Tim Witherspoon, only 22 years-old at the time, paused in a hallway at Caesars Palace to eavesdrop on an explosive argument coming from Muhammad Ali’s hotel room shortly before “The Greatest” was humiliated in his final world title fight against undefeated Larry Holmes.
Witherspoon, Ali’s sparring partner at the time, gives us an amazing peek behind the curtain of the hours leading up to this infamous title fight, describes his volatile relationship with promoter Don King (which led to a multi-million-dollar lawsuit), and talks at length about his hardscrabble upbringing in South Philly, some of the most-vicious streets in America during his youth.
This sensational conversation with the two-time heavyweight king on this week’s Ringside Boxing Show is not to be missed.
Before that, expert analysts Travis Hartman, Rizwaan Zahid, and John J. Raspanti dissect Terence Crawford’s lonely position as an HBO fighter in the Showtime-dominated welterweight division, discuss Cris Cyborg’s plan to move from UFC to boxing, and break down three matchups — Errol Spence vs. Lamont Peterson, Mikey Garcia vs. Jorge Linares, and Devon Alexander vs. Victor Ortiz.
We also get another inside look at the exciting UK boxing scene from British correspondent Paul McLaughlin.
Dennis Taylor is host of The Ringside Boxing Show, editor/publisher of www.ringsideboxingshow.com, and co-author (with John J. Raspanti) of “Intimate Warfare: The True Story of the Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward Boxing Trilogy,” celebrating more than a year on Amazon’s bestseller list.
Listen to “RINGSIDE BOXING SHOW: What Tim Witherspoon overheard just before the infamous Ali-Holmes fight … and other stunning stories” on Spreaker.
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