On this day (September 28) in 1979, Larry Holmes proved his championship mettle (and recuperative power beyond any doubt) by getting up and battling to a late-stoppage victory after being floored by arguably the hardest puncher in heavyweight history.

Holmes, who was making the fourth defense of the WBC title he won in an epic battle with Ken Norton in 1978, was dropped by a right-hand bomb from Earnie Shavers that would have put any heavyweight not named Muhammad Ali asleep in Round 7. Ringside sports writers say the noise made by the impact of Shaver’s fist is the loudest punch they’ve ever heard. Somehow, Holmes, who had outpointed Shavers in a title-elimination bout prior to the showdown with Norton, got up and wore the determined KO puncher down to an 11th-round stoppage.

Read a full account of this classic heavyweight clash in the May 2022 issue of The Ring, which celebrates Holmes’ hall-of-fame career. Click here to purchase the print edition of the special issue.

Ring Magazine was there at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and the following photos are from its photo archives.

Earnie Shavers’ jab landed like a power punch against Larry Holmes. (Photo by: The Ring Magazine via Getty Images)

Holmes knew Shavers threw serious heat but the challenger, who had come up short after 15 rounds against Muhammad Ali a year earlier, brought harder pressure to their rematch. (Photo by: The Ring Magazine via Getty Images)

How did Holmes get up from this seventh-round knockdown? Simple: He’s an all-time great. (Photo by: The Ring Magazine via Getty Images)

And Holmes did what great fighters do when they get knocked down: they get up and kick ass! (Photo by The Ring/ Getty Images)

SUBSCRIBE NOW (CLICK HERE - JUST $1.99 PER MONTH) TO READ THE LATEST ISSUE