Evander Holyfield has named three fighters who hit harder than Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. The former heavyweight champion shared his thoughts during an interview on The Big Podcast With Shaq.
Holyfield, who dominated the cruiserweight ranks before moving up to heavyweight, faced many top boxers in his career. He famously beat Mike Tyson twice - once by stoppage and once by disqualification. Their bouts were some of the most memorable in boxing history. Holyfield also fought Lennox Lewis twice, with their first fight ending in a controversial draw and Lewis winning the rematch.
Despite the power of Tyson and Lewis, Holyfield pointed to three other fighters as hitting harder: George Foreman, Riddick Bowe, and Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
Speaking about Foreman, Holyfield said:
"Of course George Foreman. [It felt like] something fell on me. Like something fall on your toe. Bam! You feel it, but here I am trying to act like it was nothing."
Holyfield fought Foreman in 1991 when Foreman was 42. Holyfield won by unanimous decision, but the punches left a lasting impression:
"My people are telling me come on back, the bell rung, but my legs are stuck. I knew if I move I was gonna just fall on my face. This is gonna make George kill me the next round. I was always trying to not let the guy know that he hurt me."
Riddick Bowe was another heavy hitter according to Holyfield:
"Riddick Bowe. He did knock me down. He's the one that gave me more trouble than anybody."
Holyfield and Bowe fought a trilogy, with Bowe winning two of the three bouts.
The third fighter Holyfield mentioned was cruiserweight Dwight Muhammad Qawi. Their first fight went the full 15 rounds, with Holyfield winning a split decision. Holyfield recalled:
"I had to go fifteen rounds and I'd never been past eight. Getting in this fight, I'm gonna try to get him. I jumped out there and the first three rounds I was on him. Fourth round he started hitting me with those big shots. He hit me so doggone hard all of a sudden I remember the fifteenth round. All the other rounds slipped. I didn't know how the fight was. And then they raised my hand."
Holyfield stopped Qawi in their rematch.
It's worth noting that Foreman later achieved another remarkable feat, beating Michael Moorer at 45 to become the division's oldest world champion.
