Evander Holyfield is one of the greatest heavyweights of the last thirty years.
‘The Real Deal’ became the first fighter in boxing history to achieve undisputed status at both cruiserweight and heavyweight after he defeated WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion James ‘Buster’ Douglas back in 1990.
Holyfield made several successful defences of his undisputed crown, defeating both Larry Holmes and George Foreman during his reign, before he was eventually beaten by Riddick Bowe in the first of their three fights at the end of 1992.
Speaking to DJ Vlad, Holyfield admitted how he regretted going ahead with his 1990 showdown with Riddick Bowe, after he reveals he ignored important advice from his own mother before facing ‘Big Daddy’.
“The big thing with [Riddick] Bowe, he’s the first person I realised that I didn’t do what my momma told me to do, so my momma told me, she said don’t become friends with nobody you’re gonna have to compete with, she said ‘son, when you’re friends with people like this, you tell them things that you shouldn’t because you all talk about everything’.
So when I lost that fight, I realised Bowe used to be my sparring partner when he was an amateur, he was an amateur and he was good. I helped him out with his little son and all this because I had money and stuff like this. Me and Bowe were just real good friends we talked about everything.”
Holyfield defeated Bowe in their highly anticipated rematch in 1993 to re-capture the heavyweight championship, but would fall short in their trilogy showdown which took place in November 1995, putting an end to one of heavyweight boxings greatest ever trilogies.
