
44:53Get another shot.
44:55You just enjoy the fight game, don't you?
44:58It's my business.
44:59I'm good at it.
45:00I work hard at it, and I love the game.
45:01It's the most beautiful game in the world.
45:02Well, Scott Darnett, you know, loser interviews are the toughest ones to do.
45:06Now I've done two from Minnesota.
45:08Dwayne Bobbick against Tate, and son of a gun, now you.
45:11They're tough to do.
45:12I feel sorry.
45:13I don't feel like a loser.
45:14I got thumb in the eye.
45:15Loser's when he's beaten.
45:16I never got beaten.
45:17I got thumb in the eye.
45:18Scott, I admire you for your courage.
45:20And the fact that you came out here to talk to me on national television.
45:24Chris, I've never been ashamed of anything I do.
45:26I know.
45:26I'm a proud man.
45:27I believe in what I do.
45:28Your family's proud of you, too.
45:29I got a super fan.
45:30Okay, we're going to come back to Bloomington, Minnesota, talking with Scott Ledoux, following
45:35this message.
45:35So it ended at 2.05 of the seventh round, and the previous bout ended at a minute of the
45:42thirteenth round.
45:42Mambi retaining his champion.
45:44Right guard knows that in equally active situations, men and women don't perspire equally.
45:48Men perspire more.
45:50That's why men count on right guard.
45:53There at ringside in Bloomington, Minnesota, a disturbingly unruly crowd still around us.
46:00I'm with Muhammad Ali.
46:01I want your reaction to the events.
46:04It was embarrassing.
46:04It was a disgrace.
46:06The dude just wasn't the man.
46:08Holmes punched him to death.
46:10It should have stopped early.
46:11He's cocky.
46:12He's shot.
46:12He was getting tired.
46:13He's punching nobody.
46:14You wait until I go.
46:15I want all of you to know that I'm coming back, and I'm going to destroy Larry Holmes.
46:19Larry Holmes has a chance.
46:20I'm going to come back.
46:21I'm fourth time champ.
46:22I promise you, I'll destroy Larry Holmes.
46:24He's nothing.
46:25He's got no class.
46:26He's still my smart partner.
46:27He hasn't improved.
46:28Not at all.
46:29That's why I came to watch him, and I promise you, I'll wipe the ring with him.
46:32There's no way the man's got no class with me.
46:34Now that you've gone through that.
46:35I'm waiting.
46:36You've gone through nothing.
46:37I'm ready.
46:37Wait a minute.
46:38Wait a minute.
46:39Look at yourself.
46:41Are you prepared, no matter what you say about Holmes and your tub thumping for the bout,
46:46are you prepared to go against a man that many years younger?
46:51Man, you're crazy.
46:52He's seven years younger than me.
46:54So what?
46:54My boxers in my amateur club are ten years younger, and I'm faster than them.
46:58I'll whoop Holmes tonight.
47:00The way he look, I'm 230.
47:02I will whoop Holmes tonight.
47:05I'll tell you what.
47:06I wouldn't come back and go out and lose a three-time champ.
47:09I'd be fooled to come back if I didn't think I could win.
47:12I'll destroy Holmes.
47:13I'll destroy Holmes.
47:14I want all of you to read my words right here.
47:16I'm back.
47:17And I'm going to show you how great and how class I am.
47:20I'm going to start.
47:21There'll be no contest.
47:22Holmes will be no contest for me.
47:24Would you have stopped the fight sooner?
47:26I think I would have stopped it much sooner, but around sooner.
47:29Okay.
47:30No class.
47:31No class.
47:32All right.
47:32Good luck to you.
47:33I'll tell you all, wait and see if I ain't the king.
47:36I'll just start.
47:36All right.
47:38And so, Muhammad Ali is back in a sense.
47:45Whether or not he will truly be able to come back as a fighter remains to be seen.
47:50Certainly, he is doing his very best to promote the projected fight in Cairo.
47:57And in the meantime, here at Bloomington, we'll be back after this from our local stations.
48:32The stars of the National League and the American League meet at 8 Eastern, 7 Central, and 5 Pacific Time.
48:39Tonight's program has been brought to you by Natural Light Beard.
48:44This has been a presentation of ABC Sports, recognized around the world as the leader in sports television.
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