Larry Holmes vs Lorenzo Zanon

Larry Holmes retained the WBC heavyweight championship at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on February 3, 1980, knocking out Lorenzo Zanon at 2 minutes 39 seconds of the sixth round. Holmes, unbeaten at 32-0, weighed 213½ pounds and was making the fifth defence of the title he had won from Ken Norton in 1978. Zanon, the European heavyweight champion from Italy, weighed 215 pounds and brought a record of 25-4-2. He was ranked by the WBC but was given little chance by most observers, and Holmes entered the contest as a heavy favourite. The bout was televised by ABC and formed part of a Don King promotion that also included Wilfredo Gomez and Thomas Hearns on the bill.

Zanon began with more ambition than many had expected. He moved well in the opening rounds, used his jab, and tried to keep Holmes from settling into a steady rhythm. Holmes was not in immediate command in the spectacular sense, but he remained composed and gradually found his range. His left hand began to land with more authority as the first three rounds passed, and Zanon’s early movement became less effective once Holmes started timing him on the way in.

The fourth round changed the contest decisively. Holmes increased the pressure and dropped Zanon with a clean left-right combination to the head. Zanon rose, but he was hurt and under pressure. Moments later, as he retreated and tried to jab his way clear, Holmes countered him with a heavy right hand that sent him down again, this time slumping into the ropes before falling face-first to the canvas. Zanon got up again, showing courage, but he was badly shaken.

Referee Ray Solis then became part of the story. After Holmes continued landing heavy blows on the dazed challenger, Solis administered a standing eight-count, although such a count was not allowed under Nevada rules at the time. The pause gave Zanon a chance to recover and survive the round. It did not alter the likely result, but it delayed it and left an unusual mark on what was otherwise becoming a routine defence for the champion.

The fifth round was quieter. Holmes did not rush carelessly after the finish, and Zanon, still mindful of the punishment he had taken, tried to survive and regain his legs. The judges had Holmes ahead when the contest ended, with Art Lurie scoring 49-45, Harold Buck 48-46, and Chuck Minker 49-44. Those figures reflected Zanon’s reasonable start, but the direction of the bout had already turned sharply toward the champion.

In the sixth, Holmes again asserted his authority. He worked Zanon into position, kept him under pressure, and near the end of the round landed a decisive right cross. Zanon went down and could not beat the count. The knockout was recorded at 2:39 of the sixth round. Holmes had retained his championship with a performance that was not among his most memorable, but was efficient once he solved Zanon’s movement.

For Holmes, it was another successful defence in a reign that was gathering momentum. He had already come through severe tests against Norton, Mike Weaver and Earnie Shavers, and Zanon represented a different kind of assignment: a ranked European challenger whom a champion was expected to beat clearly. Holmes did exactly that. Zanon had brief success early, but once Holmes’ jab, pressure and right hand began to tell, the gap in class became too wide. The result moved Holmes on toward further defences and reinforced his position as the leading heavyweight champion of the post-Ali period.