Larry Holmes Quotes

#1. George Foreman is easier and has the bigger name and have you noticed that Foreman never calls me out or ever mentions my name? He is afraid of me like most fighters are and most people want to forget about Larry Holmes, like he never ever existed.

Larry Holmes

#2. My fans know the name Larry Holmes and that he always gave it his all.

Larry Holmes

#3. I beat Larry Holmes and George Foreman. I whupped Mike Tyson twice. I had my ear chewed off and spat on the ground in front of me. I've seen everything it is possible to see in boxing. I know this business better than anyone. So I live and die by my own decisions.

Evander Holyfield

#4. I had did so much to Larry [Holmes] in the ring that I made him respect me in the fight.

Michael Spinks

#5. I am seeing all the guys, like Earnie Shavers, Tex Cobb, and Larry Holmes all the time.

Gerry Cooney

#6. I felt so good when I fought Larry [Holmes]. When I fought Larry the first time, I mean, first time in my life, I mean, I could remember I wanted to fight.

Michael Spinks

#7. It wasn't about Larry Holmes, if I would have fought a brother I wouldn't have gotten the money I got. Give me 10 black guys and I make eight dollars. Give me Gerry Cooney and I make $10 million.

Larry Holmes

#8. There is no quit in me.

Larry Holmes

#9. I always felt good about myself. I was just an average person. I always felt I could do anything anyone else could. If an average person makes up their mind to do something, they can.

Larry Holmes

#10. I was probably the best that ever walked this earth. And I could take a punch. I could deliver a punch. I didn't have the hardest punch in the world but my punches were sharp and they were crisp. And if you took too many of them, you would be knocked out.

Larry Holmes

#11. Don King doesn't care about black or white. He just cares about green.

Larry Holmes

#12. I think Ali was a fan of mine, even though he never said it. A lot of fighters thought I was pretty good. Nobody every really spoke different on that. But a lot of fighters thought I was good so.

Larry Holmes

#13. You can't put those guys like Marciano or anyone else in with today's class of fighters.

Larry Holmes

#14. With a record of 75 fights and 6 losses, some of the losses were very questionable including Brian Nielsen when we fought in Denmark. I knew I won but they didn't give me that fight.

Larry Holmes

#15. When Don King's fighters lose their titles they come back fighting on the undercard for peanuts. King owns all the top heavyweights and we spar against each other but we get charged for it and that comes out of our purses.

Larry Holmes

#16. Now I'm free of him and I'm light as a feather. There's no weight holding me down; I'm ready to spread my wings and fly.

Larry Holmes

#17. It's hard being black. You ever been black? I was black once - when I was poor.

Larry Holmes

#18. All fighters are prostitutes and all promoters are pimps.

Larry Holmes

#19. Muhammad could take a very good punch. He was slick, he could move, he could hit, make you miss, good hand speed and combinations and one of the greatest fighters of all time in my opinion.

Larry Holmes

#20. I didn't fight this fight for the blacks, the whites or the Spanish, I fought th fight for the people. We're all God's children. I don't see color. I'm not a racist When I look at Gerry Cooney, I just see a man trying to take my head off.

Larry Holmes

#21. I don't really make plans and I just want to be happy and continue with my business and take care of my wife and kids. I want to sit back, relax and enjoy life.

Larry Holmes

#22. Those guys were made for me and Muhammad because they come straight in and don't back up but you had to watch out for his punching power but if we could have neutralized that then we would have been fine.

Larry Holmes

#23. My dad used to tell me, 'Check the price, son.' Check the price, kids, check the price because there is a price to be paid for whatever you do in life, whether it is good or it is bad. Before you do something, ask yourself is it worth the price you have to pay?

Larry Holmes

#24. I came from a dirt farm, now I'm filthy rich.

Larry Holmes

#25. I don't think Joe Louis could take the punches today fighting in this era.

Larry Holmes

#26. I still feel that I am in my prime right now but I think my best fights were in my thirties.

Larry Holmes

#27. Set a goal and make a commitment to meet that goal. Do the best you can, but never forget your roots, never forget where you came from. After you have succeeded, look back and see if there are others that you might help to achieve what you have accomplished.

Larry Holmes

#28. Mike Tyson would have been a good sparring partner for me and Muhammad Ali because Tyson was a fast fighter and he could punch and throw good combinations.

Larry Holmes

#29. This is the lying thieving mother who cut me $500,000.

Larry Holmes

#30. I won't say I won't fight again but I don't think anyone wants to fight me so I am finished and I will just continue with boxing exhibitions.

Larry Holmes

#31. One of the best ones out there was a guy named Howard Cosell. He was the best.

Larry Holmes

#32. If you don't follow Don King, you get stepped on.

Larry Holmes

#33. We put our life on the line to fight for them, put on a show and these guys take our money so whatever happens to Bob Arum, Don King or anyone else is fine with me.

Larry Holmes

#34. Everybody knows that I am one of the greatest fighters of all time and I would beat all those guys.

Larry Holmes

#35. Ali was a guy that had a lot of discipline. If you hung around him, you'd be able to get some of that discipline that he had. And I learned from that. He was a sweet man.

Larry Holmes

#36. The guys today are just too strong and back then they would take many hard punches to land one.

Larry Holmes

#37. I am still quick at 250 to 260 lbs and I am smarter.

Larry Holmes

#38. I'm not in the K-1 tournament. We thought about it but they really don't want me as they feel I might get hurt so that's fine with me but I do see a lot of guys out there that I feel I can take.

Larry Holmes

#39. Yeah, I thought I could be heavyweight champion of the world when I was working with Ali and Joe Frazier and Earnie Shavers and all those guys. Because they were older than me and I was doing my thing.

Larry Holmes

#40. People think that I reached the top overnight; well, it took me fourteen years. I was twenty-nine before I really made it. I've had my jaws and hands broken. One arm is out of place. I've paid my dues in this business.

Larry Holmes

#41. I would think about the outcome. Visualize sometimes. Because it never comes out the way you want it to. Fight the way I know how to fight. Whatever comes up, comes up.

Larry Holmes

#42. Bob Arum and Don King can do their thing but if I fought for those guys and they put the money up like they are supposed to then I don't have a problem.

Larry Holmes

#43. I never tried to be a mercenary or a killer but a hard working fighter.

Larry Holmes

#44. Don King was good to me through my years as champion, but I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. He's a wheeler dealer and you've got to be careful. He's a great con artist.

Larry Holmes

#45. Fighters today are much bigger, stronger and quicker and not only that but referees, judges and doctors back then were very strict and if your head got busted up the fight would be stopped.

Larry Holmes

#46. I think George Foreman must have gained about 350 lbs and is slow as ever.

Larry Holmes

#47. I don't owe Don King anything. I got things with my own sweat and blood. I don't know if I'll be associated with Don but I won't be a slave or puppet for him.

Larry Holmes

#48. I have a lot of friends and fans in Canada and as a matter of fact I met a fan from there that came down to my office. It was nice and we took pictures and had a nice talk.

Larry Holmes

#49. When you constantly hear people talking about going the distance, going the distance, you can't help but wonder about it. I learned a lesson: next time I will fight my fight without that doubt.

Larry Holmes