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Larry Holmes on Richie Giachetti: ‘He should be down in the Hall of Fame’

Fighters Network
05
Feb
Larry Holmes (R) fighting Gerry Cooney in 1982. Photo: THE RING

Larry Holmes (R) fighting Gerry Cooney in 1982. Photo: THE RING

Larry Holmes thinks his longtime trainer and manager, Richie Giachetti, who died on Wednesday, should have been voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame already.

“I think he should have gotten in there before he died,” Holmes told RingTV.com on Friday.

“He’s trained and worked with one of the great fighters of all time (referring to himself). He worked a little bit with Mike Tyson,” Holmes went on. “He worked with everybody. So why shouldn’t he be in there? It’s political [expletive]. That’s all that is. He should be remembered. He should be down in the Hall of Fame.”

International Boxing Hall of Fame executive director Edward Brophy didn’t immediately return a message for comment.



Giachetti worked with Holmes from 1973-1981, guiding him to a heavyweight title in 1978 with a 15-round split-decision victory over Ken Norton for the WBC championship. Holmes was a champion until 1985.

Giachetti also helped train Mike Tyson for five fights, and he helped train at various times: Aaron Pryor, Earnie Shavers, James “Buster” Douglas, Michael Dokes, Riddick Bowe, Oliver McCall, Jean-Marc Mormeck and Steve Cunningham, among others.

Giachetti was preceded by training greats who often overshadowed his accomplishments, Holmes said, and was thus a victim of bad timing in boxing history.

“He’s one of the great guys out there who never got the credit because he wasn’t around when Ray Arcel, Freddie Brown, Eddie Futch, the old experienced guys (were active),” Holmes said. “It’s like me — following Muhammad Ali you never can be the champion and I’ve been a champion for a long time so Richie faced the same thing. Everyone said, ‘Larry Holmes, you’re never going to be like Muhammad Ali.’ They say Richie Giachetti is never going to be like Freddie Brown, Ray Arcel or Freddie Futch.”

 

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