Evander Holyfield has spoken out and revealed the greatest opponent of his decorated career.
‘The Real Deal’ proved himself to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time during his tenure, after also having a successful campaign at cruiserweight which culminated in him capturing the undisputed championship.
Holyfield would go on to become the first fighter in boxing history to win the undisputed championship at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, a feat he achieved back in October of 1990 when he stopped James ‘Buster’ Douglas in the third round of their Las Vegas showdown.
The Alabama-native would end up sharing the ring with a number of legendary heavyweights before his career eventually came to an end in 2011, including the likes of Lennox Lewis, George Foreman and Mike Tyson to name just a few.
In a feature with The Ring Magazine, Holyfield was asked to reveal the best fighter that he ever crossed paths with, naming none other than Riddick Bowe who he faced three times during his career.
“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 got the better of ‘The Real Deal’ when they locked horns for the first time in November of 1992, defeating him via unanimous decision to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Holyfield got his revenge when they clashed for the second time just under one year later to regain the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles after yet another close contest.
It was ‘Big Daddy’ who settled their rivalry in their trilogy match-up in November of 1995 however when he stopped Holyfield in the eighth round of their showdown at the world-famous Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.