Here on the celebration of Mike Tyson’s 51st birthday – and just two days and 20 years on from the former heavyweight champ’s infamous “Bite Fight” with Evander Holyfield – it might be interesting to ask: who was the greater fighter, Tyson or Holyfield?
Evander Holyfield
Glenn McCrory on Holyfield-Tyson II
Dubbed, for obvious reasons, “The Bite Fight,” the return meeting between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson shocked the entire world like no other boxing match in history. Or rather it was the events in the third round, and the subsequent events that followed, that caused the enormous shock.
Twenty years have passed since that incredible night at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and no-one who was there has forgotten what happened – even if plenty of them, such as Sky Sports commentator Glenn McCrory, would like to forget.
All-time great Holyfield enshrined in Hall of Fame; recalls his toughest ever fight
Evander Holyfield was enshrined at The Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York yesterday, along with, amongst others, Marco Antonio Barrera and the late Johnny Tapia. Holyfield, the only four-time heavyweight champion in boxing history, was genuinely moved as he gave his acceptance speech; devoting his success to his mother – who, he told the gathering, told him “never to quit.”
Evander Holyfield: Heading to the Hall of Fame
Heavyweight great – and cruiserweight greatest – Evander Holyfield is likely to be putting the finishing touches to his Hall of Fame enshrinement speech right about now; “The Real Deal” set to be immortalized in Canastota in a few days’ time. If ever a fighter was/is worthy of going into The Hall, it is the former undisputed cruiser king and the former four-time heavyweight ruler.
Video: Top 20 Heavyweights since 1924
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC8sAf0ROwE
Who are the best heavyweights in boxing history? This timeless question has been a recipe for countless discussions. The long running debate is something that has captivated boxing fans and historians alike. Ranking athletes from different eras is a tricky business that usually boils down to personal preference and opinion, and this is just as true in professional boxing as it is in any other organized professional sport.
Documentary: A brief chronology of the 1990s heavyweight division
The 1990s was one of the greatest decades in the history of professional boxing. It had some of the highest regarded champions of all time, some of the best match-ups of all time, the biggest upset in sports history, one of the most amazing trilogies ever, and a slew of talented and entertaining boxers who helped make this such a magical time in heavyweight history.
Holyfield, Barrera, Tapia, Jimmy Lennon Jr. head Boxing Hall of Fame class
The International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum announced today the members of the Class of 2017. Inductees include three Modern category boxers who all enter the Hall in their first year of eligibility; Mexico’s three-division champion “The Baby Faced Assassin” Marco Antonio Barrera,undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight champion Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield and three-division champion Johnny “Mi Vida Loca” Tapia (posthumous). Non-participants and observers to be inducted include Australian trainer Johnny Lewis, veteran judge Jerry Roth, journalist / broadcaster Steve Farhood and broadcaster Barry Tompkins.
Evander Holyfield: A dead-cert for the Hall of Fame
Dan Rafael of ESPN.com has reported how the nominees for this year’s ballot for the Hall of Fame have been sent out to those writers who are eligible to vote, and there are three new names on the list: Evander Holyfield, Marco Antonio Barrera and Johnny Tapia. All three greats appear to be slam-dunks to get voted in and enshrined next summer, but in the opinion of many, cruiserweight and heavyweight legend Holyfield is even more deserving of the honour than the two lower weight kings, despite their extraordinary accomplishments.
Evander Holyfield Vs. Dwight Muhammad Qawi: the cruiserweight division’s Thrilla (in Atlanta!)
The great Muhammad Ali’s quote of how the third war he had with the also great Joe Frazier was “close to death,” is well known, and it is of course undeniably true that the two legends gave their all in the unforgettable 1975 super-fight. But yet another great, in Evander Holyfield, at the beginning of his storied career, also experienced something akin to the sheer hell Ali (and Frazier) went through – in the summer of 1986, when he was a cruiserweight contender challenging for his first world title.
Evander Holyfield says Anthony Joshua has “a great chance” at breaking Marciano’s legendary 49-0 record
It’s one of the most famous and revered set of numbers in the sport of boxing: heavyweight immortal Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record. Ever since “The Rock” said goodbye to the ring with his perfect ledger, have heavyweights tried to break the record the hugely popular fighter (hugely popular in both life and in death) left behind. Larry Holmes came closest, in 1985, when he defeated Carl Williams to extends his record to 48-0. A controversial and very bitter (for Holmes) loss to Michael Spinks in a heavily hyped fight that same year ruined Larry’s aims to tie with Marciano’s magical numbers.