Larry Holmes was fortunate to emerge with his perfect record intact. Tim Witherspoon, some believe, was robbed. The fans were the big winners.
The fight in question is the Hall of Famer’s 15th defense of his heavyweight title on this date – May 20 – in 1983 at the Dunes Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Holmes (42-0, 30 KOs) had jabbed his way through the division in the 1980s with relatively little resistance, as he became recognized as one of the best big men in history. This fight was different, although few saw it coming.
Witherspoon, 25, was ranked No. 3 by the WBC going into the fight but he wasn’t a well-known entity. He was a late starter, launching his pro career only three years earlier, and reportedly had only six amateur fights. He was only 15-0 (11 KOs) in the paid ranks.
In spite of all that, as Holmes and the fans would learn, Witherspoon was a good boxer when standards arguably were higher than today and he had punching power.
Thus, a fight that most figured would be another walkover for Holmes turned into a give-and-take battle that ended in a controversial split decision.
Holmes did well in the first half of the fight, although the early rounds were competitive. Beginning in the seventh, Witherspoon asserted himself by picking up the pace and had success. Then came an epic Round 9, in which Witherspoon hurt Holmes twice, sending him into survival mode the rest of the round. Holmes survived but it was a struggle.
Witherspoon, evidently believing he was ahead on the cards, took his foot off the gas in the final few rounds – while Holmes picked up his work rate – and it might’ve cost him the biggest victory in his career. One judge scored it for Witherspoon (115-114), the other two gave Holmes the nod (118-111 and 115-113). Few believe Chuck Hassett’s 118-111 score reflected what happened in the ring.
Afterward, Witherspoon showed little respect for Holmes.
“I was unknown and that was just politics,” Witherspoon told The Ring. “I had no problem dealing with Larry’s style, and if you watch the fight, at the end of the first round, I waved my hand to show him that I wasn’t impressed. He had nothing I hadn’t seen before, and I knew he couldn’t do anything with me.”
Meanwhile, Holmes served up a number reasons for what might be described as a sub-par performance. He said he over-trained, which might account for his relatively low weight of 213 pounds. And he claims he suffered from diarrhea the morning of the fight.
In the end, though, he acknowledged that it was a difficult fight but was satisfied to have his hand raised.
“I’m not ashamed of my fight,” Holmes told Sports Illustrated. “I’m 43 and 0, with 15 title defenses, and I’m the champion of the world. Now maybe that’s enough. I don’t know. I’m going to go home and think about it. I’ve been thinking about retiring for a long time. Now I’ll think about it some more. I’ll let you know.”
Retirement? Holmes’ last fight took place in 2002, 19 years later. Meanwhile, Witherspoon would become a two-time titleholder – outpointing Greg Page and Tony Tubbs to win his belts – before he finished up his career in 2003. But a victory over a then-unbeaten Holmes, which was within his grasp, would’ve changed the way he’s perceived today.
