Have James Smith and Larry Holmes ever fought each other?

Yes. James Smith and Larry Holmes have met 2 times and Larry Holmes leads the series 2-0.

Who has the better record, Smith or Holmes?

James Smith is 44-17-1 and Larry Holmes is 69-6. Larry Holmes has the higher win percentage.

Who has more knockouts, Smith or Holmes?

James Smith has 32 knockout wins and Larry Holmes has 44. Larry Holmes has more.

Do Smith and Holmes have any common opponents?

James Smith and Larry Holmes share 9 common opponents: Mike Weaver, Brian Nielsen and Jesse Ferguson (and 6 others). Larry Holmes fared better against 3 of them.

Who is bigger, Smith or Holmes?

James Smith is the taller fighter at 193 cm, 3 cm above the other. James Smith also has the longer reach, by 2 cm.

How much fight data does Kill The Body have on Smith and Holmes?

This comparison is drawn from 66 bouts tracked for James Smith and 76 bouts tracked for Larry Holmes. Method and activity splits reflect those bouts only.

James Smith vs Larry Holmes — Records, Stats & Common Opponents

🇺🇸HEAVYWEIGHT

Larry Holmes

James Smith (44-17-1) and Larry Holmes (69-6) are compared on record, finishing method, activity, and common opponents on Kill The Body. The two have met 2 times. They share 9 common opponents.

Smith

Wins32 KO · 73%

Losses

Draw66 tracked bouts

Holmes

Wins44 KO · 64%

Losses

Draws76 tracked bouts

Head to Head

Holmes leads 2–0

James Smith and Larry Holmes have met 2 times; Holmes leads 2–0.
Met	1984Nov 9	1999Jun 18	Series
James SmithFighter A	LLost	LLost	0–2W–L
Larry HolmesFighter B	WWon	WWon	2–0W–L
Result	TKOR12Holmes vs Smith	TKOR8Holmes vs Smith	2Meetings

The Numbers

Smith 2 · Holmes 6 of 8 measurable rows

SmithEdge = longer wingHolmes

Record: 44-17-169-6 (edge)
Win %0–100%: 71.8%
92% (edge)
Wins by knockoutmax 44: 32
44 (edge)
KO rate0–100%: 72.73% (edge)
63.77%
Stoppage rate (tracked wins)^†0–100%: 73% (edge)
63%
Times stopped^†max 11: 11
1 (edge)
Title reignsmax 3: 1
3 (edge)
Bouts per year^‡max 2.6: 2.2
2.6 (edge)
Bouts trackedcoveragemax 76: 66
76

† Counted from bouts Kill The Body has ingested, not a career total. · ‡ Across each fighter's tracked career span. · Bars are scaled per row — percentages on 0–100, counts against the larger of the two. Every figure is also printed as text.

Tale of the Tape

Height+1″: James Smith: 6′4″ (edge); Larry Holmes: 6′3″
Reach+1″: James Smith: 82″ (edge); Larry Holmes: 81″
Age3 yrs apart: James Smith: 73; Larry Holmes: 76
Stance: James Smith: Orthodox; Larry Holmes: Orthodox

James Smith left, Larry Holmes right, as everywhere on this page. Age is stated, not scored — neither age nor stance carries an edge.

How They Win

Tracked bouts only

James Smith44 wins · from 66 tracked bouts

32 by KO/TKO 73%12 on the cards 27%

Larry Holmes70 wins · from 76 tracked bouts

44 by KO/TKO 63%26 on the cards 37%

One square per tracked win. Counted from the bouts Kill The Body has ingested for each fighter — James Smith 66, Larry Holmes 76 — not from a career-complete method table.

Common Opponents

9 shared

9 shared · Holmes better on 3 · even on 69 shared · Larry Holmes better on 3 · even on 6

SmithJames Smith

Opponent

HolmesLarry Holmes

James Smith
2–0 against
Win, UD
1990Apr 1990
Win, TKO 1
1986Apr 1986
WeaverMike WeaverUnited States 41–18–1 · HeavyweightEvenEven — 2–0 both
Larry Holmes
2–0 against
Win, TKO 6
2000Nov 2000
Win, TKO 12
1979Jun 1979
James Smith
Loss, TKO 5
1994Oct 1994
NielsenBrian NielsenDenmark 64–3 · HeavyweightEvenEven — 0–1 both
Larry Holmes
Loss, SD
1997Jan 1997
James Smith
Win, MD
1986Jun 1986
FergusonJesse FergusonUnited States 26–18 · HeavyweightHolmes betterLarry Holmes better — 2–0 to 1–0
Larry Holmes
2–0 against
Win, UD
1994Sep 1994
Win, UD
1994Aug 1994
James Smith
Win, SD
1985Apr 1985
RibaltaJosé RibaltaCuba 38–17–1EvenEven — 1–0 both
Larry Holmes
Win, UD
1993Sep 1993
James Smith
Win, TKO 8
1991Aug 1991
MartinEverett MartinUnited StatesEvenEven — 1–0 both
Larry Holmes
Win, UD
1993Jan 1993
James Smith
Loss, UD
1987Mar 1987
TysonMike TysonUnited States 50–7 · HeavyweightEvenEven — 0–1 both
Larry Holmes
Loss, TKO 4
1988Jan 1988
James Smith
1–1 against
Win, TKO 1
1986Dec 1986
Loss, UD
1985Jun 1985
WitherspoonTim WitherspoonUnited States 55–13–1 · HeavyweightHolmes betterLarry Holmes better — 1–0 to 1–1
Larry Holmes
Win, SD
1983May 1983
James Smith
Win, UD
1986Aug 1986
BeyDavid BeyUnited States 18–11–1 · HeavyweightEvenEven — 1–0 both
Larry Holmes
Win, TKO 10
1985Mar 1985
James Smith
Loss, UD
1986Feb 1986
FrazierMarvis FrazierUnited States 19–2 · HeavyweightHolmes betterLarry Holmes better — 1–0 to 0–1
Larry Holmes
Win, TKO 1
1983Nov 1983

Both sides are set at the same size on purpose. Kill The Body does not score a second-round knockout above a split decision — the edge counts losses first and wins as the tiebreak, and the rest is yours to argue. Shared opponents are matched on fighter identity, not on name, so two different fighters with the same name never merge into one row.

Current Form

Oldest left · newest right

James Smith last boxed on Jan 21, 2012 — 5,384 days ago. Smith had lost three straight, after one straight win.LWLLL

Bugner Jul 1998Slaughter Nov 1998Holmes Jun 1999Jr. Oct 2000Metcalf Jan 20122.2 tracked bouts per year

Larry Holmes last boxed on Jul 27, 2002 — 8,849 days ago. Holmes had won four straight since losing a decision to Brian Nielsen.LWWWW

Nielsen Jan 1997Harris Jul 1997Smith Jun 1999Weaver Nov 2000Esch Jul 20022.6 tracked bouts per year

Common Questions

With the rows behind them

Have James Smith and Larry Holmes ever fought each other?: Yes. James Smith and Larry Holmes have met 2 times and Larry Holmes leads the series 2-0.
Who has the better record, Smith or Holmes?: James Smith is 44-17-1 and Larry Holmes is 69-6. Larry Holmes has the higher win percentage.
Who has more knockouts, Smith or Holmes?: James Smith has 32 knockout wins and Larry Holmes has 44. Larry Holmes has more.
Do Smith and Holmes have any common opponents?: James Smith and Larry Holmes share 9 common opponents: Mike Weaver, Brian Nielsen and Jesse Ferguson (and 6 others). Larry Holmes fared better against 3 of them.
Who is bigger, Smith or Holmes?: James Smith is the taller fighter at 193 cm, 3 cm above the other. James Smith also has the longer reach, by 2 cm.
How much fight data does Kill The Body have on Smith and Holmes?: This comparison is drawn from 66 bouts tracked for James Smith and 76 bouts tracked for Larry Holmes. Method and activity splits reflect those bouts only.

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James Smith vs Larry Holmes — record, stats and common opponents compared

James Smith

Larry Holmes