46-year-old legend vs. the champ who ducked $10 million. Some fights are about more than belts.
Oliver McCall vs. Larry Holmes, billed as "Burden of Proof", was a professional boxing match contested on April 8, 1995 for the WBC Heavyweight Championship. After Oliver McCall stunned Lennox Lewis in the second round to become WBC Heavyweight Champion, he turned down a $10 million offer from Lewis for an immediate rematch. Instead he agreed to fight 46 year old former WBC, IBF and lineal heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, who was making his fourth attempt at regaining a heavyweight title after losing to Michael Spinks in 1985. Each of his previous three attempts (against Spinks in 1986 in a rematch, against Mike Tyson in 1988, and against Evander Holyfield in 1992) ended in defeat, although he went the distance in two of the three fights.
Practical Effects
Raw 90s broadcast captures unfiltered ring drama.
Production
Leonard, Hearns, Hagler on commentary—legends analyzing legends.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
McCall's rejection of the Lewis rematch cost him millions and delayed undisputed heavyweight clarity for years.
This fight epitomized 90s boxing's obsession with faded legends—Holmes, Foreman, and later Tyson all chased impossible comebacks.
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