Evander Holyfield was, until recently, the only man to gain undisputed status at both cruiserweight and heavyweight.
Despite being joined on that particular podium last month by Oleksandr Usyk, ‘The Real Deal’s accomplishments still stand strong.
With an incredibly high work-rate and some of the most effective counter shots in the sport, Holyfield’s career spanned 26 years and saw him co-star in thrillers with Riddick Bowe, Larry Holmes, George Foreman, Dwight Muhammad Qawi and Lennox Lewis.
Despite Holyfield believing his toughest fights were against Bowe and Qawi, he recently told Sportal HU that he reserves the tag of most memorable for ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.
“Mike Tyson, because of the fact that he was popular and he had been the heavyweight champ of the world. And most people he was gonna beat me, so it was a pretty big thing.”
The pair fought twice, the first ending in a stoppage in the eleventh for 5/1 underdog Holyfield. He impressed fans with his strength in the clinch against powerhouse Tyson. It was that counterpunching that found him success. When they had done enough damage, Holyfield released quick combinations to force the referee to step in and call it.
The rematch – which is no doubt one of the most memorable fights in the sport entire – was cut short when Tyson was disqualified for biting Holyfield’s ear.
Holyfield won and retained the WBA Heavyweight World title over the course of the fights. The two boxing legends have become friends and even business partners in the time since, burying that bitter rivalry.
