It may be somewhat ironic that, on this day, when Mike Tyson will enter the ring again, his most testing ring rival went pro on this same day some 40 years ago. Evander Holyfield, who twice kicked Tyson’s ass (well, once, with him on his way to repeating the job before Tyson went totally off the hinges and bit his ear off!), was, of course, part of the celebrated US Olympic squad that conquered in LA, with fellow future stars Pernell Whitaker, Meldrick Taylor, Mark Breland, and the less fortunate Tyrell Biggs all going pro on the same card.
It took place at Madison Square Garden four decades ago, and Holyfield, turning pro as a light-heavyweight, won a six-round decision over Lionel Byarm. Holyfield was 22 years old at the time, and nobody – as in nobody – could possibly have had any idea how great a ring career “The Real Deal” would go on to have.
Famously disqualified in the second round of the semi-final at the ’84 Games, Holyfield had to make do with a bronze. He went on to fill his trophy cabinet with gold, a whole cartload of gold.
Holyfield is considered the greatest cruiserweight ever today, with only the superb Oleksandr Usyk in with a shout as far as being better or as good as him at the weight. Holyfield gave us his first all-time classic when fighting as a cruiserweight, this his 15-round war with the great Dwight Muhammad Qawi. Holyfield went through hell to win via split decision, with the new champ having to go to hospital to have his bodily fluids replaced by IV. Holyfield thought long and hard about quitting the sport, so tough had the Qawi battle been.
But Holyfield was now a world champion, and he was assured by his team that he would never have to go through as tough an ordeal again. It’s possible, even when we consider the absolute wars Holyfield would find himself in as a heavyweight, that no man ever did push him as hard and as consistently as Qawi did.
After unifying the cruiserweight division, Holyfield of course moved up, a mega-fight with heavyweight king Mike Tyson already being spoken about. The two had sparred, one round, and we know now that Evander got the better of it. Tyson may have been terrifying almost everyone he was fighting, but he never was able to get to Holyfield in such a manner. Holyfield would have to wait some years before getting his big chance against Tyson.
First came wins over Buster Douglas to become heavyweight champ, with Holyfield then lodging retentions in wins over George Foreman (in a monster PPV smash hit), Bert Cooper (the first date for the Tyson fight postponed), and Larry Holmes. Before Evander had his first epic rumble with Riddick Bowe. Holyfield lost to Bowe on points over 12 sizzling rounds, but his enormous heart had never been so, well, enormous. The rematch came, and Holyfield got his revenge. Then Evander lost to Michael Moorer and suffered a heart attack during the fight. This was surely the end.
No, ‘healed,’ and armed with a new nickname, that of “Warrior,” Holyfield came back to top Ray Mercer, and then the rubber match with Bowe came. After decking Bowe, Holyfield ran out of gas and was stopped for the first time in his career. Now, this was surely the end. No again.
Holyfield scored a comeback win over Bobby Czyz, with him looking decidedly ordinary in doing so. Then came the Tyson fight – “Finally.” Tyson had been released from prison and he had regained two portions of the crown with easy and quick stoppage wins over Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon. Tyson was a whopping 25/1 betting favorite over Holyfield, and people everywhere worried for Evander’s health, his life even.
In his most stunning win, Holyfield beat Tyson up, dropped him, and then stopped him late in round 11. Holyfield was now the king of kings. Well, almost. Lennox Lewis would have to be beaten to end any and all doubt about who the heavyweight king was. First came a return with Tyson and the infamous “Bite Fight.” Then, when his ear had been patched up, Holyfield got revenge over Moorer, stopping him in eight.
And then came the two battles with Lewis, the first fight being called a draw, this regarded as one of the worst, most controversial decisions in boxing history. Holyfield did better in the return, but he still lost via decision. Amazingly, Evander would fight on for 12 more years!
The highlight during this period of unneeded combat was a win over John Ruiz, which saw Holyfield pick up the vacant WBA heavyweight belt, this making him a four-weight champion – the only one in history. But the good times, the good performances, the wins, began to dry up. Holyfield would lose and then draw with Ruiz, he would lose to Chris Byrd, and he would be stopped by James Toney. Yet still Holyfield would not retire.
Only after losses to Sultan Ibragimov and Nikolay Valuev (in a fight that Holyfield came so close to winning, and if he had, he’d have been a five-time heavyweight champion) did Evander finally hang ’em up, this after a TKO win over Brian Nielsen.
It had been one heck of an enormous, long, up and down – but mostly up – ride! Holyfield went out with a 44-10-2(29) ledger. Today, having tried to come back and box in an exhibition, with a 59-year-old Holyfield being embarrassingly stopped by Vitor Belfort in 2021, Evander will be watching to see how his old rival Mike Tyson does as he tries to fight again at age 58.
But what a career Holyfield had. And it began 40 years ago today.
