Evander Holyfield had a lengthy career that was filled with great moments and success, as well as some wild moments.
From Holyfield having a fight interrupted by a paraglider to having Mike Tyson bite his ear, there are some unusual moments in his career.
However, Holyfield is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time by many. This is largely thanks to his dominant spell as world champion, which began with Holyfield beating James ‘Buster’ Douglas.
There is one person who does not give Holyfield the title of one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time, and it is someone who knows the fighter well.
Riddick Bowe does not include Evander Holyfield in his greatest heavyweights of all time list
One of the great heavyweight rivalries is Riddick Bowe vs Holyfield. As the pair had met in a trilogy of fights, Bowe was able to hand Holyfield his first career loss.
Although Bowe’s sole loss came at the hands of Holyfield in their second meeting, the former world champion did not credit his rival as being one of the best heavyweights ever.
When asked by Vlad TV to name his top heavyweights of all time, Bowe answered with four names.
“Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Riddick Bowe, Joe Louis.”
The two-time heavyweight champion did not give mention to his former rival, despite being the only opponent to defeat him.
Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield had their trilogy bout in 1995
Bowe would win a decision victory against Holyfield in November 1992, before ‘The Real Deal’ got his revenge with the same method of victory the following year.
The championship bouts would see both heavyweights with one win apiece. Then, in November 1995, the rivals would have their rubber match.
Within a great final stretch of Bowe’s career, he was able to earn his second victory over Holyfield. Despite Holyfield being slightly ahead in the fight after seven completed rounds, Bowe would end the bout in the eighth round.
Scoring a TKO victory, Bowe was able to boast bragging rights over his rival, winning their fight series two wins to one.