Evander Holyfield admits he got lucky when he faced Mike Tyson. The former heavyweight champ says he fought Tyson when he was past his prime and beatable.
Holyfield, known as "The Real Deal," had a great career that spanned from cruiserweight to heavyweight. He started as a cruiserweight and became the undisputed champion in that division. In April 1988, at 25 years old, he stopped Carlos De Leon in the 8th round to claim that title.
He then moved up to heavyweight and made history. In 1990, Holyfield knocked out James 'Buster' Douglas in the 3rd round to become the undisputed heavyweight champion. This win made him the first fighter ever to hold undisputed titles in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions.
Tyson's career took off much earlier. In 1986, he became the youngest world heavyweight champion ever when he beat Trevor Berbick. That record still stands today. Over the next 12 months, Tyson unified the division by beating WBA champ James Smith and IBF champ Tony Tucker.
But Tyson's reign came to a shocking end in 1990 when Buster Douglas knocked him out in one of boxing's biggest upsets ever.
Holyfield and Tyson finally met in the ring in 1996. Holyfield stopped Tyson in the 11th round. Their rematch ended in controversy when Tyson got disqualified in the 3rd round for biting off a piece of Holyfield's ear.
Looking back on those fights, Holyfield now says he was lucky to face Tyson when he did. In a recently resurfaced interview, Holyfield described Tyson in his prime:
"Unbeatable. When you didn't know what Tyson was gonna do, everybody was in trouble."
Holyfield then admitted:
"He changed up and got into a rhythm that everybody does and he became beatable. I was fortunate enough to fight him when he was beatable."
These comments show just how good Tyson was in his prime. Even a great champion like Holyfield thinks he would've lost to the early version of "Iron Mike."
