Evander Holyfield is a legend of the sport, but on one occasion was accused of cheating in a bizarre match that ended in an even more bizarre interaction with the referee.
Evander Holyfield retired with a record of 44-10-2, but according to one opponent, it should be 43-11-2.
Holyfield was stopped for the first time in his rematch with Riddick Bowe, but it was his comeback fight that saw a controversial accusation of foul play, as Holyfield delivered a dominant performance against a fighter with 50 bouts under their belt.
Evander Holyfield was accused of making Bobby Czyz’s eyes burn in comeback clash
After his devastating loss to Bowe in 1995, Holyfield returned to the ring against 44-6 Bobby Czyz.
The fight headlined Madison Square Garden, but, after five rounds, was cut short as Czyz retired in his corner.
He claimed to his corner, saying “my eyes are burning and I can’t see,” according to BoxRec.
Referee Ron Lipton took his complaints seriously, and, after halting the contest, went to Holyfield’s corner, grabbed his hands, and rubbed his gloves onto his own face.
He reported back to Czyz’s team that there was no foreign substance coming off of the gloves.
Holyfield, who lost to Nikolai Valuev, said after the win: “I didn’t have nothing on my glove to put on his eyes. But they’re his eyes, and whatever happened, happened.”
Evander Holyfield’s bizarre win set up his biggest fight yet
Despite ending in a strange fashion, Holyfield’s win set him up for his biggest fight yet, a heavyweight clash against 45-1 Mike Tyson.
Holyfield, who KO’d Brian Nielsen, became the second person to beat Tyson, after Buster Douglas caused a huge upset by being the first, and stopped him in the eleventh round.
Holyfield would win the rematch, as Tyson infamously bit Holyfield’s ear and lost due to disqualification.