"Heavyweight Champion" Larry Holmes Hand Signed 6X8.5 Postcard Todd Mueller COA

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Up for auction
"Heavyweight Champion" Larry Holmes Hand Signed 6X8.5 Postcard.
This item is authenticated by Todd Mueller Autographs and comes with their certificate of authenticity.
ES-4002
Larry Holmes
(born November 3, 1949) is an American former
professional boxer
who competed from 1973 to 2002. He grew up in
Easton, Pennsylvania
, which led to his boxing nickname of the
Easton Assassin
. Holmes, whose left
jab
is rated among the best in boxing history,
held the
WBC
heavyweight
title from 1978 to 1983,
The Ring
magazine
and lineal heavyweight titles from 1980 to 1985, and the inaugural
IBF
heavyweight title from 1983 to 1985. During his only title reign, he defended his title against
19 fighters
, the second most in history behind
Joe Louis
.
He also holds the record for the
longest individual heavyweight title streak
in the modern boxing history. Holmes is one of only five boxers—along with
Joe Frazier
,
Ken Norton
,
Leon Spinks
and
Trevor Berbick
—to defeat
Muhammad Ali
; he is the only one to have
stopped
Ali. Holmes won his first 48 professional bouts, including victories over Norton, Ali,
Earnie Shavers
,
Mike Weaver
,
Gerry Cooney
,
Tim Witherspoon
,
Carl Williams
and
Marvis Frazier
. He fell one short of matching
Rocky Marciano
's career record of 49–0 when he lost to
Michael Spinks
in an upset in 1985. Holmes retired after losing a rematch to Spinks the following year, but made repeated comebacks. He was unsuccessful in three further attempts (against
Mike Tyson
in 1988,
Evander Holyfield
in 1992 and
Oliver McCall
in 1995) to regain the heavyweight title. Holmes fought for the final time in 2002, aged 52, against the 334lb
Eric "Butterbean" Esch
, and ended his career with a record of 69 wins and 6 losses. He is frequently ranked as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time and has been inducted into both the
International Boxing Hall of Fame
and World Boxing Hall of Fame. Holmes was the fourth of twelve children born to John and Flossie Holmes. After the family moved to
Easton, Pennsylvania
in 1954, Holmes' father went to Connecticut. He worked as a gardener there until his death in 1970. He visited his family every three weeks. "He didn't forsake us", said Flossie Holmes. "He just didn't have anything to give." The family survived on welfare. To help support his family, Holmes dropped out of school when he was in the seventh grade and went to work at a car wash for an hour. He later drove a dump truck and worked in a quarry.
After compiling an amateur record of 19–3, Holmes turned professional on March 21, 1973, winning a four-round decision against Rodell Dupree. Early in his career he worked as a sparring partner for
Muhammad Ali
,
Joe Frazier
,
Earnie Shavers
, and
Jimmy Young
. He was paid well and learned a lot. "I was young, and I didn't know much. But I was holding my own sparring those guys", Holmes said. "I thought, 'hey, these guys are the best, the champs. If I can hold my own now, what about later?'" Holmes first gained credibility as a contender when he upset the hard-punching
Earnie Shavers
in March 1978. Holmes won by a lopsided twelve-round unanimous decision, winning every round on two scorecards and all but one on the third. Holmes's victory over Shavers set up a title shot between Holmes and
WBC
Heavyweight Champion
Ken Norton
in
Las Vegas
on June 9, 1978.