Larry Holmes defended his WBC world heavyweight title against Alfredo Evangelista

Date: November 10, 1978

Venue: Caesars Palace, Las Vegas

Holmes stance: orthodox

Evangelista stance:

Larry Holmes turned pro in 1973 and won his first 26 fights against a succession of journeymen. In his 27th fight, Holmes beat Earnie Shavers on points, in what was supposed to be Shavers' final preparation for another world title shot. Instead, Holmes earned his place in the ring with Ken Norton, and what followed was one of the best heavyweight title fights of all time. After 14 rounds, all three judges had Norton and Holmes winning seven rounds each. Two of those judges awarded the last round to Holmes, and the rest was history. Five months later, Holmes returned to Caesars Palace to make his first defence.

Alfredo Evangelista was born in Uruguay in 1964, and turned pro in 1975. Most of his fights to date had taken place in Spain. He beat a number of fringe contenders before suffering his first loss to Lorenzo Zanon on points. His next fight was for the undisputed heavyweight title against Muhammad Ali. While he never looked like winning, he gave Ali a hard fight and went the full 15 rounds. Evangelista then won nine fights in a row, picking up the Euoropean title and defending it a couple of times.

For an in depth look at their respective records, visit:

Larry Holmes - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/150

Alfredo Evangelista - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/367