Larry Holmes cried after defeating the legendary Muhammad Ali back in 1980

Taking down the great Muhammad Ali in a boxing fight is definitely something boxers would relish for their whole life. However, Larry Holmes broke down and cried after accomplishing a TKO victory against the greatest of all time in 1980. Muhammad Ali vs Larry Holmes in ‘The Last Hurrah’ will always be special to Larry Holmes’ fans as he went onto finish Muhammad Ali after punishing him for 10 rounds. But, Larry Holmes ended the night with tears in his eyes and he has revealed the real reason behind it. Let us take a look at the iconic match from 1980 which still gives goosebumps to the entire boxing community.

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Larry Holmes vs Muhammad Ali: Larry Holmes' emotional breakdown

Muhammad Ali came out of retirement in 1979 and tried to capture the WBC Heavyweight title for the unprecedented fourth time. Fate took an unexpected turn when Muhammad Ali was lined up against his sparring partner Larry Holmes at ‘The Last Hurrah’ in 1980. Both Ali and Holmes were training partners and they knew each other’s skills. However, Muhammad Ali could not capitalise much as Larry Holmes dominated the entire fight before winning it at the tenth with a technical knock out. After accomplishing one of the greatest nights of his career, Larry Holmes broke down as he never wanted to beat his idol, the great Muhammad Ali.

In an interview with GQ in 2017, Larry Holmes spoke about the night and said: “Yes, it was really hard because he (Muhammad Ali) was my buddy. He (Muhammad Ali) was the guy that taught me how to fight. He (Muhammad Ali) helped me understand how to do things to an opponent to make them.  I learned all of that from being with him all those years. Can you imagine what it was like for me, aged 20-21, to be working with the Greatest (Muhammad Ali)? ”

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