Evander Holyfield, the only boxer to win the world heavyweight championship four times, now says he regrets his third fight with Riddick Bowe. The former champ fought while sick with hepatitis, which led to his defeat.
Holyfield, known as "The Real Deal," had an impressive career. He started as an undisputed cruiserweight champion before moving up to heavyweight. In October 1990, he knocked out Buster Douglas in three rounds to become the world heavyweight champion for the first time.
Throughout his career, Holyfield shared the ring with boxing greats like Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, and George Foreman. He fought in 19 world heavyweight title bouts before retiring in 2011 with a record of 44 wins, 10 losses, 2 draws, and 1 no contest.
Holyfield's trilogy with Bowe was a rollercoaster. Bowe won their first encounter by unanimous decision in 1992. Holyfield evened the score with a majority decision victory in 1993. But it's the third fight that Holyfield now wishes he hadn't taken.
In a recent YouTube interview, Holyfield explained his decision to fight despite being ill:
"The doctor told me 'Evander, you don't want to go in like that.' I started saying you don't understand that's 9 million dollars. I had never pulled out of a fight a day in my life. I had already trained 10 weeks and only had 3 more weeks."
Holyfield contracted hepatitis just weeks before the fight. He thought he could recover in time:
"He was telling me this stuff would mess with me for a week, I said I've got 2 weeks until the fight. That's the way I thought. I didn't ever want to pull out."
The fight didn't go as planned. Holyfield suffered an eighth-round stoppage defeat. He reflected on the experience:
"I was looking at all the fighters and said I want to be the fighter that did everything right. I want to do the very best that I could. Doing the very best I could but I got tore up that time. I said 'I'm never doing that again', if I'm sick again I'm out of there."
Holyfield's decision to fight while sick showed his dedication but came at a cost. He learned a tough lesson about the importance of health in boxing. Despite this setback, Holyfield's career remains one of the most impressive in heavyweight boxing history.
