STATUE HONORING HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION LARRY HOLMES TO BE INAUGURATED ON SUNDAY
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 10 Dec 2015
Former outstanding heavyweight champion Larry Homes will be honored with the official unveiling of a bronze statute where the Lehigh and Delaware rivers meet in Easton, Pennsylvania, the hometown of the fighter known as the ?Eastern Assassin? on Sunday.
In an article in The Morning Call, reporter Tom Shortell said that Holmes sized up his likeness Monday as crews installed a bronze statue of the boxing champion in a small park and especially thanked the city and his wife, Diane, for the tribute, saying it's something "people will be able to remember the rest of their life."
Shortell said that as he looked up at the statue, which depicts the "Easton Assassin" throwing a punch, the champ was asked what it's like to literally be larger than life.
Holmes said "It feels great. It's mind-boggling when you think about something like this happening for you, to you. I owe my wife all the gratitude because she put her effort [in] and she got it done."
Asked whether he found it a good resemblance, Holmes said: "My wife thinks it is, and I think it is when I'm fighting. But when I'm looking like normal ? like I look pretty good now ? but when I'm like that [fighting] I don't know how good I look. The more you look at this statue, the more it looks me.?
Brian Hanlon, of, N.J., is the sculptor of the 19,000-pound statue.
A short parade will precede the unveiling of the statue with some of. Holmes' old friends from the boxing world in attendance, said Nina Alexander, a member of Heart of a Legend, the small nonprofit that raised money for the statue.
She said, "He deserves it."
Holmes fought some of the greatest heavyweights of all-time including Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Leon Spinks, Gerry Cooney and Muhammad Ali although Ali faced Holmes when the man they called ?The Greatest? was well past his prime and was forced to retire in the 10th round of a scheduled 15 round bout in October, 1980.
Holmes ended his career with a record of 69-6 with 44 knockouts.
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