Evander Holyfield is one of the few fighters in boxing history to achieve undisputed status in more than one weight division.
‘The Real Deal’ conquered the cruiserweight division during the late 1980’s, defeating Carlos De Leon to win the undisputed championship in April 1988.
Holyfield went on to campaign at heavyweight shortly after, defeating James ‘Buster’ Douglas via 3rd-round stoppage at The Mirage, Las Vegas in 1990 to capture the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles in a career defining moment.
The 62-year-old made three successful defences of his crown, including victories against George Foreman and Larry Holmes, before he surrendered his titles to Riddick Bowe in the first of their three bouts in November 1992.
In an interview with Boxing247, Holyfield spoke fondly of his first fight against former rival ‘Big Daddy’ Bowe, naming him as the most ‘complete’ fighter he had ever fought during his tenure.
“That’s the first fight that man has ever had where he didn’t run out of gas (laughing). When he didn’t run out of gas and my eyes were so swollen, I had to stay there. I couldn’t see him from a distance because he had the reach, he had good hand speed from the outside, and he fought good from the inside. He was the most complete big man that I ever fought.”
Holyfield got his revenge over Bowe in their rematch 1-year after their first fight, to regain the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles. The third and final instalment of their trilogy took place in November 1995, with ‘Big Daddy’ putting an end to their fierce rivalry in a non-title bout, stopping ‘The Real Deal’ in the eighth round.
