Evander Holyfield, the former undisputed champion in two weight divisions, has picked Riddick Bowe as the 'most complete' heavyweight he ever fought. Holyfield shared this opinion in a recent chat with Boxing247, basing it on Bowe's performance in their first fight.
Holyfield, now 62 and known as 'The Real Deal', had a career filled with big wins. He became the undisputed cruiserweight champion in April 1988 by beating Carlos De Leon. Two years later, he moved up to heavyweight and knocked out James 'Buster' Douglas in the third round at The Mirage in Las Vegas. That win got him the WBC, WBA, and IBF heavyweight titles.
He went on to defend those titles three times, beating big names like George Foreman and Larry Holmes. But in November 1992, he ran into Riddick Bowe and lost his titles.
That first fight with Bowe started a rivalry that would span three fights. Holyfield got his revenge a year later, winning back the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles. But Bowe had the last laugh in November 1995, stopping Holyfield in the eighth round of their final non-title bout.
When asked about Bowe, Holyfield told Boxing247:
"That's the first fight that man has ever had where he didn't run out of gas (laughing). When he didn't run out of gas and my eyes were so swollen, I had to stay there. I couldn't see him from a distance because he had the reach, he had good hand speed from the outside, and he fought good from the inside. He was the most complete big man that I ever fought."
Holyfield's words paint a picture of Bowe as a fighter with it all - endurance, a reach advantage, quick hands from far away, and skills for close-up fighting. It's high praise from a man who faced some of the best heavyweights in boxing history.
