Evander Holyfield has sensationally overlooked two legendary heavyweights when revealing the two greatest opponents that he ever faced.
‘The Real Deal’ exploded onto the scene following his success at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where he claimed a light-heavyweight gold medal.
Holyfield would go on to become the first fighter in boxing history to win the undisputed world championship at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, a record that remained unmatched until May 2024.
Whilst he suffered his fair share of defeats during his tenure, the Alabama-native picked up a number of legacy-defining victories along the way, defeating the likes of George Foreman, Michael Moorer and Mike Tyson.
Speaking to The Ring Magazine, Holyfield surprisingly overlooked Tyson and Foreman when naming the two best fighters that he shared the ring with.
“I would say [Riddick] Bowe. I had three fights with Bowe. He was very competitive, he was always going to be in shape when he fought me. Then… I would say [Dwight Muhammad] Qawi.”
‘The Real Deal’ and Bowe shared the ring with each other on several occasions within a three year period, producing one of the most memorable trilogies in the history of heavyweight boxing, with Holyfield winning one and losing the other two.
Holyfield’s showdown with Qawi took place during the earlier stages of his career when he was still campaigning at cruiserweight. ‘The Real Deal’ dethroned Qawi of his WBA cruiserweight title back in 1986, defeating him via split decision at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta.
‘The Real Deal’ was victorious in their rematch just one year later, stopping Qawi in the fourth round of their WBA and IBF cruiserweight title unification bout in Atlantic City.
