Great question my friend. Got to go to church now but will answer this later today. Yes Larry Holmes was indeed a complete fighter though everybody knows he had one of the greatest if not the greatest jabs in heavyweight Championship history. He was very accurate and fast with that jab of his but he also had a good right hand too and was a very smart fighter with a lot of heart and discipline to go with it and beat some pretty good fighters in his career like Dokes, Witherspoon, Shavers, The Truth Williams, Cooney for examples. He was a great fighter but his jab was a very huge reason as to why he was dominant as it made him the fighter he was combined with the other ring attributes.
Holmes was just a great and dominant fighter in general, and it wasnt' JUST b/c of his perfect jab.
Larry had one of (if not) the greatest jabs ever though, and it was a big part of his game.
So the jab is most definitely a big part of why he was great, and the word jab may as well be synonymous with the name Larry Holmes.
At the end of the day, Holmes was just an all around a great fighter. His chin was great, his skills were off the charts, his jab (as we said) was amazing, and he had the power to knock guys out or at the very least gain their respect/hurt them.
Larry Holmes was a top 5 all time heavyweight. His outstanding jab was only one reason he was great. These are some other qualities he had. He was adaptable he could fight and beat any style boxer or puncher. He was well conditioned and had heart and a decent not greatly powerful but good right hand.
The ''Eastern Assassin'' had more than a great jab:
Holmes had the best recovery skills I ever saw.... Google Holmes vs Shavers / Holmes vs Witherspoon.
Take Ali out of the picture - And you have the perfect Heavyweight of all time..
Of course, his whole offensive arsenal started with the jab, which is arguably the best in heavyweight history in terms of speed, angles and power, but you're right, he was a masterful boxer who had great skills like footwork, handspeed and solid punching power, especially in that right hand. He copied Muhammad Ali's style and incorporated in it his own techniques. Plus, Holmes trained hard, probably harder than Ali.
Larry Homes cam into his prime when all the great boxers were no longer a threat. but you can't take away that he was some what good.
or was he a masterful boxer who displayed great skills in the ring?
