[tps_header]6. Larry Holmes[/tps_header]
Born in Cuthbert, GA, the Easton Assassin, Larry Holmes (69-6, 44 KOs) is best known for his trademark shotgun jab. According to Wikipedia, Holmes’ 20 title defenses are second only to Joe Louis’ 25.
Holmes said that he learned a lot as a young sparring partner for Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Earnie Shavers. He would go on to defeat Ali and Shavers in his career as well as Gerry Cooney and Tim Witherspoon.
Holmes was known for being outspoken, especially after some notable losses.
After losing his first career fight to Michael Spinks and falling one win short of matching Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record, Holmes famously said, “If you really want to get technical about the whole thing, Rocky (Marciano) couldn’t carry my jockstrap”.