This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 6/6/2013.
WBC Heavyweight World Championship belt dating to September 4, 1978 when Larry Holmes first obtained the title after defeating Ken Norton at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Holmes retained the title until December of 1983 when he relinquished the WBC title and accepted recognition as champion by the newly-created IBF (International Boxing Federation). The title was Holmes’ first, he successfully defended it in 17 fights over the course of five years to remain the champ. The green leather belt measures 44” long and weighs 2 lbs. The belt sports a gold-colored center plate that reads “WORLD CHAMPION W.B.C” above the WBC logo featuring eight flags enameled in red, white, blue, yellow and green. The artist’s name, “HUGUENIN” appears in small raised lettering on the left edge of the center plate, the “adidas” logo appears along the bottom. Adjacent to the left and right are two 1-1/2” gold-colored medallions that feature laurelled leaves the “adidas” logo enameled in green. Holmes has signed the belt with the added inscription, “My original WBC belt”. The large signature is done in black marker and rates a strong 8 overall. This truly one-of-a-kind item comes from one of the greatest fighters in history, it is accompanied by a photograph of Holmes’ signing the belt as well as a LOA from JSA for the signature.