Larry Holmes Moving Back to Old Restaurant

Larry Holmes is moving back to the street that bears his name.

The Easton Zoning Hearing Board Monday night granted the former heavyweight champion permission to re-establish his restaurant -- now called the Ringside Bar and Grill -- along Larry Holmes Drive.

Holmes moved out of the Ringside Restaurant last year following a dispute with the city over the proposed -- and ultimately unsuccessful -- Neighborhood Improvement District.

He set up a new place, Champ's Corner, on Canal Street.

"Things didn't go the right way, so I moved back here," Holmes said of that restaurant.

The board needed to review Holmes' plan because he's moving into a flood plain. Part of the conditions of their approval is his compliance with flood regulations, including one that requires the restaurant to shut down if or when a flood happens.

Holmes, who described the menu of his revamped restaurant as "like a fast-food place," told the board the building was constructed to withstand flooding.

“There's been three or four floods down there, and we never got hit with it," he said. "There was water in the parking lot, but we never got water inside."

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Holmes -- who proudly showed off photos of his day-old grandson -- said he'd still need to get a liquor license for the building, but hopes to reopen as soon as possible.

"I'm going to be 63, and I want to celebrate in my place," he said.