Countdown To Glory: Larry Holmes vs. James "Bonecrusher" Smith

---

After knocking out Marvis Frazier in a single round, undefeated Heavyweight Champion Larry Holmes fails to come to an agreement to fight Greg Face and thus vacates the WBC title. Instead, Holmes is named the inaugural IBF Heavyweight Champion and defends this title against James "Bonecrusher" Smith after being out of the ring for a full year due to disputes and injuries with other potential opponents. Despite Holmes shoving Smith during Referee Davey Pearl's instructions, the bout opens at a tentative pace until Holmes opens a cut over the left eye of Smith with some right hands in the third. Smith suddenly stuns Holmes with a right hand in the fifth and ends up cutting the champion over the left eye after a clash of heads in the seventh. They slug it out in the eighth round before Holmes starts unloading bombs to the head of Smith in the eleventh. With Smith taking more punishment in the twelfth and his eye becoming too far gone, the ringside doctor urges Pearl to stop the fight.