If you want to see the exact moment the "Golden Era" of boxing died, you don’t look at a knockout. You look at the tenth round of Larry Holmes vs Muhammad Ali. Specifically, you look at Larry’s face. He wasn't celebrating. He was practically begging the referee to end it.
Honestly, it’s one of the most uncomfortable things you’ll ever watch on a screen.
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October 2, 1980. Las Vegas was a furnace, even at night. Caesars Palace had built this massive temporary outdoor stadium that sat nearly 25,000 people. Everyone was there. Frank Sinatra, Gene Hackman, even Sylvester Stallone. They all came to see "The Last Hurrah." They wanted to see if the most charismatic man on the planet could pull off one more miracle against the "Easton Assassin."
He couldn't.
The Fight That Should Have Never Happened
People talk about this fight like it was a fair contest. It wasn't. It was a 30-year-old wrecking machine in his absolute prime versus a 38-year-old legend whose body was already beginning to betray him.
Ali had been out of the ring for two years after beating Leon Spinks. He was heavy. He was slow. But he was Ali, so he did what he always did: he talked. He told the world he was going to become a four-time champion. He looked great in photos because he’d lost a ton of weight, dropping down to $217 \frac{1}{2}$ lbs.
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But that weight loss was a lie.
Ali had been taking Thyrolar, a thyroid medication, to help him slim down. He was doubling the dosage because he thought they were vitamins. Instead of giving him energy, the pills were basically melting him from the inside. They messed with his body’s ability to cool itself down. In that 89-degree Vegas heat, Ali was effectively suffering from heat exhaustion before the first bell even rang.
Larry Holmes and the Burden of the Jab
Larry Holmes was in a "no-win" situation. He had been Ali’s sparring partner for years. He lived with the man. He idolized him. If he won, he was the bully who beat up an old man. If he lost, he was a fraud.
From the first round, it was clear. The "Easton Assassin" possessed a jab that felt like a telephone pole hitting you in the face. Over and over.
- Total Punches Landed: Holmes (340) vs Ali (42)
- Jabs Landed: Holmes (205) vs Ali (36)
- Power Punches: Holmes (135) vs Ali (6)
Those stats aren't just lopsided; they’re terrifying. Ali didn't win a single round on any judge's scorecard. Not one. He spent ten rounds leaning against the ropes, trying to "rope-a-dope" a man who knew all his tricks. Holmes wasn't George Foreman; he wasn't going to punch himself out. He just kept tattooing Ali’s face with that left hand.
By the middle rounds, Holmes was actually shouting at referee Richard Green, asking him to stop the fight. He was pulling his punches. You can see it in the footage—Holmes would land a clean shot, see Ali’s head snap back, and then hesitate. He didn't want to kill his friend.
The Aftermath and the Tears
When Angelo Dundee finally signaled the end after the tenth round, it was the first time in Ali’s entire career that he had been stopped. He sat on his stool, a shell of the man who "shook up the world" in '64.
The locker room scene was even worse.
Larry Holmes walked into Ali’s dressing room afterward, tears streaming down his face. He told Ali he loved him. Ali, ever the joker even in defeat, whispered back, "Then why did you whip my ass?"
But the damage was done.
Many medical experts, including Ali’s former ring doctor Ferdie Pacheco, believe those ten rounds did more to accelerate Ali's Parkinson’s symptoms than any other fight. Pacheco had actually quit Ali’s camp years earlier because he saw the neurological decline starting. He called the Holmes fight "an abomination, a crime."
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Why Larry Holmes vs Muhammad Ali Still Matters
We like to think of sports as a place where the best man wins and everyone goes home happy. But this fight was a reminder of the "dark side" of the sweet science. It’s why we have much stricter medical screenings today. It’s why commissions are (supposedly) more careful about letting legends "return for one more" when the tank is empty.
If you’re a boxing fan, or just someone interested in the history of Larry Holmes vs Muhammad Ali, here are the real takeaways:
- The Mayo Clinic Report: Before the fight, Ali failed several basic coordination tests (touching nose, hopping on one foot). The Nevada Commission knew this but let him fight anyway.
- The Thyroid Scandal: Never take medical advice from someone who isn't a licensed doctor. Ali's "medical team" at the time was a mess of hangers-on.
- Larry’s Legacy: Holmes is arguably a top-5 heavyweight of all time, but he never got the credit he deserved because he had to be the guy who retired "The King."
The tragedy of the fight wasn't that Ali lost. Everyone loses eventually. The tragedy was that he was allowed to lose his dignity in front of the whole world.
If you want to understand the sport better, go back and watch Holmes' career after this. He defended his title 20 times. He was a master technician. But for many, he will always just be the man who cried while he beat Muhammad Ali.
Next Steps for Boxing Fans:
Check out the 30 for 30 documentary Muhammad and Larry. It features rare footage from the training camps and captures the heartbreaking reality of that October night. It’s the best way to see the human side of the statistics.