In the eyes of many, Evander Holyfield is widely considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
Known by his moniker ‘The Real Deal’, Holyfield remains just one of two fighters in the history of boxing to capture the undisputed world championship at both cruiserweight and heavyweight.
He racked up a number of impressive victories throughout the course of his professional career, defeating the likes of Mike Tyson, George Foreman and Larry Holmes during his campaign at heavyweight.
Holyfield did also suffer his fair share of defeats however, falling short against fighters such as Lennox Lewis, James Toney and John Ruiz before his career came to an end in 2011. Despite these losses, ‘The Real Deal’ is still credited with being one of the best heavyweights of his era.
In a round of ‘Best I Faced’ with The Ring Magazine, Holyfield didn’t hesitate to reveal former unified heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe as the best overall opponent that he ever shared the ring with.
“I would say 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 Qawi.”
Bowe shared the ring with Holyfield three times within a two year period, defeating his fellow countryman via unanimous decision in their first encounter in November 1992.
‘The Real Deal’ got his revenge in their rematch almost exactly one year later but Bowe settled the score once and for all by claiming an eighth round stoppage win in their trilogy showdown, which took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in November of 1994.
