On this day in 1982, one of the voices of boxing decided that he’d seen enough.
Before Larry Holmes suffered his first defeat in September of 1985, he built a staggering record of 48-0 while holding the likes of the IBF, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles.
‘The Easton Assassin’ was still yet to face the likes of Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson during his reign as an undefeated champion.
Having already become the only man to stop Muhammad Ali, Holmes had already put together an impressive resume that now puts him in the GOAT conversation.
However, his title defense on November 26 of 1982 was far less glamorous than sharing the ring with ‘The Greatest’ two years prior.
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Howard Cosell said he’d never call another boxing match again during Larry Holmes vs Randall CobbAfter beating the likes of Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes held both the WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles.
On November 26 in 1982, Holmes’ next title challenger was Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb, a fellow American who had won three consecutive bouts to bounce back from consecutive defeats.
Cobb was simply outmatched when sharing the ring with the defending champion for 15 rounds.
He lost every round on two of the scorecards with his famously durable chin being the only thing preventing the fight from being stopped far sooner.
Photo by Heinz Kluetmeier /Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty ImagesThe one-sided beatdown took place just two weeks after the tragic passing of Kim Duk-koo following his fight with Ray Mancini, which would go on to have a huge impact on the sport.
Legendary commentator Howard Cosell was incredibly critical of Holmes vs Cobb and the referee’s decision to let it go the distance when calling the fight from the Astrodome in Houston, Texas.
Cosell went one step further than this by saying that if the referee didn’t stop the total mismatch, he’d never call another boxing fight again.
While he did return to cover amateur boxing at the 1984 Olympics, the Hall of Famer stayed true to his word.
THROWBACK: Manny Pacquiao named boxing legend he battered in KO win as his hardest hitting opponentHuge changes took place in boxing in the same year as Howard Cosell’s exitDespite Howard Cosell’s concerns, his reaction to the fight was laughed off by Randall Cobb after his one-sided defeat to Larry Holmes.
While they weren’t in place for the heavyweight title fight, the tragic passing of Kim Duk-koo did lead to much better safety protocols in the sport.
The standing eight count and longer suspensions for fighters who had been knocked out were implemented shortly after.
Championship fights were also dropped from 15 rounds to 12 by the WBA, with other sanctioning bodies following suit over the next several years.
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