Larry Holmes vs. Lorenzo Zanon, billed as Battlestars!: Warlords of Caesars, was a professional match contested on February 3, 1980, for the WBC heavyweight title.
Background In mid-December 1979, promoter Don King announced that WBC heavyweight champion Larry Holmes would next defend his title against Lorenzo Zanon, the European heavyweight champion and the WBC's number-five ranked heavyweight.Holmes to Fight Zanon for Crown, New York Times article, 1979-12–15, Retrieved on 2026-05-06 Zanon, the WBC's number-five ranked heavyweight, was not considered a substantial threat to Holmes, who already had his next two planned opponents, Leroy Jones and John Tate, lined up.Boxings Treaty Of Pragmatism, New York Times article, 1979-12–20, Retrieved on 2026-05-06
Zanon was given almost no chance of defeating Holmes and was widely mocked in the media. Among other insults, Zanon was lampooned as an "inept garbanzo" by Steve Farhood of World Boxing, both a "pushover" and an "Italian sausage" by Dick Young of the New York Daily News, and, more courteously, an "opponent" by Michael Katz of the New York Times.Shoot the Moon: The Title Reign of Larry Holmes Part V, Lorenzo Zanon, Hannibal Boxing article, 2019-06–24, Retrieved on 2026-05-06Weak Chin Makes Zanon an 'Opponent'; Silent in Two Languages, New York Times article, 1980-02–02, Retrieved on 2026-05-06
In order to draw viewers to the telecast broadcast by ABC, King produced an undercar which featured a WBC super bantamweight title fight between Wilfredo Gómez and Rubén Valdéz, and undefeated up-and-coming welterweight prospect Thomas Hearns against "Fighting" Jim Richards. Gómez was attempting to break the record of 10 consecutive knockouts in title defenses, which he shared with Roberto Durán.Hearns Hoping to Get His Share Of the Boxing Spotlight Today, New York Times article, 1980-02–03, Retrieved on 2026-05-06 Gómez would succeed in breaking the record, defeating Valdéz by corner retirement in the sixth round. Adding a further six knockouts to his record before vacating his title, Gómez's record of 17 consecutive knockouts in title defenses still stands to this date.
Fight details After three relatively close and uneventful rounds to start the fight, Holmes dominated and nearly ended the fight in the fourth. Putting the pressure on Zanon early in the round, Holmes landed a left-right combination flush to Zanon's face that sent him down on his back. Zanon struggled back to his feet, but was allowed to continue. Holmes continued to pressure Zanon, who back-peddled away and threw a left jab in desperation that Holmes countered with a big right hand that caught Zanon flush and sent him slumping into the ropes and then face first on the canvas. Again, Zanon struggled to his feet, beating referee Ray Solis' 10-count and was allowed to continue, however, after Holmes continued to land power punches to the struggling Zanon's head, Solis erroneously gave Zanon a standing eight count, which was not allowed by Nevada State Athletic Commission at the time, giving a dazed Zanon an opportunity to recover and survive the round. After an uneventful fifth round, Holmes dominated Zanon in the sixth before sending him down with a right cross late in the round. Zanon would rise to his feet but this time was unable to beat Solis' 10-count, giving Holmes the knockout victory at 2:39.Holmes Stops Zanon and Keeps Title; Holmes Stops Zanon to Keep Title, New York Times article, 1980-02–04, Retrieved on 2026-05-08
Fight card Confirmed bouts: Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round NotesHeavyweight200+ lbs.Larry Holmes (c)def.Lorenzo ZanonKO6/15Super Bantamweight122 lbs.Wilfredo Gómez (c)def.Ruben ValdesRTD6/15Light Middleweight154 lbs.Thomas Hearnsdef.Jim RichardsKO3/10Super Flyweight115 lbs.Orlando Maldonadodef.Arturo TebaquiKO10/10Light Welterweight140 lbs.Sterling McPhearsondef.Jaime NavaUD6
Broadcasting Country Broadcaster ABC
References