Larry Holmes was taken to a split decision by huge underdog in the prime of his career

Larry Holmes won a split decision against Tim Witherspoon

Holmes’ first outing in 1983 would see him defeat Lucien Rodriguez via unanimous decision. The win marked ‘The Easton Assassin’s’ 14th defense of his WBC World Heavyweight title.

Aiming to make his record 43-0, and earn a 15th retention of his world title, Holmes faced 25-year-old Tim Witherspoon. The fight would take place on May 20th, 1983, in Nevada.

Witherspoon went into the fight with a 15-0 record. Despite being undefeated, Witherspoon was considered a significant underdog due to his lack of experience and notable wins.

However, Witherspoon would put up a much tougher fight than many expected. In round nine, Witherspoon would even seemingly hurt Holmes, scoring a number of clean punches on the champion.

The champion would be able to use his experience to survive the round, although it was clear that Holmes had been in danger in the fight.

In the 10th round, Witherspoon seemingly had plenty of confidence as he was flicking his jab at Holmes with swagger. As well as this, Holmes would also score his own success in the final three rounds.

Although Witherspoon was lifted in victory as the final bell rang, it was not to be for the young underdog. Even though the challenger won the bout on one judge’s scorecard, the other two saw it the way of the champion.

Holmes was the victor via split decision, as he extended his title run and winning streak.

Witherspoon would end his career as a two-time heavyweight champion. He won the vacant WBC World Heavyweight title in 1984, before starting his second reign in 1986 with the WBA belt.

Larry Holmes’ 12-year unbeaten streak ended in 1985

Defeating Ken Norton via split decision, Holmes became a world champion for the first time. For seven years, no one would be able to take his undefeated record from him.

Following his win over Witherspoon, Holmes knocked out Marvis Frazier , Scott Frank, James Smith, and David Bey, as well as defeating Carl Williams.

After these wins, Holmes had a professional record of 48-0, as he had one of the most legendary runs of all time. However, Holmes would taste back-to-back defeats against one of his biggest rivals.

Holmes lost an ‘Upset of the Year’ meeting to Michael Spinks in 1985. Then, in the following year, he could not get revenge over Spinks.