Larry Holmes cemented his status as the most dominant heavyweight champion in the world with a ferocious third-round stoppage of former undisputed champion Leon Spinks at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Friday night. The undefeated Eastern Pennsylvanian, who entered the contest with a flawless 37-fight professional record, was rarely troubled in a contest that ended in explosive fashion just two minutes and 34 seconds into the third round.

Promoted by Don King and dedicated to the memory of the great Joe Louis — the Detroit-born legend who passed away just two months prior — the bout carried considerable sentimental weight for the sell-out crowd of 21,000. For Holmes, it represented a tenth successive defence of the WBC heavyweight crown, coming just two months after his commanding fifteen-round points victory over Canada’s Trevor Berbick at Caesars Palace in April. That performance had drawn some criticism, with Holmes appearing slightly ring-rusty, but there was precious little evidence of that here.

From the opening bell, Spinks brought energy and aggression, marching forward with a warrior’s determination, seeking to impose his physical presence and wear the champion down. Holmes, however, was measured and precise, utilising his razor-sharp left jab to dictate terms and smother Spinks’s advances. The champion controlled the opening round with the authority of a man who simply refused to be troubled.

The second stanza produced the evening’s most contentious moment. With Holmes firmly in the ascendancy, a bell was inadvertently sounded a full 25 seconds before the round’s conclusion. The champion, believing the session had ended, momentarily lowered his guard — an invitation Spinks accepted gleefully, crashing home a heavy right hand. It was a fleeting setback, but it appeared to ignite something within Holmes rather than unsettle him.

He emerged for the third round with an altogether more aggressive intent. Cutting off the ring with efficiency and purpose, Holmes drove Spinks backwards, landing successive right hands of considerable venom that sent the challenger careering across the canvas and into the ropes. Spinks somehow hauled himself upright at the referee’s count of nine, but Holmes offered no such second opportunity, pinning him in a neutral corner and unleashing a merciless barrage.

Chaos momentarily reigned in the Spinks corner. Leon’s younger brother Michael attempted to climb through the ropes to protect his sibling, but was restrained before he could do so. Assistant trainer Dale Williams hurled a white towel into the ring in a gesture of surrender, though referee Richard Steele had already moved decisively to wave off the contest and spare the challenger further punishment.

It was a night that underlined the vast gulf in class between a champion at his absolute peak and a challenger whose career had been defined as much by misfortune as by brilliance. For Larry Holmes, it was yet another commanding chapter in a remarkable unbeaten story. For Leon Spinks, a man who once shocked the entire sporting world by defeating Muhammad Ali, it was a painful reminder that the cruellest sport shows little mercy to those whose finest hours lie in the past.