Heavyweight great Evander Holyfield has revealed the one man who hit him even harder than former rivals Mike Tyson and Larry Holmes.
Known as ‘The Real Deal’, Holyfield took the division by storm during the 1990s, becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion when he stopped James ‘Buster’ Douglas in the third round of their Las Vegas showdown in October 1990.
Victory over Douglas saw Holyfield become the first fighter in boxing history to achieve undisputed status at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, following his 1988 win over Carlos de León.
The Alabama-native would go on to produce a number of legacy-defining victories in the years that followed, defeating the likes of Riddick Bowe, Michael Moorer and George Foreman as well as Tyson and Holmes.
Speaking to ESNEWS, ‘The Real Deal’ didn’t hesitate to name countryman George Foreman as the biggest puncher he ever faced during his glittering professional career.
“The guy that hit me the hardest was George Foreman. He hit me one time in the eleventh round, and I came back to the corner and I said, ‘Did he knock all my teeth out?’”
Holyfield ended Foreman’s impressive win streak when they locked horns for the undisputed heavyweight championship in Atlantic City back in April of 1991, defeating ‘Big George’ by unanimous decision.
Foreman would go on to become the oldest world heavyweight champion in history, stopping Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their Las Vegas clash to unify the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles, showing exactly why Holyfield rates his power so highly.
