Back in 1980, a young Mike Tyson watched his idol, Muhammad Ali, get beat up for ten rounds. Ali faced Larry Holmes in a fight that promoter Don King billed as, ‘The Last Hurrah’. Doctors somehow gave a deteriorating Muhammad Ali the green light to fight.

Being the confident boxer that he was, despite knowing that he was not in his best shape, and knowing his motor skills were slowly decreasing, Ali was confident he would win. However, this was not the case.

The younger, faster Holmes beat Ali up for ten consecutive rounds in front of a record audience of 2 Billion. Among the Billions watching from home, a young aspiring Boxer from Albany and his trainer vowed to seek revenge.

Immediately after the fight, Cus D’Amato got on a call with Ali and told Ali to speak to Tyson. During the conversation, Tyson told Ali, “When I grow up, I’ll fight Holmes and I’ll get him back for you.”

Ever since he got into boxing, Tyson admired Muhammad Ali. Watching Holmes mercilessly thrash Ali enraged him and his entire camp. The young boxer finally got a chance to avenge his idol’s loss 8 years later, as the heavyweight champion.

How many times did Tyson fight Holmes? 

On January 22, 1988, a young heavyweight champion from New York took on the former heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King lured Holmes out of retirement with a $3 million offer to take on ‘Iron’ Mike.

This is a fight Tyson prepared for his entire life. The pair fought only once and after the fight, Holmes went back into retirement.

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What did Ali say to Mike Tyson before the Holmes fight?

Don King invited Muhammad Ali ringside, to watch Mike Tyson take on his former nemesis. Before the fight started, Ali, along with Don King, went onto the stage to bathe in the adulation of his fans. The ring announcer gave Ali a better introduction than the two fighters fighting that night.

After the introductions, Ali went and shook Holmes’ hand, then he went to Tyson, grabbed both his hands, and whispered in his ears, “Remember what you said–get him for me”.

Did Tyson hurt Larry Holmes?

From the very start, Tyson put pressure on his opponent and did not let him rest. Holmes had an excellent strategy for going into the fight. He tried to stay at a distance and used his height advantage to land jabs on Tyson.

Whenever Tyson would close the distance, Holmes would clinch and get out of the situation. Just before the end of the third round, Tyson connected with a powerful right just after the bell rang.

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This got Holmes all riled up, and he opened up to dish out some punishment to Tyson. His plan backfired, as Tyson used this opportunity to close the distance and make Holmes regret his decision.

Tyson hurt Holmes with a right hand and knocked him down with a one-two combination. Tyson is one of the best finishers in boxing, so when he smelled blood, he went in for the kill, knocking Holmes out thrice in the fourth round before the referee called a stop to the contest. He hurt Homes badly, as he lay on the canvas receiving medical attention.

How old was Larry Holmes when he fought with Mike Tyson?

This fight was a mismatch from the very start, and Holmes probably knew this, going into the fight. The $3 million dollar offer from Don King was just too good for him to refuse, which is why he agreed to fight Tyson at 38 years old.

He came out of retirement to get beat up by Tyson and earn a $3 million dollar purse. Mike Tyson also earned a guaranteed $3 million dollars from the fight. The purse for both the fighters was huge.

Although the Trump Plaza was packed to the brim, there are no details about how many people were in attendance to watch the fight.