Evander Holyfield was a force in the boxing ring, the first man to become undisputed champion at both cruiser and heavyweight.
‘The Real Deal’ had many statement victories during his 57-fight campaign, not least over George Foreman, Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson.
Outside of those fights, plus two with Lennox Lewis, Holyfield is best regarded for co-starring one of the best heavyweight trilogies in the history of the sport against Riddick Bowe.
As past sparring partners, the pair knew each other well. Although Holyfield stepped through the ropes as a favourite in their first bout, he struggled with Bowe’s size and strength and would go on to lost a hard fought unanimous decision.
Bowe – who famously binned his WBC belt rather than face Lennox Lewis next – took the rematch one year later and again fought until the final bell, though that time around Holyfield took a majority decision with the scores 114-114, 115-114 and 115-113.
Some felt a draw for the bout – which was interrupted by the infamous ‘fan man’ incident – would have been fair, but it was clear that Bowe did not show up in the same shape he had for their first encounter. In the trilogy bout in 1995, Bowe became the first man to stop Holyfield, scoring a TKO in the eighth and winning the rivalry.
Years later in a joint interview with Tru School Sports, Holyfield would admit that the version of Bowe from their first bout was unbeatable.
“You were a different character then [in your prime]. You would of bust everybody up.”
Holyfield regards Bowe, now a friend, as the best fighter he ever shared a ring with – high praise from a man with his resume.
The defeat in their second bout was the only mark on the record of ‘Big Daddy’ Bowe from Brooklyn, who would end his career as a two-time champion with 43 wins – though he did miss out on fights with the likes of Lewis and Tyson from that era.
Top trainer Eddie Futch identified him as the fighter with the most potential he had ever witnessed, however it was well known Bowe didn’t take the sport as seriously as he could have.
