Larry Holmes on MMA
Published by Scoop Malinowski on April 15th, 2009 in Interviews

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Former World Heavyweight champ made some comments about what he thinks of mixed martial arts last week. While not yet a full-fledged fan, the sport may be growing on “The Easton Assasin” who checks out the MMA fights and shows them on the big screen at his Ringside Restaurant/Nightclub in Easton, PA.

MMAMemories.com: Do you like watching MMA?

Larry Holmes: No. No. Because you get hurt. If I throw you down and start choking you, hitting you behind the head or whatever they do, and I get up and kick you in the head, what you call that? That’s brutal boxing. Brutal fighting. Brutal fighting to win is what we do anyway. But you gotta have some kind of rules and some kind of regulations or you’re not gonna have it. You’re not gonna get it in that game. Anybody against anybody it can be, it’s all luck. If you boxing and you win, that’s a different story. Because I might not be able to wrestle as good as I can box. I could box better so I’m gonna beat you in boxing. But you might take me down and throw me down, then I’m in trouble.

MMAMemories.com: So you don’t really like to watch it?

Larry Holmes: I watch it but I don’t have a favorite. I watch it and look at it. I don’t sit there and watch it like I would do a 12-round fight, if I knew who was fighting. If I knew Mayweather was fighting, I’d watch a 12-round fight with him, in and out, it’s exciting to watch him get away from punches. It’s exciting to watch him take a good punch. He’s exciting to watch him give one. So that’s why I like that better than this other junk that’s going on.

MMAMemories.com: Some have joked you showed a some MMA skills with your drop-kick on Trevor Berbick.

Larry Holmes: Well, he messed around and insulted my family. And you don’t do that. That’s why it happened. If he would have left me alone – because I fought him and beat him 15 rounds out of 15. And he wanted a rematch. I said, Get ranked. I ain’t got time to mess with you. I’m making my comeback, I had returned and I said, If somebody pay us, we fight. Then he started calling me names and cussing me out. And I left, I didn’t want to hear it. So he couldn’t get more press. So he started on my wife and kids. And that’s a no-no. So I don’t feel sorry for him dying.

“Ringside Restaurant/Nightclub” is located at 91 Larry Holmes Drive in Easton, PA